Dip dying hair?

[unknown]

I've already started a thread on the hair dye forum about some of this:
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=4570.0

I later on decided to dye my hair like the first picture with the rainbow ends - but I'd also like to use semi-perm (I HATE permanent dyes) black over the parts that won't be rainbow-coloured.

I don't use any heat or sulfates and CO-wash in order to keep my hair in the very best condition it can be.
As my hair is already a very dark brown, bleaching will be involved on my ends...

Any tips on how to prepare my hair for the bleaching? The only thing I've got is coconut oil to prevent damage.

And does anyone here know how to keep the semi-permanent dye from leaking and mixing when I shower? The black worries me the most...

[spidermom]

Too bad about the bleaching, but I like the look.

[Amber_Maiden]

How about using Elumen? I hear that it's a safer dye.

[unknown]

Elumen can't be found here, and ordering it internationally is quite expensive thinking about all the colours I'd need....
Besides, using semi-perm ones will allow me to change the colour whenever I feel like it :D

I will do this as soon as I find a way to avoid the colours mixing into a huge failure, I can always cut it off if it gets too damaged...

[luxepiggy]

It's doable, but not with rainbow colours at the tips. You'd have to stick to a fairly vivid/intense blue/violet for the ends, so the finished look would be something like this:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/blue-hemline-options-2.jpg

If you'd be happy with that type of look, you're in luck. All you need is bleach and 2 containers of blue-violet deposit dye. IMPORTANT: the deposit dye MUST be a true blue, purple-toned blue, blue-toned purple, or true violet. Avoid anything that has even a hint of green or red in it. You do NOT need any black dye.

After you've bleached your ends so they're as light as they will go, apply the deposit colour to your entire length, from root to tip. When you rinse out the dye, the unbleached portions will be black, and the bleached portions will be brightly coloured.

Bear in mind that the shade of black you end up with for the upper portion is dependent on the shade of deposit dye you choose: if the dye leans mostly blue, you'll get blue-black; if it leans more violet, you'll get jet black. Piggy recommends Special Effects Blue Velvet for blue-black and Deep Purple for jet black. The reason it's so important to avoid green tones is because it will result in a gross, brackish sort of muddy black.

[theodora]

If you want to protect your hair from damage, you should also use coconut oil before putting the semi-perm black (I assume you mean semi-perm as in boxed dye semi-perm, not as in veggie dyes like Directions Ebony which is green based and would probably fade into a horrible colour). Semi-permanent boxed dyes contain peroxide, hence the need for coconut oil.

What confuses me is how you're going to dye your hair black without it running into the tips which you are trying to get lighter? Because you don't want to first dye them black and then bleach them, that's not only counter-productive but also would be more damaging.

In terms of helping rainbow colours not mix with each other, the advice is usually to rinse the different colours separately. Vinegar rinses also help retain the colour somewhat. You should search for advice on rainbow colours on the hairdyeforum, even if it's not advice on just tips, it would be useful for you.

[Katze]

wow, that looks so cool (even if some of the pics are photoshopped).

I am considering something like this. Hmmm...food for thought!

Bleach isn't an option for me (I was a bleach head for over 20 years) but my ends are light enough that this might work. Funny how this effect seems to look better on tapered ends, why is that?!? Do I have to wait until my hair does its nasty taper thing (aka 'fairytale ends') again? :P

[AchtungCurly]

Both my sister and I love this look.

This page (http://www.rainbowhaircolour.com/blog/ask-anya-how-do-i-stop-the-black-dye-from-bleeding-into-the-other-colours/)has some advice on the bleeding black dye problem. Her blog has lots of how-tos and good inspiration. (She has an ebook too, but I don't own it.)

And, for a less-permanent way to try this out you could chalk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhRK9F_I2wg) your hair. The link goes to youtube, fyi.

[|Xei]

I don't think it's not doable, but this is probably something that will take you days to do. It gets complicated because you'll be using black semi-permanent. It might also require a lot of touch-ups as well, depending on the dye you get and how much it runs. For semi-permanents, I recommend Punky Colours and Special Effects. These have great staying power, and after the first one or two washes, they stop running in the shower.

I've messed around with semi-permanents quite a bit, so this is what I've come up with based on my experience.

Dye your hair black first, but leave out the parts you want to bleach. I'd recommend to block off those parts with conditioner, vaseline, or a 1:1 mixture of both (just vaseline alone is actually quite difficult to wash off). This makes the bleaching later on much easier as you are not trying to bleach out dye, and you can see exactly where to apply the bleach.

Go through two washes to ensure that the black will not run before you bleach your ends.
When you do bleach, ALWAYS coat your ends thoroughly in coconut oil for at least half an hour (to let it soak in) beforehand. Depending on how bright you want to go, you might need to do a second bleaching. You don't want to apply heat to the bleach because it'll fry your hair.

