Okay, so here's what you need:
*Powder bleach + 30 vol. developer - Available in HBC or SM dept. stores. (If you're afraid of bleaching your hair yourself, just get it done at a salon.)
*An old shirt.
*Mixing bowl, gloves and an applicator brush. - Available in HBC or SM dept. stores.
*Manic Panic Vampire Red from http://funkystreaks.multiply.com/
*Black towel. (You will use this everyday, as long as your hair is red, your towel should be black.)
*Baby shampoo.
Let's get started!
Step 1: Life is a bleach.
In order to achieve a bright red shade like mine, you would have to bleach your hair until it turns into a yellowish orange color like the picture below:
If you don't know how to bleach your own hair, please don't attempt to do it alone.
Bleaching is very damaging and it takes a lot of skill. (Believe me, my hair has been through the trial and error thing!) My advice? GO TO A SALON FOR THE BLEACHING AND DO THE COLORING YOURSELF. Going to a salon will probably cost you more but at least you won't be bald!
Note: Don't wash your hair a day before you bleach it. The natural oils that will build up will protect your hair from major damage.
I'll write something for my fellow cheapskates about DIY bleaching soon.
Step 2: Spread the red.
Manic Panic is my secret weapon for this! Manic Panic offers a wide array of reds but my personal fave is VAMPIRE RED 'cause it has magenta undertones. This gives me a non-orange red. More a purply pink red if that makes sense.
Manic Panic is a semi-permanent vegetable dye that has zero chemicals. Don't panic, it's organic. ;)
This won't do any more damage to your bleached hair! In my experience, my hair gets really soft right after I dye my hair with this dye.
Here's how you do it...
After you've dried your newly bleached hair, put on your old shirt and gloves, take your applicator brush and open the jar. You can use the dye straight from the jar! No need to mix it or anything!
Apply the dye to your hair any way you want. Since this dye doesn't have peroxide, you don't have to rush the application for an even turn out. Just make sure you cover all of your hair! (Red hair with orange patches is not a pretty sight.)
Leave it for a minimum of an hour. Sometimes, I sleep with the dye on to get a more pigment on my hair.
By the way, this is a really messy process and the dye stains EVERYTHING so be sure to have a bottle of alcohol by your side.
WHEN IT'S TIME TO RINSE... rinse it with cold water and wait for the water from your to turn light pink. Once that happens, condition your hair and rinse again. DO NOT SHAMPOO. This will wash out more dye from your hair.
When you're done, get your black towel and dry your freshly dyed red locks! :)
Voila! You are now a red head! :)
Step 3: Maintaining red hair can be a pain!
*Red is a hard color to maintain since it washes out really fast. If you're careful, your dye job can last you a full 2 months without retouching.
*Shampoo you hair every other day with a tiny amount of baby shampoo only. Regular shampoos are too strong and they WILL take out most of the dye with one or two washes!
*Your hair will stain everything pink when it's wet so it's best that you dry your hair immediately after showering.
Well, that's all I know. Have fun with your red hair! Bye! :)
