I started to wonder if I could get my hair a bit lighter, not as light as hers but maybe chocolate brown..... any brown really lol. I really didn't care! JUST NOT BLACK! So me being me, I thought "How hard can it be?" The answer???!!! VERY, VERY, VERY HARD!! :(
First, I tried stripping my hair with Vitamin C and Head and shoulders. FAIL.
So, after that did not work I started to look for a non-damaging hair color stripper. I purchased "Colour B4". This product is from the UK, and I read awesome reviews about it. I though it would be worth a shot. I purchased the regular strength and aside from stink up my whole house, it did nothing. Then, I purchased the extra-strength formula and NOTHING >:( Still black, with a reddish undertone. So although it worked wonders for a ton of people, just did nothing for me.
Next, I decided to use a "Bleach Cap". I saturated my hair in coconut oil for an hour, and went at it. I was afraid of using any form of bleach because I know it destroys your hair, but a bleach cap is much milder. I used 20v developer and only left it about 10 minutes. I washed it all out and YAY!! It was a shade lighter, not super light or anything but it definitely helped lift a shade. The only problem is, it was a bit patchy. I still had a lot of deposited hair color from years of coloring. The back was even overall, but the front was a different story. Which brings me to the next product.
Jheri Redding Color Fix
I picked this up at my local Sally's. It smelled just as bad as Colour B4. Yuck. But in my opinion worked really well!! It lifted another shade and evened out some of the patches. It removed some more of the evil deposited black dye lol.
After I used this, I decided to use hair dye (also from Sally's) to lift maybe one more shade. I thought that I was almost done. Oh, jeez... was I wrong.
My roots lifted waaaaaay lighter than the rest, and I had dark patches in the front about 2 inches in length where I assume the most black dye was deposited. The back was a nice golden brown color. UGHHH. Results=Disaster. WTH dude, I reminded myself of a calico cat..... so mad. lol.
I did more research online and decided I was just going to go with bleach. Since it was only a few patches, I thought a box of Loreal's Wild Ombre kit would do the trick. Plus, it has a neat little brush that helps make for an easier, even application. This kit is amazing, I wont lie! Or maybe I just loved the brush lol. It helped to lighten the patches a little, but I was afraid to leave it on more than 10 minutes because I did not know what level developer is used in the kit. Patches lightened a bit.... but still much too dark, and it was clear then that I needed more bleach.
I finally got sick of this hair nightmare, went to Sally's picked up a few packs of "Ion Powder Lightener" and
Ion 20v developer. (I never used anything higher than 20v, aside from the Loreal Ombre Kit which does not say what level developer the kit contains). Before I used the bleach, I saturated my hair in coconut oil for 2 hours. The I applied the bleach on the saturated hair ...on the dark patches first, then all over. Worked quickly and neatly, used a ton of clippies to section off before. I then let it process for 25 minutes. THIS WAS IT!!! My hair came out lighter and even all over. It did have the coppery undertones that bleach is notorious for but it did the trick. I used coconut oil treatment overnight and let it rest again.
After I achieved even results, I used Loreal's "Candelit Golden Brown", with 20v again.
The results.
It came out great, with minimal damage. I used (and still use) coconut oil after every color stripper and before every single bleach. Coconut oil is my go to for everything, especially hair care.
Here are a few shots of me with my black hair. One is from Halloween lol, hence the costume.
I still love the look, but as of now I am definitely enjoying my new hair color. If I could do it all over again, I would just go straight for bleach+20v developer. I would have saved myself a lot of trouble. Please do not be afraid to use bleach, just be sure to use 20v and nothing higher. DO NOT FORGET YOUR COCONUT OIL! It is a life saver!
Good Luck!
