Saturday Haul x Raspberry Ombré

On our way to Escolta on a Saturday, I asked my good friends if we could stop by at Hidalgo St. in Quiapo to buy my hair staples.

I immediately went to the stack of Sunbright Series but apparently, they don’t have stocks on all the colors I’ve picked… but ate went and suggested another brand with the colors I was looking for. Lo, and behold, the new name on the shelves: Toni&Guy Color Cream.

Toni&Guy Color Creams; 6% Sunbright Series Developer

Toni&Guy Color Cream Tubes

Blue Toni&Guy Color Cream

3 minutes after mixing Blue Toni&Guy color cream with developer

10 minutes (halfway through dyeing my hair) after mixing the Blue Toni&Guy color cream with developer

As you guys would know, I’m refraining from bleaching my hair too often because mine gets brittle easily. So, my hair color before applying these products is green-ish grey (kind of similar to seafoam green) and you might be expecting another result, but in my humble opinion, these type of hair dyes are too strong that the shade color is not considered a factor, as long as it’s light enough to show pigment.

My point is, you don’t have to re-bleach your hair every time you want to change colors, because, aside from it takes another 60+ minutes from your time, it damages the hair more. Fade it out until it’s too light and apply colors above it.

Before application

I dyed the upper half of my hair with the blue and waited for 30 minutes before I washed it. I used the leftover dye to quick-wash the lower half of my hair to give it a light shade of Blue.

This is to achieve the Purple color once the Red pigment is applied. Red + Blue = Violet.

Red Toni&Guy Color Cream

Last Application: Red Toni&Guy Color Cream

I left the Red for 20 minutes and washed with Shampoo & Conditioner. I actually slept in while my hair was (air)drying.

Next day after wash.

Next day after wash.

Next day after wash.

 

This is one of the color combinations that I’ve never been bored of… in its lifespan. It lasted for about two and half (2.5) weeks with bathes using shampoo every day.

Do you think I should dye my hair again in this color gradient?

 

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Hair Chronicles: Hair Update + Blue Grey Tip

It has been months since I posted an update or anything on this blog! The thing is… priorities smacks me in the face. Every. Day. I currently have responsibilities on a certain non-profit organization in line with my career, and at the same time, I’m enrolled at a review center in preparation for the licensure exams next year. 
But guess what I haven’t lost time to deal with? Hair color!

However, no, not really. As you would see on the following photos below, I have almost 5″ long roots. I’ve been busy that long and I did not have the luxury to dye my hair. The very last time before this post would be 2.5 months ago, during the Master Plumbers’ Oathtaking, in which I just covered my hair with Enchanted Forest, without bleaching my (already showing) roots.

Bleached once (which turned out to be uneven/pictured below) and topped with a layer of Bremod hair color tube in Blue mixed with a generous amount of white conditioner. That mix gave me a silver-y blue.

3-4 days after application, daily washing.

3-4 days after application, daily washing.

After application. Bleached once, blue generic permanent dye with conditioner.

I’ll let you in the not-so-secret tip; bleaching a jet black hair would give you a golden brown kind of color, if not bright yellow-orange — then, given that you’ve been taught Primary colors since Pre-school, you should know that yellow + blue would give you green. And digging more into the color wheel, violet neutralizes yellow.

From my experience, overtly neutralizing yellows gives you Silver. Hence, – you do the math.

1.5 – 2 weeks after application, toned roots, hair color back to washed up teal.

1.5 – 2 weeks after application, toned roots, hair color back to washed up teal.

1.5 – 2 weeks after application, toned roots, hair color back to washed up teal.

Hair Chronicles: Back To Blue with Sunbright Series and Bremod + Bleach Powder

Not the first time I experienced disappointment with this type of hair dye that comes in tubes. But then, I bought it for a very low price that it feels like I don’t have much right to complain about it not being Violet, but Brown. Happened twice, thus, I will never consider purchasing Violets from its line anymore.

