First wig purchased!

I’ve finally made the leap to buying a wig after months of feeling uncomfortable with my natural (or poor attempts at colourful) hair due to work restrictions. I’ve had dark reds, gingers and am sporting a faint pink tint over my brown but it won’t make up for the lovely emerald or turquoise greens I want. I’m sure most people don’t feel this attached to their hair colours but I’ve been thinking about it for such a long time that I figure it matters to me. So I have bought this
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I’m going to test it out for a weekend once it arrives to see how I cope with it for long periods and then, if all goes well try it out at work. The intention is, if it feels and looks ok, to get a real hair wig and wear that for work (or even several for some variety) and then do whatever I like to my own hair. I’d quite like dark forest green with a 2 inch cerise streak down one side of my fringe. I’ll show pics once it arrives and see what you lot think. :D

Back to black

So I am fairly limited to how I can have my hair because of my work, as avid readers will be well aware (much to my annoyance) and have been sporting a sort of faded out orange/ginger for the passed four weeks but it was starting to get very light and yellow streaks coming through due to the previous red washing out and the bleached underneath coming through. Faced with the option of putting on another 'amber' permanent dye and it not sticking very well then fading totally after two weeks, I made the drastic decision to go back to my natural black. I couldn't just have black though, where would be the fun in that? So opted to cut in a fringe and have that a dark red (It will fade out lighter and I'm hoping boss types dont bitch too much)
So upgrade? the black is only semi perm so can be removed pretty easily.
The back is Directions Ebony and the fringe is Directions Rubine 

Before                                                                                           After

The story of Red

This is  a little less of a how to and more of a diary of my hair over the last month, its had a bit of a trip!

It started the month being bright red, which I achieved by bleaching roughly three shades lighter than my dark brown/purple and covering with directions poppy red and rose red it came out looking like this.

It was fairly work acceptable and easy to maintain as it was more of a tint than a full colour but it didn't satisfy my need for colour enough I'm afraid and with the upkeep and pain of semi dyed hair (colour rubbing on my neck and pillows etc) it seemed silly not to go the whole hog!

So after a week of this, to get my boss used to it, I went a bit brighter.





I spent the next few days conditioning like mad, using this method of conditioning before bleaching again to strip all the brown out of my hair. Due to red being really pig headed it usually remains after a good bleaching which is great when trying to create a good base for it to stick to. I used the similar colours as above again mixed in three parts.

1 part Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner
1 part Poppy red - Directions
1 part Coral red - Directions

and achieved this lovely bright colour

Please excuse the horrible picture.

I went for a more orange based colour by using the coral rather than the rose as I think it seemed more work ok than pinky toned hair.

By now, after the cut I had about 6 weeks ago my fringe has grown too long to wear down so I have it pinned up mostly until I get it cut again.
 




I had a few days off to go to a festival (Download if anyones interested) and wanted something a little more fun since I would have a full week of not having to try to play down my hair by tying it up or having headbands and clips in. So I added a little more poppy red and rose red to give a more intense colour at the back and I bleached the front as light a red as possible, this stuff really is impossible to budge!

I have to say that I secretely loved it!


So thats the story of my red hair month.

Why I have dyed hair.

Its often asked why having brightly coloured hair is so important to me, some people don't understand it the same way they don't understand piercings or wild clothing. I have a couple of theories why they might not, stemming mostly from experience and I try to see that point of view when speaking with anyone about my hair in this regard. I find there are three reasons people object, misunderstand or plain old don't like it.

Firstly, they think its a rebellion issue, I want to be different and shun the norm. I want to be seen as different or unique, and whilst I quite like being a little unique (lets face it, who aspires to be a clone?) that isn't the objective.

Secondly, this is normally followed by some reasoning of insecurity if they are of a little more IQ, they lead themselves to the conclusion that I am unhappy with myself and must put on a mask to cope with it. Its unthinkable that I feel like the brown hair I was born with could feel like a mask to me, like its not how i was meant to look.

And thirdly, its too fit in with the sub section of society I choose to spend my social time with, ie the alternative, rock crowd types.

