For blonde girls who highlight- you'll never need to go to the salon again!

S

stylefly

Shopportunist
O.G.
Apr 22, 2006
4,401
1
#1
I've been trying to find the perfect system to do myself so I don't have to keep dropping $150+ every six to eight weeks at the salon. Now I've finally found the perfect recipe and because you're all so wonderful I shall share it with you :supacool: ...
Step One: L'Oreal Natural Match Light Blonde. This is the BEST at-home blonde I've ever used. Stay away from the warm or cool, only do "natural" (cool with turn you greyish and warm will be orangey). This will be the base for your hair to even out colour and get rid of any dark roots. Wait a week before the next step.
Step Two: go to your local beauty supply shop and buy a powder bleach and a bottle of developer. Make sure to ask them for advice on which number to get and remember that everyone's hair pulls colour differently, if you are likely to pull red from colour then go for a lighter bleach and leave it on longer. You'll also need to buy a highlighting cap (get a good one) and a hook.
Step Three: Pull small bits of hair through the cap depending on whether you want full or partial highlights. Once that's done, follow the directions to mix the toner and developer, about half the package for long hair, put the rest separately away in ziploc bags. Apply as directed and leave on until it's past the stage where it looks at all brassy (do lots of strand tests while it develops).
And you're done! People have been asking me all month where I'm getting my hair done. Total cost: $20.
And you can just touch up the roots for both the base colour and highlights after that...
 
#2
Got pics of before and after?

Me...I have never been able to give myself nice highlights. I think is well worth to go the professional route unless you are doing just a single color.
 
#3
I'm a klutz and deathly afraid of doing my own highlights. I gave up after a bad experience with Sun-In and hydrogen peroxide in high school, LOL.

Any pics?
 
#4
Ok lets suppose someone else tries this at home and they have a darker natural level than yours. Or have more pheomelanin than you do......they're going to get ORANGE! Also, now how do you touch up your kitchen cap frost without overlap? Then you get BREAKAGE!!
Another thing....you mentioned going for a "lighter bleach" boy as a professional, I would love to get my hands on that because in my world de-colorizers are simply progressive. Layman's terms, the longer you leave it on the lighter it gets until it destroys the hair! Decolorizers do not come in levels of lighter and darker.
Then you add the practice of trying to bleach past the color lock of a base color....not too smart either. Again....BREAKAGE!
You see, that is the problem with kitchen cosmo color.....you might get it right once but then what?
 
#8
Mustlovedogs said:
Ok lets suppose someone else tries this at home and they have a darker natural level than yours. Or have more pheomelanin than you do......they're going to get ORANGE! Also, now how do you touch up your kitchen cap frost without overlap? Then you get BREAKAGE!!
Another thing....you mentioned going for a "lighter bleach" boy as a professional, I would love to get my hands on that because in my world de-colorizers are simply progressive. Layman's terms, the longer you leave it on the lighter it gets until it destroys the hair! Decolorizers do not come in levels of lighter and darker.
Then you add the practice of trying to bleach past the color lock of a base color....not too smart either. Again....BREAKAGE!
You see, that is the problem with kitchen cosmo color.....you might get it right once but then what?
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, this is not coming off as particularly polite or helpful. Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your wording. I am certainly not stupid as your post implies (does it count that I was a Mensa member:P?).
For the rest of the people who've responded- by lighter and darker I mean the level (number) that you're buying, obviously not a "shade" of bleach.
In order to only highlight the roots the next time, pull through the cap as before and clip your hair, only painting the roots with the mixture. Same as they do in the salon, and my hair has never "broken" after years of professional highlighting.
My hair has not been ruined or broken by this, by the way, otherwise I would not have shared it.
I will post pics when I can get hubby to snap a few for me:smile:
 
#9
stylefly said:
I'm sorry, this is not coming off as particularly polite or helpful. Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your wording. I am certainly not stupid as your post implies (does it count that I was a Mensa member:P?).
For the rest of the people who've responded- by lighter and darker I mean the level (number) that you're buying, obviously not a "shade" of bleach.
In order to only highlight the roots the next time, pull through the cap as before and clip your hair, only painting the roots with the mixture. Same as they do in the salon, and my hair has never "broken" after years of professional highlighting.
My hair has not been ruined or broken by this, by the way, otherwise I would not have shared it.
I will post pics when I can get hubby to snap a few for me:smile:
Click to expand...

There is NO level or number allotted to bleach. Again, it is progressive. If you're talking about volumes of developer, that has no bearing on the lift of decolorizer other than it will lift faster in the first 10 minutes. So, what you are stating is inaccurate. And as you state about pulling hair through a cap "same as they do in the salon".....for all you ladies out there, if anyone is using a cap on you in the salon, please find a new stylist as this is a very outdated and uncontrollable way to add dimension to hair especially if your hair is longer than an inch! You cannot feasibly pull the same hair through the cap that was pulled before so your method would then leave spots at the new growth area.
And the reason your hair has not "broken" after years of professional hi-lighting is that any adequate stylist worth her weight in H2O2 is not going to overlap her decolorizer.