I want to get back to Blue just in time for two major upcoming events this month. A party and our company outing. So I’d gone past through the staged set-up for the last Miting De Avance that’s setting up at Plaza Miranda and bought a new bleach powder, and a Blue and Silver Ash color tubes.

The bleach powder is greater than the first two tubs I’ve tried. I think it’s milder in terms of processing or frying your hair.

I did a little experiment with the colors

I emptied the remaining Bremod color tube I used before, in Blue, for my roots and Sunbright’s Silver Ash for the lower part of my shaft.

I was trying to mix in a Blue-ish Grey as a result, but then I realized I just put in way too much of Blue that it overpowered the Silver. I like the result though, I just think it would have been better if the Blue was on a lighter note (— anyway, you’ll just have to wash your hair thoroughly with shampoo to fade it out faster.

Here’s a stack of photos of my now blue Ombre hair:

The next day (washed twice).

The next day (washed twice).

The next day (washed twice).

The next day (washed twice).

Get That Blue Hair for Less than 100 Pesos

Backstory

I stocked up for my hair color supply needs from Quiapo. As per usual: I dropped by so I could get cheaper products that works just the same.

My hair has been through a lot and currently washed out from my previous Manic Panic© Cotton Candy Pink™ (it lasted only for about 2 weeks) over a bleached hair at about level 8 blonde.

I decided to try the color that I’ve long been planning to wear, which is Blue-blue. From experience, these color tubes (which costs around 35-45 pesos/piece) would do the trick. It always depends, of course, on your hair situation!

The process

I just want to warn you about its difference with semi-pemanent jar dyes, which you can put on directly to your hair; because these color tubes similar to these requires developer to process, and developers are oxidizers, and oxidizing damages your hair. Also, developers contain ammonia: it smells so bad that you should work with your hair in open air.

Prepare your tools. Find a well-ventilated room. Call a friend!

Mix 1 part dye with 1 part developer. (1:1) I used 9% (30 Vol.) developer.

    
  

This certain color develops so fast that it will turn Royal Blue before you get to the next section.

After applying it, I let it sat for about 15 minutes and washed it with shampoo (to thoroughly remove excess chemicals, I wanted to fade it out a bit, anyway) and lots of conditioner.

  
  
Because of the yellow-ish blonde color I had beforehand, it turned out to be this wondeful shade of Teal (— I’m wearing teal again) which is similar to Manic Panic©’s Enchanted Forest™ after a few washes.
 

Hair Chronicles: Bleached to Steel-Whatever to Ash Blonde with Palty Foam Hair Dye in Cinnamon Churros

WHO WANTS ASH BLONDE HAIR?

It’s my second time to use Palty hair color and hey, can I just say that I love Japanese products (everything Japan are accurate and neat). With that said, of course, it never failed my expectation/s. This would be a long post containing product review and step-by-step, a bit of WHYs and HOWs, and sure, photos.

How I discovered Palty? This was the very first hair brand that desalinized my hair. This time, it’s a hair dye, not hair bleach. I’ve seen the foam type hair dye line before, online before it was available here in the Philippines.

These are some BEFORE photos under different lighting for ya’ll:   

    
And a side-by-side comparison of BEFORE (left) and AFTER BLEACHING (Right): The freshly bleached hair is actually lighter in person, about level 7. I just waited for about an hour after towel drying until damp… also to let my hair rest and breathe for a little while before  toning using Palty foam hair dye in Cinnamon Churros. Bought this at the nearest drugstore for 50% off its original price and I have this on store for a while because I’m kind of afraid that my “hair color goal” with this particular product will not be as I expected. 

 Finally took the courage to try it out (because I remembered I trust Japan!)

There’s a wider selection of colors from this line from Palty but only few selected colors are available right now inside the country. (The list is pictured above.)

BOX CONTENTS

For my hands are as small as your cat, it’s kinda big for my palm and it contains the following:

MANUAL/instruction leaflet comes together with a pair of gloves and after-color conditioner.

Mixing spatula with weird holes

Mixing cup

Hair color in tube form

Hair color developer/oxide (I’m assuming it’s 9%)    

I am really aiming for Steel Grey so I left it for another 10 minutes.