These are all massively untrue. I'm quite creative by nature and my body and hair are the only canvas's I feel I have sometimes. Its my way of showing the world this is how I want to look, this is how I feel I should look and how i think I look the nicest. I genuinely thing I look pretty when I have brighter coloured hair, I am more comfortable and happy with it. At first I noticed the looks people gave me and the sneers too sometimes but now I don't notice at all. When you find a look that you think suits you and makes you happy in your own skin, it doesn't seem to matter what others think. There have been times that I have felt pretty in a 'normal' outfit, the sort you go out for dinner with your parents in, and my natural hair colour, but to me that feels like dressing up, putting on a show and not being myself. Fun for a short while, but I prefer being myself.

Its not a mask I put on, its the way I think I should look and look the best, Im showcasing my looks not hiding them which people often misunderstand. I'm also not trying to fit in, its more the case that I have found a place where I do fit in, not that I am trying to be like them. Going to rock clubs and being around others who are comfortable with being a little different, is the place I feel most comfortable myself. If it was more acceptable at work or in non alternative places then I would feel much happier there too.

For all those who still think anyone looks better with their natural hair colour than bright, take a look at these and tell me they don't look stunning.

 I guess this little rant is based on my frustration that by having my hair brighter than normal I am somehow disassociating myself with the rest of the world. If i have bright pink hair at work, this means I am unprofessional because by their standards I look rebellious, stuff what my standards are. In fear of upsetting the minimal section of society who has misguided opinions I am forced to be a clone and fit in with their ways, exactly what some accuse me of doing if I don't.

As a result I have to be uncomfortable, and unhappy with my appearance so I can be taken seriously at work or by some others (usually the older generations). By giving up part of who I feel I am, I am giving the nod to being one of the sheep and therefore acceptable. Even for those who don't particularly care how I look, there is still the stigma that me doing things to my hair outside the norm is some kind of flag carrying act of stick my finger up at the man. It saddens me and deep down makes me feel suffocated.

A little dramatic you say? maybe, but only to those who don't identify with this. I know many a person who has forgone this creative and inherent side of themselves for a pay packet and not to rock the boat. If there was a way to get people to see this, I would be all over it, but alas, some view will never change, so until they do it seems I must be the one to change.

Keeping dyed hair colour vibrant and strong

With the use of the semi permanent dyes a major problem that nearly everyone encounters is the fading effect. With some dyes this can be after a few weeks with a slight lessening in brightness whilst with others it can be as much as after one wash you look like you have had an accident with the toilet duck.

The Trick

Keep your colour looking as good as the day you dyed it by adding a small amount of your colour to a conditioner and using it as often or as little as you think necessary. 

For me, I use it maybe once every two to three weeks when I use red or pinks and every other wash when using blues or greens. The length of time you leave it on is, again, dependent on how much fading you have seen. I would always suggest at least 3-5 mins and the longer the better. Plus, it never hurts to leave conditioner on bleached or dyed hair




Before

I let my hair fade to a light pinky lavendar colour then used the conditioner with a mix of three parts conditioner and one part dye. 

After

This was after two conditions over three days
                                                                                                     

Reviews: Stargazer, Directions, Manic Panic

A lot of people ask which dye they should use and invariable I have to ask in return what type of colour they want to achieve. Each dye, from my experience has its own merit so i have put together a little chart for you to have a look at if you want a quick advice sheet for which to use.

	Stargazer	Manic Panic	Directions
Brightness	4/5 The reds, purples and greens have excellent brightness. Lighter colours don't soak in as well.	3.5/5 there is a tendency for them to be more toned rather than bold colours.	3/5 Only the deeper shades come out any where near strong. Very watery base feel.
Longevity	3.5/5 On bleached hair they last a good time but need to be redyed every 3-4 weeks for best results.	4/5 Last well, red tones especially. Difficult to bleach out sometimes and fade badly.	3/5 Wash out quickly and easily. Fade to nice colours though.
Running	4/5 Blues and reds will run for a day or two then be fine.	2/5 Never seems to stop running onto clothes and skin.	4.5/5 Not strong enough pigment to run too much.
Cost	£3.50-5	£8-10	£3-5
Value	4.5/5 Includes gloves and an applicator bottle.	3/5 good quality but expensive in comparison to others.	3/5 Cheap and cheerful for experimenting with.  Not for long term use.
Comments	Good all rounder, nice bottle and easy to use, good colour and good price but stay away from the light colours.	Excellent toner to get white but very pricey in comparison. The reds are difficult to remove and not as bright but good for long term use.	Good for people who change colour regularly but not good for the lighter colours like lilac or pale blue as they just don't cover enough.