After bleaching, apply your colours to dry hair. It's a good idea to use a tinting brush for this since you'll be working with multiple colours, and you'll need the precision. Apply your lightest colours first, and then the darker colours. When you rinse, you want to rinse under strong, running cold water to prevent the colours from running into each other. Rinse very well, and then do a vinegar rinse to help keep the colour in.

Since you CO-wash, the colour on your ends shouldn't run into each other. It's a good idea to wash in lukewarm water though, if you don't already do so.

[unknown]

Luxepiggy: I thought of doing that, but as my unbleached hair is currently dyed with Directions Violet and it gets really bright purple in the light, I decided not to do it...
Thank you anyways!

Theodora: Did I forget to mention what type of semi it was? :p I actually meant veggie dyes!
A hairdresser told me to condition and foil the ends when I rinse out the black dye so they won't get stained.
I couldn't find any topics about rainbow hair on the hairdye forum. Also, how do I rinse the ends separately?

AchtungCurly: Thank you so much! *goes off to read*

[unknown]

I don't think it's not doable, but this is probably something that will take you days to do. It gets complicated because you'll be using black semi-permanent. It might also require a lot of touch-ups as well, depending on the dye you get and how much it runs. For semi-permanents, I recommend Punky Colours and Special Effects. These have great staying power, and after the first one or two washes, they stop running in the shower.

I've messed around with semi-permanents quite a bit, so this is what I've come up with based on my experience.

Dye your hair black first, but leave out the parts you want to bleach. I'd recommend to block off those parts with conditioner, vaseline, or a 1:1 mixture of both (just vaseline alone is actually quite difficult to wash off). This makes the bleaching later on much easier as you are not trying to bleach out dye, and you can see exactly where to apply the bleach.

Go through two washes to ensure that the black will not run before you bleach your ends.
When you do bleach, ALWAYS coat your ends thoroughly in coconut oil for at least half an hour (to let it soak in) beforehand. Depending on how bright you want to go, you might need to do a second bleaching. You don't want to apply heat to the bleach because it'll fry your hair.

After bleaching, apply your colours to dry hair. It's a good idea to use a tinting brush for this since you'll be working with multiple colours, and you'll need the precision. Apply your lightest colours first, and then the darker colours. When you rinse, you want to rinse under strong, running cold water to prevent the colours from running into each other. Rinse very well, and then do a vinegar rinse to help keep the colour in.

Since you CO-wash, the colour on your ends shouldn't run into each other. It's a good idea to wash in lukewarm water though, if you don't already do so.

Thank you, this was very helpful. I had no idea that CO-washing/cold water would prevent the dyes from running onto each other.

[|Xei]

Thank you, this was very helpful. I had no idea that CO-washing/cold water would prevent the dyes from running onto each other.

Oh wow, quick reply :O
You're very welcome, I'm glad you found it useful. To be honest though, I'm only hypothesizing about the CO-washing. I've never had more than two colours on my hair, and they were just different shades of the same colour, so if there was running, it wasn't noticeable. When I had red/pink hair, I CO-washed, and the colour pretty much lasted forever. So that would mean CO-washing doesn't take off much colour during one wash, and as a result, your colours should not run into each other.

[theodora]

A thread with rainbow hair on hairdyeforum:
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=2749.0
I'm sure you can ask Pippa (the girl in the thread, who's also a moderator) for advice on rainbow hair. I'm fairly sure she mentioned somewhere else how she rinsed each colour separately.

As people have suggested, CO washing is fairly gentle on semi-perm dyes and shouldn't make them fade too quickly. You can also select dyes that are famous for being very resilient, for example SFX Atomic Pink and Directions Turquoise. The hairdyeforum and reviews on Beeunique are useful for this.

[Katze]

I'm really curious about this, but on natural hair. Just did a test streak of Directions' Rose Red on my underlayer (which is coarser and drier and curlier than my ends), and it seems to be fading SUPER fast. So I am not sure about the wisdom of using this kind of dye on non-bleached hair.

Is it worth it to use semipermanents on mostly-virgin hair? (I do have some very very subtle sun-in streaks, and the ends are significant lighter than the canopy.) Or if I want this look, shoud I have the salon do it?

Can you make this last a few months, or is it a really temporary sort of thing? In other words, is it worth the hassle? :D

[unknown]

I'm really curious about this, but on natural hair. Just did a test streak of Directions' Rose Red on my underlayer (which is coarser and drier and curlier than my ends), and it seems to be fading SUPER fast. So I am not sure about the wisdom of using this kind of dye on non-bleached hair.

Is it worth it to use semipermanents on mostly-virgin hair? (I do have some very very subtle sun-in streaks, and the ends are significant lighter than the canopy.) Or if I want this look, shoud I have the salon do it?