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Hair Chronicles: Going Purple with Manic Panic Ultra Violet

Sorry for not updating the site regularly, but I will try my best this time. I still answer queries here, just comment below or any post that interests you, send an e-mail, or follow me on Instagram.

After you hit that follow button, here’s the story on how random I pick colors to wear… just like how you choose what dress to wear today: I got my second Manic Panic jar from a physical store of an online shop, well because my first choice isn’t available. I don’t have that much money to buy a few jars in one go (plus I don’t like wearing multiple colors on my hair at the same time — except for faulty, uneven bleaching, I’m sorry).

Look at this beautiful and mad Violet. It has a blue undertone – not Red – one of the reasons why I picked this rather than other shade of Purple.

But of course if it’s too dark for your taste, you could always add a white base – conditioner! I’ve read that you shouldn’t use an anti-dandruff shampoo and/or conditioner IF you don’t want to fade out your the dye on your hair just yet. (I’m still going to read about anti-dandruff shampoos and try it out first.) I added just a spoonful of conditioner to the dye and directly slapped it on my hair.

Photo below was taken at my dentist’s clinic and I just had my first dental braces adjustment so I really can’t smile just yet, but hey I’m loving my hair color.

A photo posted by Nikita Usal, RLMP (@nikitaeufe) on Sep 8, 2015 at 12:13am PDT

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Hair Chronicles: Graduation Hair + Fading

Of course after bleaching it — big time, I decided that brassy ratchet hair isn’t the one I would like to see on my investiture photos. And so I used the Semon Hair Color I recently bought to give my hair a shade of blue.

But since my hair is all yellow-y, it turned out to be more green than blue (and patches of silver, too.)
After a day or two (three days prior to graduation day), I mixed the Semon Blue with a black hair dye (the cheap ones in satchet form) and turned my hair into a deep blue black. But I guess, because of the additional conditioner in the solution caused it to banish the black shade quickly; thus my graduation hair color:
 Two days after that, we had our block outing. Photo below shows my hair going to the venue.

…and here’s my hair completely faded out after a two weeks:

After letting it rest for three weeks:

Hair Chronicles: Bleaching Hair for the nth Time Around

Here I am again… Hope ma momma won’t nag me coz o’ this.

First bleach! Using Hortaleza Professional hair bleach powder and 12% (Vol. 40) Oxidizing Lotion:Got these from HBC Robinsons Imus. The sale attendant says that you need 2 packets of bleach per bottle of the oxidizing lotion… which I don’t believe. It’s usually 1 bleach: 2 oxidant. But I just ended up using 1.25 bottle(s) of oxidizing lotion on a single packet. I got all of these for PhP 160.00. So expensive. 

Photos of my hair before first bleaching:    Just a little story behind this: so I was cramming all the boards I need for my thesis presentation and I’m working at someone else’s place. Now, I’ve got only a few days left before the day of presentation and I need to color my hair back to BLACK because I was given a warning from the dean’s office (or our SWDB) that I may not be allowed to defend my work if I have the unnatural hair color I am sporting, because it’s against the hair color policy. I need to drop by my place in Cavite (from Quezon City — thank you to my wonderful someone who drove me to and back from Cavite!) to fetch the things I need for the thesis presentation.

I asked my sister to buy me the cheapest Black hair dye she could find at the drugstore. And what she got is this Henna hair coloring powder that made my hair extremely dry. Halfway through the process (I colored my hair right away when we got back) I realized that 2 packets is not enough to cover my entire head. I had no choice but to let the remaining dye work which smells really awful, by the way, like fish. That incident left sections of brown hair on the left part of my head. That was in April 5, ~1.5 months ago.

Anyway, I haven’t washed my hair with shampoo for 2 days in preparation for the first bleaching.  Put on vaseline around my face, behind the ears, and the nape. Some of the bleach went the wrong way and dripped off my back — it stings. Left it on my hair for about 30 minutes.