I am sorry if you don't find this "particularly polite or helpful". I am not trying to be rude but I find the thought of people trying to double process their hair at home with box color and a cap scary! Frankly, your uninformed information is not very helpful either! This is not a good idea. Like I said before, you might get away with it once or twice but long haul......not good!

p.s. I happen to have an IQ of 151, have been a color specialist, penned many an article in trade publications, have been a senior educator for the past 17 years and have worked with many of the TOP organic chemists in the beauty industry and THAT is where my knowledge comes from. Simply trying to save a few ladies out there from a major disaster as your idea reads like that to me!
 
#10
I gotta agree with the "cap" method not being very current. To replicate that every time is risky. For one, I wouldn't have the patience. But hey, if it works for some people and they like it, who am I to judge.
 
#11
Not to mention folks one base color is NOT correct for everyone. The results will vary from person to person depending upon your tonal values, pheomelanin, eumelanin, hair type, ethnicity and natural level. Some people need cool tones vs. warm tones to achieve their desired results the same way that people need variations of developers in combination with their color to achieve a desired result. This box color might work well for the OP, however, someone else might put it on their hair and bust out right in the middle of some seriously copper undertones and then when they try to double process that they will either end up looking like Ronald McDonald or carrying their hair in their handbag..........speaking of handbags....I think some other threads are calling me as this one is just to scary!:smile:

Again, not trying to come off rude or condescending but telling everyone to use one formulation and then attempt to double process their own hair at home is not the best advice.
 
#12
Mustlovedogs said:
Not to mention folks one base color is NOT correct for everyone. The results will vary from person to person depending upon your tonal values, pheomelanin, eumelanin, hair type, ethnicity and natural level. Some people need cool tones vs. warm tones to achieve their desired results the same way that people need variations of deOkvelopers in combination with their color to achieve a desired result. This box color might work well for the OP, however, someone else might put it on their hair and bust out right in the middle of some seriously copper undertones and then when they try to double process that they will either end up looking like Ronald McDonald or carrying their hair in their handbag..........speaking of handbags....I think some other threads are calling me as this one is just to scary!:smile:

Again, not trying to come off rude or condescending but telling everyone to use one formulation and then attempt to double process their own hair at home is not the best advice.
Click to expand...
I understand where's you're coming from in trying to warn people, but there are a few factors you're unaware of.
1- I have never had a salon use a cap for my highlights, only the newest foil-type panels. The cap is quite simple IF you are not familiar with foiling and are doing it at home.
2- If you buy the Warm tone of blonde, yes it will get reddish or brassy. But this Natural Match differs from other products in that it doesn't lift your colour more than a shade or so and is made to work with your natural undertones.
3- I am not TELLING people to do this. I'm simply sharing an experience that worked for me and has now worked for two other people I know who have varying shades and undertones of blonde. Obviously, people on this forum are not so dense as to blindly follow any advice like sheep when posted, this is merely something else to consider for those that wish to have an alternative to expensive salon treatments. I've had my share of box disasters and I would not have attempted it were it not specifically recommended by professional hair dressers and colourists at the industry supply shop.

Thank you for your advice, people can take whatever they wish out of this discourse and decide for themselves. And- I'm sure we all appreciate the assistance of an expert such as yourself but it's coming off as really abrasive. Not sure if it's intentional as it's so hard sometimes to discern people's tone on forums and in written form alone. So I apologize if I am not getting your intended tone and would continue to appreciate your input:smile:
 
#13
HubbaWubba said:
I gotta agree with the "cap" method not being very current. To replicate that every time is risky. For one, I wouldn't have the patience. But hey, if it works for some people and they like it, who am I to judge.
Click to expand...
It's definitely out of date but I'm too scared to try foiling on my own...I'd never had cap highlights before this though. I didn't even think it existed anymore!
 
#15
Mustlovedogs said:
Not to mention folks one base color is NOT correct for everyone. The results will vary from person to person depending upon your tonal values, pheomelanin, eumelanin, hair type, ethnicity and natural level. Some people need cool tones vs. warm tones to achieve their desired results the same way that people need variations of developers in combination with their color to achieve a desired result. This box color might work well for the OP, however, someone else might put it on their hair and bust out right in the middle of some seriously copper undertones and then when they try to double process that they will either end up looking like Ronald McDonald or carrying their hair in their handbag..........speaking of handbags....I think some other threads are calling me as this one is just to scary!:smile:

Again, not trying to come off rude or condescending but telling everyone to use one formulation and then attempt to double process their own hair at home is not the best advice.
Click to expand...
This made me giggle...I've definitely done this to myself in the past and my colourist threatened to break up with me:lol:
Your advice is very good, though. My hair tends to pull red from EVERYTHING which is why I haven't tried doing anything myself in years. But I feel that as long as you're getting professional advice throughout the process, it should be okay.
 
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