So depending what you want I hope that helps! If you have any specific questions please feel free to drop me a line and follow away :)

How to remove dye from clothes and skin

The long suffering hair dyer will tell you there are few things more annoying that waking up at a friends house only to look back at your pillow and have to plan how you will get it to your house, wash it, dry it and get it back before anyone will notice. One of the problems with using the bright semi permanent dyes is there inability to cling to your hair yet easy grasp of clinging to every other object they come into contact with, which is why we must fight the good fight to keep our lovely locks lovely.

I personally have lost track of clothes I've had to throw out due to a slight red ring around the collar or times I've awoken to look like vampires have been at my neck all night so after years of scrubbing away and suffering for my hair I decided to do a bit of research into the best ways to prevent or cure this problem.

Firstly, I had to accept that with beauty comes pain and I would never fully eradicate all trace of dye but I can certainly find ways to make in manageable so where they are for you delectable bunch.

1- ALWAYS wash hair thoroughly after dying. This is the first defence we have against the rebellious dyes but the most important. Any residue left coating the hair will try to jump ship onto any destroyable surface at the first given opportunity. That clean bright white shirt you were going to wear to work tomorrow? Its a gonner if this isn't followed very strictly. A good rule of thumb is the rinse until the water runs clear then wash twice before conditioning. 

2 - Condition well, this will help smooth and seal the hair to keep colour where you want it, rather than on you new boyfriends chest after a snuggles. Not the best impression, I think you'll agree. Also, use cold water to rinse out the conditioner as it will help seal the follicles.

3 - Dandruff shampoo is excellent at removing stains from skin. Just apply a small amount to a babywipe or face cloth and rub in circular motions before adding water to rinse away the colour. It is quite strong so be careful if you have sensitive skin to make sure its all removed after. 

4 - Before bed apply a very thin layer of vaseline to your neck, ears or forehead, basically anywhere ther dye tends to run to. I use it on my neck and a bit down the top of my back. Don't cover yourself in it to the point of being uncomfortable, use the same amount as you would a moisturiser but don't rub in in the same way. Just rub it lightly over the skin and leave it, this will create a barrier and hopefully prevent any sticking. Should you find it does stick over night, a simple tissue will wipe it off in one go when you awake from slumberland and you will be good to go. 

5 - For permanent dyes, keep a small amount of the dye and rub that over the area stained with a tissue and it will lift the dye straight off your skin. Only use this with permanent dyes though as semi's will just see this as a way to further win their fight!. 

A few other things I've picked up over my years has been to take a pillow case discreetly with me if I stay at a friends or hotel just in case you ruin something or offend and scarfs are great at hiding those marks you inevitably get for the few days post dye. I have quite a collection now and they are easily washed so no harm done but at the flick of the wrist can be whipped off to reveal a stain free neck. 

Hope this has been helpful to you, please comment if you've got any other tried and tested methods that work for you. And as always please follow if you like my blogs, the more followers the more I post!

Locks x

Coloured hair for regular swimmers

So I've been getting a few questions in from various people and thought I should pop them up for you fine people.


"What advice would you give a regular swimmer with coloured hair?" - Liz Jefferson

There are a few answer to this depending what type of dye you have on or if it is bleached.

1 - Semi permanent colours, such as Directions or Stargazer, should really not be used if you are a regular swimmer as they run out very easily. In basic terms the colour coats the hair so is easier to come out and with the chlorine in the water acting as a mild bleach that will happen even quicker. Also you are likely to get in trouble or get concerned looks, especially if its red! No one wants to look like a shark attack victim. I would recommend a swimming cap for this.

2 - Permanent dark colours, such as dark reds, browns and blacks should be washed thoroughly at least two or three times and given at least 5 days to let the colour settle before you go into a treated swimming pool. This will ensure and natural oils that have been stripped have had chance to coat the hair in a protective sense and also reduce and running. A good rule of thumb is, if your shampoo comes out white when you wash it, you are good to go.
Its worth baring in mind that the lighter the hair colour the more it will be effected by the bleach, so for lighter auburn's or hair that has been dyed over bleach keep an eye on it and if you notice a change, follow advice below.