Here’s a lot of selfies:   
        

Side by side comparison:I was itching to bleach my hair right after the first one because I have ratchet hair!

Aaaaaaaaaaand so I did, the next day: Using Cruset Hair Colouring Cream in Golden Blonde. The box doesn’t contain a leaflet, although the instructions are the box. It comes with the hair colour tube, 12% (Vol. 40) Developer, and gloves.     Poured in all the contents of the tube and developer in the bowl. Mixed it well and asked my cousin to slap it on my head, concentrating on the darker parts first.

After about 35 minutes:It made my hair lighter, but not lifted it that much. Maybe because it’s Golden Blond, and it has a pigment in it, I’m not sure. Thanks to the one who helped me with this, my hair became more even.

And, of course, here’s a side-by-side comparison:At this point, I’ve got massive breakage at the ends of my hair. I gave it a rest for 5 days, with deep conditioning, Olive Oil, and no shampoo.

Hair Chronicles: Blonde Taste

I am back to Blonde (for now), I think level 6 (out of 10) and planning to go Græy before Friday.

I’m going to post photos and which products I used, soon. Please bear with me as my first endorsement for my undergraduate thesis is on Friday. And I don’t know why I chose this time to bleach my hair.

Update: April 2015

As I’ve underwent Brazilian Blow Out [just] more than a month ago before this post, I’ve felt the huge difference of the texture before and after. I immediately felt regret after I bleached my hair. That money I spent for the blow out was blown. out. (Ha ha)

But then, here we are, I bleached it twice(?) — I can’t actually remember though because of the great focus on thesis work. Sported the ugly brassy hair for a few days, then used a cheap Violet hair color to remove the brassy tones. Now, I went wrong with this one because it has a Red base. If you are going to cancel out the Orange and Yellow tones on your bleached hair, use a Purple color, making sure it has a Blue base (meaning the color blue is the abundant primary color than color red; basic color math that I’ve failed to do.) I ended up just coloring my entire head with it and wore it for a few months…  Which turned out to be my hair color on my official graduation photo. I think now I’m having regrets with it.

Bleached my hair again, after a month or so, and used Pixxel in Lightest Ash Blond where its magic did not work that much on the brass. The lower ends of my hair turned out silvery while the top of my head still looks like orange.

Manic Panic® Enchanted Forest™

Dang! It’s been already 1.5 weeks since I dyed my hair with Manic Panic® Enchanted Forest™. Here’s my Instagram photo updates for the meantime:

Filtered using VSCOcam app, it’s really not that Blue.
Manic Panic® Enchanted Forest™ under daylight.I’ll get back to you — and update this post — once I finish all requirements needed for my trip out of the country. Hopefully I can share my experience with Manic Panic® in detail by then. Have a nice day!

Updated today, April 16, 2014.

I’ve got a shitty day and I have nothing left to do so might as well update this post about my hair — which has gained a lot (a lot, really) of compliments every time I go out.

I dyed my hair with Manic Panic® Enchanted Forest™ a week ago, April 6, and after 10 days, it haven’t faded that much. Remember that my hair is pre-lightened to about Level 7 or 8 by bleaching. The color turned out to be the color I expected — Teal, though color Green overpowered the Blue overtime.

Any issues encountered using Manic Panic® hair dyes? It’s my first time to dye my hair with a bright color, and using Manic Panic, the only dissatisfaction it brought to me was… it just stains too much, on my skin, on my clothes — and my pillow case and bed sheet; plus my friend’s, too. Other than staining, I have no other complaints. I love how the color stays, yes, on my hair (not on my skin.)

How am I maintaining it? I just rinse my hair with cold water. I remember using shampoo just once, after 4 days. The next day, I poured vinegar (local ones – the only available vinegar we have here, mixed with water) all over my head. Don’t worry, after air drying your hair, it shouldn’t smell.

I cannot compare Enchanted Forest™ with any other Manic Panic® hair dye colors, because I haven’t tried the others — yet. I hope I get more breaks to try and dye my hair in different colors.