Can you make this last a few months, or is it a really temporary sort of thing? In other words, is it worth the hassle? :D

I definitely think it's worth the hassle!
I dye my dark brown, virgin hair with Directions Violet (semi-perm) and CO-wash. The dye has barely if not faded at all for almost two months now. (No upkeep was done). Another thing I love about this dye is that it bleeds a little when it's wet, so the roots never look as hideous as it does with permanent dye. :D

Having some dye in your conditioner and leaving it on for about 15 min will keep the dye from fading as well as using cold water/ACV rinses. If you want to bleach your hair and dye it afterwards to get a more vibrant colour you might want to go to a salon to prevent frying your hair.

[Katze]

bump!

Has anyone here dip dyed their hair? I am seriously considering going to the salon and getting my ends dip dyed (If I can't have long hair, I can at least have INTERESTING hair, right? :D )

Thinking of a mix of purple and blue, maybe reds or maybe more blue and teal with a few purple bits...

And I am not talking about bleaching or that (SHUDDER) so-called 'Ombre' look (I spent YEARS trying to get rid of growing-out roots - why would I ever pay to have them?!? Yuk! They really, really look cheap, IMO!) but about a gentle herbal dye like Directions (but more permanent and professionally done).

[Katze]

Have not tried dye in the conditioner because at the moment I only have a streak dyed, and it's very subtle (I don't want red hair overall). I do mostly CO wash.

It's just odd that Directions takes so badly on my nape hair. Is it because of the texture of that hair? Or just what red is going to look like on darker brown hair (my nape hair is darker than my crown by quite a few shades)?

[littleizz]

I have absolutely nothing helpful to add, but I just want to say those pictures looks amazing!! It'd be the perfect way to get some zany color without frying your entire head of hair!!

[sfgirl]

I've been thinking of dip dying for a while. I've been seeing it on the runways on WGSN for about a year now, and I'm debating what color I should maybe do. I really love mint and lavender, I just love pastel colors, and those types of dyes always leave me hair so soft.

[Long_hair_bear]

I'd love to dip dye my hair ultra violet mp. :)

[jacqueline101]

I think it would be hard to do.

[ladylowtide]

As someone who has had professionally bleached platinum blonde hair from natural level 3.5ish. Never, ever bleach your hair, just my advice. You are permanently changing the texture/ quality of hair. Oh sure you can condition the ever living crap out of it, and what not but that is only covering up the fact that you have permanently ruined hair. Or damaged it, or lessened the quality of your hair. You can never restore your hair, it is just not possible. All post bleach treatments just cover up the fact that your hair is less strong/silky/healthy then it used to be. just my two cents.

[Katze]

As someone who has had professionally bleached platinum blonde hair from natural level 3.5ish. Never, ever bleach your hair, just my advice. You are permanently changing the texture/ quality of hair. Oh sure you can condition the ever living crap out of it, and what not but that is only covering up the fact that you have permanently ruined hair. Or damaged it, or lessened the quality of your hair. You can never restore your hair, it is just not possible. All post bleach treatments just cover up the fact that your hair is less strong/silky/healthy then it used to be. just my two cents.

Yep. I agree 100%, which is why if I do this, I will be doing it in the salon, where she said the vegetable dyes she has can dye my hair (purple etc) without bleach. They sound like a more hardcore version of the Directions dye I've been playing with.

I bleached my hair for over 20 years and am not ever going to do it again (well, maybe, maybe some mild highlights...some day... :D There should be a recovering bleach-heads twelve-step!)

Sooo, am I going to be the first LHCer to dip dye her ends?!? C'mon, anyone with me?

Going to the salon on Tuesday to get my bangs trimmed and I am going to see if I can talk her into making a dip-dye appointment. My thinking is, if I really hate it, I'll be trimming my ends anyway (since my hair tapers naturally) so I am not committing to it forever.

thinking indigo blues and purples now...

Katze

[Audhumla]

for a less-permanent way to try this out you could chalk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhRK9F_I2wg) your hair. The link goes to youtube, fyi.
Ahhh *wince* rubbing those pastels against the cuticle . . . that can't be good.

[MonaMayfair]

I saw two girls yesterday with dip dyed hair. Both had very dark brown hair and bleached to sort of darkish blonde ends.

One's hair was about BSL, the other's a couple of inches past shoulder length. They weren't together incidentally, but I saw them within half an hour of each other.

Looks like it's getting more popular (I really liked it)

[pink.sara]

I dip dye my last 2 inches for a month or so before my yearly cut. that way its a bit of fun before I lose them.
I do bleach though and maintain a huge bleached streak with little damage so my hair is very tough.
it will be interesting to see your results on natural hair :)

[Katze]

Well, after seeing a very dramatic dye job at University the other day (bleached blonde, then dyed pink, and lavender over that) I decided to bit the bullet.

My stylist had never done such a color on natural hair, but felt my ends were light enough to show the contrast. However, we were all disappointed - here are the results:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=218&pictureid=124117

I am thinking of doing a light bleaching on the ends after all just so it shows up.