Variables

.....Hair Color Duh! If you wish to acheive a perfect result everytime, one must bleach it platnum blonde. On the other hand, if you wish nothing to happen, dye your hair black first. In other words, the darker the hair, the weaker the result. Even if you have black hair, there are other cool hair dyeing options.

.....Shampoos They usually take the colors out in non-permanent dyes. A good gentle shampoo is important for before and especially after dyeing. We have found from our experience that a GOOD shampoo and conditioner are the primo factors in having healthy hair. I bleach my hair, yet because I use a good shampoo & conditioner, I have nicer hair than your average Joe with head&shoulders.

.....Conditioners Typically you do NOT want to condition before dyeing your hair, as the color will not take as well and will come out quicker. Usually, we only use conditioner (no shampoo) after coloring our hair to rejuvenate it. This is especially important following heavy bleach jobs and permanent dyes. It also helps to keep the semi-permanent dyes in longer. Conditioner can be used prior to dyeing to shorten the color lifetime. A good conditioner is probably the most important thing for healthy hair, and can make even heavily bleached hair healthy looking!

.....Time The longer the dye is left in the better it will take (think asymptotically). Through experience we usually double the maximum time written on the package. This tends to work pretty well.

.....Heat By putting your hair in a plastic bag and heating it with a hair dryer opens the hair shaft more, asorbing more dye and speeding up the reactions.

.....Moisture Obviously, hair is easier to work with wet hair. Don't allow the dye to dry out. Usually, you can just add a little bit of water to moisten things up and keep the reactions going.

.....BLEACHING To get to a platinum, you'll have to REALLY work on your hair. We recommend several shorter bleachings spread out over the span of a few days. This *will* damage your hair no matter what you do, but if you spread the bleaching time out and condition in between, you might just have better luck.

.....COLOR FASTNESS for PunkyColor/ManicPanics This is another often asked question. As we've noticed, reds tend to last the shortest amount of time. Next are greens. Dark blue and purples last the longest. So far, violet has proved to be the most colofast. OTHER HINTS: (we've gotten these from various folks, all will help the color take.) #Shampoo/bleach your hair just prior.# Keep hair moist.# Put developer in your hair to soften it for 15 minutes then towel out all the developer.# Brush color through your hair every 15 minutes.# Put hair under plastic or foil and heat.#
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