Okay I thought I'd do a blog post on my hair because I always get such lovely compliments (I really appreciate all your kind words) and a lot of questions regarding it. I also put pink/red because my hair is currently in my mind pink,but people like Kane still class it as red. Plus during the process of reaching my this colour I was red quite a bit. The process to get to my current hair has not been smooth at all; so this is kind of a do and don't post. Before I start I want to make a little disclaimer; I am not trained in hairdressing and this is just my process and things I found good and bad (please don't blame me if it doesn't work for you).
Well I am now pink and loving it so much. It's my favourite colour and I never get bored of it. I went from dark brown to pink this year so it hasn't taken me too long. If you follow me on either instagram or tumblr you'll have noticed the gazillion colours I've encountered. Oops. Sorry for the selfie spam below eek.
When I left school I went a bit crazy and went a bunch of colours including the pinky red I had in the top left image so I basically repeated that process again. I used xxl live dyes to lighten my hair and go red/pink and it worked pretty well. It changed my hair within a month, and I tried a huge bunch of their purple/pink dyes (all permanent) to find a colour I liked. The top left image shows my xxl live hair at its best and I really did like the colour but as you can see from the top right the dye ruined my hair. The condition of my hair was terrible. This meant colour would not hold in the lengths of my hair. So yes xxl live can be useful but they may not be the healthiest route to take. I should have known better from previous experience but I have always used their dyes and was silly enough to ignore the issues. Of course xxl live aren't all bad but in my experience I had bad results. Their colour range is what really drew me in and I know a lot of people use them without issues (could just be me).
Next I decided to use la riche directions (bottom left) and used a purple based dye. I really loved the colour even if it was a bit of a pain to use. As the dye is conditioner based it is a lot healthier for your hair so it's a good go to dye for wild and wacky colours. I only used the dye once because it was semi permanent and faded rather quickly. This can be fixed by topping up the lengths every two weeks :). Obviously due to my previous damage I ended up with the most terrible faded hair (bottom right).
Now onto my fab hair :). I contacted a local hairdresser who is also a friend of mine and asked for advice. I could not stand my hair and was debating going back brown so I really needed professional advice. My current hairdresser has a lot of experience and has worked with colour for years so I'm super happy I contacted her. Basically I now get my hair dyed professionally every four weeks (roughly) using a semi permanent salon dye. I am a bit of a numpty and cannot remember the colour but I believe the brand is named goldwell. I will add a little update when I can find out the exact brand and colour. My hairdresser pre-treats my hair and uses a tiny about of peroxide to lighten my roots. The dye itself is super vibrant and I truly love it. As it is semi-permanent it does fade after a while but it's worth it. My hair is still pretty damaged even though it looks and feels a lot healthier so my lengths still fade a hell of a lot more than my roots and fringe. I've purchased a 3/4 hairpiece (link) which perfectly matches my hair (bottom right) so I can disguise it. All the images above are either just after it has been dyed or a week or so after. I also get my hair trimmed every four weeks to get rid of any dead hair or split ends.
In all honestly I would recommend going into a salon or contacting a local hairdresser when you want to go a vibrant colour because it may be a more expensive route to take but if it creates the desired colour and retains the health of your hair it's worth it. Buying a box dye can seem so easy and cost effective but I'd hate for anyone to ruin their hair when there are much healthier routes to take. I would recommend a conditioner based semi-permanent colour over a box colour if you are looking to dye your hair yourself (la riche directions/manic panic etc). I'm literally going off the advice of my hairdresser has given me and my personal experience so I'm not an expert. I just thought I'd give you an insight into my choices and mistakes.
Mini hair care paragraph because it's super important to look after your hair, especially if you are using semi-permanent dye. I use dry shampoo a lot because washing your hair often obviously makes it fade a lot quicker. My shampoo and conditioner are pretty good at maintaining colour and they do a range of colours which is fab. There's also brands which do purple based shampoos too but I've not tested any to recommend. La riche is fab for top ups to the lengths of your hair and my tangle teezer is literally a life saviour. Everyone needs one of these. Heat defence is super important especially if you blow dry, straighten or curl your hair often like I do and I would definitely recommend this brand.
If you've read this whole post you should feel proud because it's a long arse post eek. Once again this is my personal experience and I'm not trained in hairdressing. I hope this answers some of your questions and if you can relate or add any advice feel free to comment below.
I'm finally happy I've found a great colour and my hair is regaining health. I will add the exact brand and colour of my hair dye this weekend :)
Shelley xx
I LOVE it! You look great!! So if I understand correctly you bleach your hair every three to four weeks?
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