What Happens When You Dye Red Hair Purple

Hi everyone! =)

I'm so happy to tell you that I changed my hair! =) I got it as a present from my boyfriend for Christmas and I finally had the time to actually go to a salon and get PURPLE HAIR =)
In addition to the color change, I also got bangs. I've always loved how bangs looked on others I was just too afraid to have them done because I feel like it's such a huge commitment.

Here is a vlog I put together about my hair change.

I got it done in Alternative Studio in Prague - www.hair-stylist.cz.
If you want to get dreads, funky hair color or anything that's a little more unusual than the "regular" hairstyles and you're in/around Prague, definitely check them out! ^_^

I loved being in a hair salon after years =) Last time I got a trim was in summer 2011 and my last "bigger" visit was when I was getting an up do for my prom, which was almost 4 years ago. I always dyed my hair at home, at first my friend did it for me and that I learned it along the way so having someone do it for me was like the perfect vacation =) I know going to the salon can get very expensive but I personally would be completely terrified of bleaching my long hair at home. Also, they use higher quality products so your hair gets like a big pampering day :D The difference is also in the products they use to bleach your hair. The bleach in the drugstores is different from the bleach they use. I explained all about this in the video. (So if you skipped it, you should go back and watch it! :D)

So my hair was a darker red before bleaching and I had that color for a year now, before that I had a brighter red. I last dyed it 3-4 months ago. It's always good to wait if you're going for a different color to let the your color wash out as much as possible. I heard a lot about red being hard to get out of your hair so I was really curious about the result.

(both pictures taken by Dominika Sirna, November 2013)

So there is the process I went through - it lasted for 6 hours! :D
1. First they bleached my hair with Wella Blondor bleach combined with 4 and 6% developer. They used 4% on the roots, and 6% on the rest. They also wrapped it in aluminum foil so it could build up more heat.
2. When they washed it out, instead of conditioner, they used Seal and Lock to neutralize the hair HP
3. Then they blow-dried it, cut it (I also got bangs!) It was funny to see myself as a blonde (my friend said the color was more of a "pumpkin" color :D check out the pictures below! :D)
4. They used Subrina Mad Touch dye in Mystic Purple. Now, I have never dyed my hair with Directions of Special Effects or any other crazy hair dye but my stylists told me that Subrina is much better than Directions (I've heard SOO much about that brand!) because: it has more of a gel-like texture so it's easier to apply it to your hair without making a mess; it lasts for a longer time; is more afforable.
5. Then they just finished the bangs and then they also curled it! =) Which was very new to me, since the only curls I get is after sleeping with braided hair :D

Here are some photos from the salon:

With tons of aluminum foil in my head! :D

Pumpkin hair! :D

Straight...

... and curled! =)

This is how it looked like the next day in the daylight =)

So: If you dye your hair red and want to bleach it, you won't get the perfect blond color after one bleach. Also, my ends are bright purple as well - I used to dye my hair black like 4 years ago so some parts still had black like somewhere deep inside and even my stylists told me that black is easier to get out with bleach than red. Obviously, as you can see in the photos, where I had previously the red hair dye, the color is not as awesome and vibrant as near my roots. That's just what happens when you dye hair that had red pigments in it =) It's hard to say exactly what color it is, it's something in between purple-red-pink :D It also depends on the lighting and the way you perceive colors! :D Nevertheless, I LOVE how it turned out =) It's something different, no one else is going to have exactly the same thing as I do =) But my stylists told me that when I dye it more, it'll get more purple and after a while I'll have a one solid color and I'm super excited about that =)

So don't be afraid to experiment with your hair even if you used permanent hair color in it before! =)

I'm planning to do like some sort of a "hair diary" and tell you about what happened to the hair after I washed it, how I like to style it and so on =) Definitely subscribe to my youtube channel because there will be more of hair videos in the future =) You can find all my social media buttons on the top of this blog, right under the top picture.

Thanks for reading and watching ^_^
Have a lovely evening.
Lena