3 - Bleached hair. This is always the trickiest for swimmers and the one that causes the most anxiety. I have found a few old house wife tales that have helped me in the passed that I will share for you, but be prepared to get a bit messy.
 Because of the Chlorine in the water it will effect the bleached colour you have sometimes giving a green tint to your hair, but rest assured, this is a tint and not a colour change so can easily be rectified.

One way I found is using tomato ketchup. Yes, I am being serious. The water will oxidize the hair while the tomato sauce is an anti-oxidant so will neutralise the effects. Get about a third of a standard size bottle and run it through your hair, put under a cool tower and leave for half an hour. Do not put under a warm towel as the acid in it will have negative effects and possibly irritate the scalp. Wash it out with a colour care shampoo and condition as usual. I would say around once for every 6-8 swims should suffice to keep it the right colour and take out any horrible dirty discolouring.

My main advice would be to wear a swimming cap all the time, if you are a regular swimmer it will eventually strip the natural oils from your hair so even for undyed hair I would suggest its better to wear one.

If you really can't stand the egg head look, I have found this Boots sun and swim shampoo. I haven't used it personally but has great reviews and would be good for holiday swimming and the odd dip but probably not for prolonged use.

Thanks to Liz for that question, hope it helps!

Hope thats been useful, if anyone has any other suggestions please comment and I can add them to the post. And as always, if you like the post retweet, repost or follow, the more you follow the more I'll post.

Hair dying 101: Sorting your roots

This goes for all colours really but prmarily for those wishing to bleach dark roots to obtain a bright colour. As usual, by bright colour I mean one of the semi permanent colour wheel colours not a toner or natural colour.

One of the things a lot of people worry about when dying bright hair is the constant bleaching and whether this will fry hair passed the point of repair. Well heres an easy way to get around this. Take a look at this post first as it will give you the basics on what you will need to have. What you essentially are going to try to do is bleach your roots evenly whilst leaving the rest of your hair untouched.

1. You will need to section your hair several times to get to the roots so have plenty of clips available. Start at the base of your hair (neckline) as it can take a little time to do this and this hair is the most healthy due to decrease sun damage, chemicals and general wear and tear so can take a little more bleach.

2. Once ALL your hair is pinned up so just the underneath is exposed and you have mixed up your normal bleach solution, get your brush and dip it into your bleach then run from the base of your hair upwards about 1 inch (Longer if you have more roots) Do the same along the whole hair line.

3. Once you have your first line done take down roughly 2 inches of hair (thats distance from hair line to where the next hair line will be) and pin back up the rest. In a downwards motion repeat the last action, stroking the bleach 1 inch down the hair and then repeating by going 1 in up the hair that is still tied up. repeat this action the whole way up your head.

4. You should end up with your hair sticking out like a scare crow with just bleach on the roots and normal colour on the rest. Leave for the set amount of time, best to try and remember how light you got the rest of your hair and go from there. It doesn't matter too much if its a little lighter but try not to leave it a little darker or you will end up with a sort of skunk effect after a few bleaches.

5. Rinse it out thoroughly and leave to semi dry for an hour or so. You can hair dry it but try not to unless you are on a time limit as it adds extra damage to hair that has just been treated. Once it is semi dry, add your normal dye to the whole hair and leave as normal.

You should end up eith evenly dyed roots and most of your hair will only get bleached once so should remain happy and healthy!

Hope you enjoyed my little blog, if you do add me! the more subscribers the more I post. And as always, any questions please just ask.

Going back to "normal" hair

if, like me, you've had times where you need to go back to a "normal" hair colour or just want a change of style and need to dye darker over bleached hair heres a few tips to stop it going green.

My first experience of trying to go back to brown after having blue hair was an unmitigated disaster and resulted in me wearing a hat to a party where I'd had my eye on a very cute man!*
The problem I encounted was trying to put brown straight onto bleached hair and coming up with a horrible washed out snot colour. The brown has cold tones in it and the bleach had striped any warm tones in my hair out (I was blue so had to go almost white to achieve the colour I wanted). The following day, I went to the supermarket and bought a wash in wash out red toner. They are about a pound but to the ever dying girl they are worth their weight in Wine!.

