How to get PINK HAIR! (and bleach hair!)

Hello ladies and gents,

So I thought all you plain haired people out there might like a quick 'how-to' on how to get lovely pink hair, cos we all know pinkies have more fun! We need more beautiful ladies to step over to the pink side and push their confidence demons away! Be empowered and do your hair how you've always wanted to, whether your 15 or 50!

So to go pink, you will almost definitely (unless you have super blonde hair already) need to bleach your hair. This sounds daunting but honestly, it's not! Bleaching can actually benefit your hair, I know mines been in super condition since I bleached it! If you're worried and have the pennies, I would recommend leaving your hair in the hands of the professionals. Just lay back and let them do all the hard work for you! If you're like me and could do without spending lots of money, then here's your DIY Pink hair guide;

I'd recommend cutting off a bit of your hair perhaps at the back and practising the process on that hair, so you can see what colour your hair is going to end up! (and get used to the process).

So first you're going to need to bleach it, you can get bleach kits from places like Boots or Superdrug for about £6, but if you're hair is longer than long boys hair then I'd really recommend getting about 4 boxes of the stuff! The last thing you want to do is run out of bleach half way through. Plus if your hair is much darker than mucky blonde then you might need to bleach twice. Sally's does hairdressing size bleach stuff, and you can get the peroxide and the powder for about £15 altogether so it might be worth your while investing! Also make sure you have a tint brush! It'll make bleach SO much easier to apply!

Protect your skin with a VERY thick layer of moisturiser all round your hairline and on your neck, and also apply vaseline and any other barrier products, the thicker the layer the better - you won't regret protecting your skin! (also do this when you have the pink dye on your hair).

Now follow the bleaching instructions on the packet, and ensure that when you're mixing the peroxide (if you want to be super safe use 30 vol peroxide) with the powder, that it mixes into a smooth paste, with the consistency of a little runnier toothpaste! This was the main mistake I made when first bleaching my hair, it was thick like the texture of hair putty, not good! And when applying it to hair apply VERY LIBERALLY! And by that I mean just completely cover your head and pile loads more on! Then there's no chance you've missed any!

I'd really recommend watching this video for a proper hands on guide;

If the bleach itches when it's on your head (it will!) then try and cope with it, however if it's unbearable, wash the bleach off and start again!

Also note that you may have to bleach your hair twice in the same sitting (ignore the scare mongers, this is not going to make your hair fall out!) My hair was dark brown and the first batch of bleach took my hair to a browny orange colour, the next batch of bleach took my hair to a blondey orange (the orange is impossible to get rid of out of my hair haha!). Leave the bleach on for maximum 1 and a half hours, if it's still not blondey white enough after this time, wash it off, then apply new bleach and wait again. If it reaches the required colour in less than an hour and a half then lucky you! Wash it off! :) Also don't forget that the bleach reaction happens quicker with heat, so apply bleach to your roots last - they'll bleach up super quickly!

When you wash the bleach out of your hair, like me you'll probably have yellow or orange tones in your hair still, and these will translate through the pink to give you peachy tones, so try to cancel these before popping the pink dye on by using a toning silver shampoo.

I got mine from the chemist for about £4, they're aimed at old ladies I think, but it'll help remove those orangey yellowey tones from your hair. Now you're hair should look something like this!!!....

Now don't worry if your hair doesn't look like Christina's - but well done if it does! Mine has never looked like that, it is always multi-ginger and blonde-tonal hahaha! But the pinks always gone on OK over that :)

Now it's time to go pink!

Pop your pink dye on as instructed on the bottle (I really recommend Rusk's pink dye, it's amazing!!) The only brand I've tried and not particularly liked as it's not strong enough to cover the orangey bits is Directions La Riche.

Now leave this on for about 20 minutes more than the bottle recommends (don't add 20 mins on for bleach though!) - (the dye will stop working about 20 minutes after the recommended time to put it on your hair, so there's no point having it on much longer than that!). I generally leave it on for 15 minutes and it's always been OK! :)

Now is the tricky part! You have to get as little water on your hair as possible to wash the dye out, and if any water gets on it, try and make it cold water - that'll ensure the colour lasts longer!

You really need to go to town conditioning your hair after the bleaching and dyeing process! Use super strong conditioning stuff, I like Osmo's intense deep repair mask (get it from Sally's or buy online), it's super cheap and smells divine! Leave any conditioning stuff you have on for about 15 minutes! Then rinse out again with the minimum amount of water possible - with COLD water! I know its not nice, but it'll make your hair colour last lots longer and be more vibrant! Plus it's good for the hair follicles to be shocked with the cold water which makes them shut, meaning more shiny less frizzy hair! :)

Now just dry and style your hair how you want!

To ensure longevity of your hair dye, try to wash your hair as little as often! Kinda gross I know but my hair seems to be not greasy for longer now it's pink! Also, you're probably going to need to dye your hair everytime your wash it! I do this by mixing half dye, half the osmo conditioner and leaving that mix on my hair for 15 minutes, that way it's getting dyed and nourished at the same time :)

Look at these beautiful pink ladies!..

So now you know how to go from this;

To this!!!..... :)

Happy pink hair!

Loves, Emily xoxoxox