How I did it: My first attempt was a mistake--I went to a beauty school and got stuck with a student stylist who couldn't care less about what she was doing.  Plus, they didn't have blue (or any other unnatural) hair dye.  But I went ahead and let her bleach my hair, hoping she would do a better job than I could at home.  No such luck.  She ignored everything I said, and didn't use toner, so the underside of my hair was a grungy golden color instead of a base white.  At least this only cost me a few dollars, and she did get the bulk of the work out of the way for me.

The next day I added blue.  I can't remember the exact brand, but it was being discontinued at Hot Topic (therefore cheap!).  I think it was "Blue Velvet" by Special Effects (although in this picture, I had just recolored with Raw's "True Blue").  Because my hair wasn't toned, it came out slightly more green, but I loved having such a bright surprise underneath the rest of my black hair.  I often heard people whisper as I passed, "Look, she has blue hair!"  Most of my friends were disappointed when I did away with it, but it had to be redyed too often, plus I needed a job...

Lessons & tips:

• If you want a color true to the bottle, bleach and tone first!  This will give you a base white to work with.
• If you're going to a salon, be sure to call well ahead of time so that they can have your color in stock.
• Bleaching takes a toll on hair.  I had split ends all over the place, and hated it because I didn't want to cut my long hair.  Be prepared for frequent trims!
• And of course, enjoy your blue-found freedom! ;)

Mar 30, 2010, 06:11AM PDT | 12 comments | 6 cheers