I ran it through my hair, as the hair is already bleached it absorbed much more than none treated hair, i conditioned the hell out of it for a few hours to give it a bit of strength back and then applied a warm toned brown. This meant the cold tones in the brown had something to counteract them and brown was achieved.

this was the result.


So in conclusion, always put a warm tone underneath, it doesn't need to be a permanent dye as this can add extra damage to already bleached hair.

*I did manage to bag him btw, the hat was very cute ;)


As always, if you like me postings, subscribe. Theres a wee button to the side thats says FOLLOW  :)

Models wanted

Just a quickie to say I'm looking for models for this blog, if you are

*someone who has had success or disaster and want to share your experience

*someone wanting to dye their hair and looking for tips who would be happy to go through the process with me and let me take or send me photo's

*someone who wants me to dye their hair for them in a simple, complicated or unique way and would be happy for me to record it in photos and blog.

Please get in touch, I'm happy to travel to you within reason or if you know of anyone who falls into those catergories.

Love of all things Lock like.: Taking care of dyed hair - Conditioning

Love of all things Lock like.: Taking care of dyed hair - Conditioning: "One of the main concerns of a lot of people who are thinking of dying their hair is the damage it may cause, and whilst yes there will alway..."

Taking care of dyed hair - Conditioning

One of the main concerns of a lot of people who are thinking of dying their hair is the damage it may cause, and whilst yes there will always be damage as you are changing your hair make up, this can be limited to be almost unnoticeable.

After a few disasters in my time, I've had to find good ways to bring frazzled hair back to life. The best way I found was the conditioner wash method.The basic premise is to wash your hair with conditioner rather than shampoo and then use shampoo once a week to remove the conditioner build up. The process goes like this:

1, Wet hair and use a cheap (you know the sort, 99p apply home brand conditioner?) conditioner in the same way you would a shampoo. Massage into hair from room to tip, there won't be a foam but pretend there is. Rinse thoroughly.

2, Use a thicker conditioner. Personally I love Treseme Antii Breakage conditioner. Most intensive conditioners will do the same job but make sure you get one that has silicone in it, the natural products like body shop and lush unfortunately aren't strong enough to give back the strength you need to repair.*

3, Leave the conditioner in your hair and wrap in a warm towel. Leave for 20-30 mins before rinsing. Style as usual.

4, Once a week use a good shampoo for colour treated hair to get rid of the conditioner build up.

Within a week or two you will notice a very big difference in the strength and condition of your hair. Obviously, you will never have the same feel hair as you would with non treated hair but you can still have healthy, shiny and fabulous hair.

*If you wish to use the non animal tested, natural products my suggestion would be to use them for longer periods (maybe an hour wrapped in a warm towel) but the results will not be useful on very dry hair but suitable for once or twice died hair.

Multicolours fringes, Part 2

Following on from earlier I though I'd share a piccie for you to see the after effects and explain how to achieve it.

This fringe was a three step process, involving three colours. Forrest green at the back, Yellow and orange at the front.

Firstly I bleached my hair to the lightest I could get, which was near white using the 40% vol Jerome Russell bleach.

Then I sectioned my hair using clips, seperating my fringe (about 2 inches from the hair line backward and from about 4 inches above my ears) keeping it folded over but facing forward.

Then I got my Manic Panic Enchanted forrest dye into my bowl, mixed it up to revive it a bit and used my brush to start at the hair line behind my fringe. Using the brush to make sure the edge was straight and no dye went infront I brushed backwards until the top layer was covered. Then I clipped up in sectioned to brush through the rest. This means you use less dye, get better coverage and can be more accurate with your finished result.

Then, the tricky bit. I got cling film and wrapped it around the part of my head that had the green dye on, from the hair line backwards. This means the slight head increase makes the dye last longer as it soaks into the hair more and also keeps it separate from the fringe.

Now the fringe, I separated again into two sections, length ways across my head. Using the washed brush I "painted" on the Daffodil Directons dye, brushing the hair backwards so it sits over the clingfilmed green hair. Then washed the brushed and repeated the process on the front section with Manic Panic Fire brushing it forward from the hair line then twisting small sections on top of themselves and securing with clips.

Theres no doubting that for the next hour I looked like a prize wally but not one said the price of fabulous hear was cheap to your dignity.

I left it for an hour before rinsing the front out over the bath with the shower head, before leaning backwards and getting a hand from my lovely other half to rinse the back. Making sure the back was thoroughly rinsed to avoid colour bleeding and bobs your lobster. Multicoloured fringe!!

Starting with the basics - Tools for Dying

Starting with the basics – Lightening before dying, what to use

The brighter the colour of hair you want (if you are going for a colour rather than a natural tone) the lighter your hair underneath needs to be. It’s a misconception that leaving it on longer will make it brighter, this may give the illusion of a brighter colour to start but it will fade very quickly and the underneath colour will start to make it look murky and faded. The only way to lighten hair is through bleach/peroxide, unless you just want a few shades lighter in which case use lemon juice and sunshine but it probably won’t give you a very bright colour afterwards if you dye over it like you would get with bleach.

Bleaches come in a few different strengths but the two main ones I will recommend are the Jerome Russell Bblonde Powder bleach and Bblonde cream peroxide. The powder comes in one strength whilst the cream comes in 40% or 30% vol. This indicates how strong the mixture will be and as a result how much of your hair colour it will lift. If you have light hair, go with the 30% for darker hair or dark colour treated hair such as reds or blacks go for the 40%.

For previously colour treated hair there are good rules of thumb to how strong you need it to lift off the colour. If it runs out easily and you need to keep reapplying regularly to keep colour then use a low vol bleach (usually blues, greens, yellows, pastel shades). If the colour stays for a long time and is a deeper shade then use a higher vol bleach, (usually reds, dark purples, blacks.)

Any specific questions, please ask :)

Multicoloured fringes.

Question:

Have got a quick question which I figured you might be a good person to ask about.

I'm planning on putting the colour in my fringe sometime today/tomorrow (fingers crossed it'll be second time lucky, lol) and am a little stumped about how long to leave it on for. Both pots are Directions (spring green and plum) and although it says 15 minutes, I'm thinking that sounds too much of a conservative estimate. Doesn't look like there's peroxide in there so should be safe to leave on for longer. How long do you normally leave your bright colours on for before washing out, out of curiosity? And have you found Directions to need longer developing than stuff like Stargazer?

The plum one should be fine with for 15 mins, as it's a rich dye it will go quite dark and you'll lose the purple tone after that in favour of nearly black with a slight tint if you leave it too long.

My suggestion would be to put the purple on and rinse out without the green first then put the green on and leave for as long as you can, overnight if you don't find it messy. The lighter colours have less pigment in them so take longer to dye. You'll see what I mean when you put it on, the purple will be an instant colour change but the green will be much less so. A good test is to put a bit on your skin, if it dyes it instantly then it will need less time than one that wipes off easily.

Also I'd say just bleach the bit you want purple and do that first then rinse thoroughly before bleaching the bit you want green so you don't get colour run when you rinse it out, it's so pigmented that it will dye any bits it touches so will be hard to rinse without getting it on the bit you intend to be green.

Hope that helps and I want pics!!  

Well hello there

Hello guys and girls,

I have been dying my hair for over 15 years now, which by no means makes me an expert, but I have picked up a few things along the way. I wanted to start a blog where by I could share my experiences about this love of mine, and now is the time.

A bit about me first, so you know who you are talking to. I am 28, recently married and work in web design. I have an insane cat called Eby who is a constant treat to deal with. I have a love of cupcakes, knitting, cooking, dying hair (obviously) a cheeky bottle of wine, my family and classy cars. I've had my hair in pretty much every style/colour going including rainbow, dreads, extensions, streaks and all over colours. Some are more simple to achieve than others and likewise some simple to maintain while others can slowly drive you to find the gin.

Over the last few years I have been asked by a number of people for advice, maybe some need a little reassurance, or maybe more help than the bottle they are about to apply gives. As a result I have articulated my years of experience into messages, emails and conversations. Don't get me wrong, I am not an authority on the subject of hair, if I were maybe I would be a hairdresser (hmm maybe I should?) but I have managed to figure a few things out on the way that have made each dye or cut that bit less difficult and giving a better result.

The way this blog will work will involve me answer, researching and sharing questions or concerns with you lovely folk. So if you have any questions, please get in touch and I will be as quick to answer as I can.