How I Took My Hair From Auburn to Lavender: Part 2

Assuming you've read part 1 of my hair story, you already know that I was dealing with some HEAVY duty damage after the process. Over the last few months I've been working to do as much damage control as humanly possible and I can finally say that not only is my hair in significantly better condition, but it's starting to grow and get some length back.

Here are some of the products I've been using to help recover from my stupidity and I some of the ways I've been using them. Obviously what works for me may not work for everybody but I think a lot of what I've been using has really helped produce great results.

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo:
I will never, ever, ever buy another dry shampoo. I've tried other drugstore ones and I've tried expensive ones. Nothing makes my hair feel as clean and manageable as Batiste does. You can also find it even cheaper at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for around $5. Dry shampoo has been an absolute must for me since pastel color is hard to keep and my hair is so dry that I can only wash it 1-2 times a week.

2. Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids Color Protect Shampoo:
I wasn't totally in love with this shampoo as I found I was still getting some color wash-out each time I used it, but I bought it because it's the same brand as the dye I use and doesn't have sulfates. Someone with a license needs to get this for you if you really want it but honestly any shampoo that's color protecting and without sulfates should be just fine.

3. Wella Elements Line:
I got the deep conditioner, the renewing conditioner, and the leave-in conditioner on sale at Ulta for a really good price so I was excited to try this stuff out. I wasn't majorly wowed by the mask or conditioner but it was useful having conditioning products that were extremely lightweight and safe for my color treated hair. I wish it was a little bit more moisturizing, but like I said I needed something light every so often to break up the heavy masks I was doing several times a week. I forgot to include the leave-in conditioner in the picture but I do love that stuff the most out of the line. It's really light and moisturizing and helped the condition of my hair immensely.

4. Brazilian Tech Keratin Leave-In Treatment:
I'll often combine this with the Wella spray or concentrate a lot of it more towards the ends of my hair where the most damage is. I don't know how authentic the keratin in this is but it gave added moisture to my desperate hair and for that reason I like it a lot and would recommend it as an affordable treatment.

5. Hairfinity:
It's hard for me to tell how large of an impact Hairfinity made, but when I began taking it I definitely noticed less and less hair falling out which was a huge accomplishment for me. As for it aiding in actual hair growth...I really don't know. I bought a one month supply and 2 weeks in would forget to take it certain days or would take it inconsistently. I can definitely tell you need to take it CONSISTENTLY for at least 2-3 months to see any real change.

6. Wen Conditioning Cleanser:
I'm sure many people are familiar with Chaz Dean's constant infomercials promoting Wen products, but I have to say this stuff is a god send. It is way too heavy to replace shampoo or use every single day and frankly, way too expensive to use that often, but every couple of days I would use this on the bottom half of my hair and it made it unbelievably soft, moisturized, and overall feeling and looking much better. If you're willing to shell out the money, this is probably the best deep conditioner you can invest in.


*this post wasn't sponsored and all photos are my own

How I Took My Hair From Auburn to Lavender: Part 1

I haven't blogged in such a long time but I'm happy to finally sit down and get back to it! This was my second year going through this color transition and I have DEFINITELY learned some things the hard way. I want to warn others about some of what I experienced and how they can achieve pastel hair successfully!

Please keep in mind that I am NOT a licensed or trained professional! I wouldn't recommend doing this at home alone but if you're stubborn like me, I would strongly advise doing your research and learning from my mistakes!!! I'm going to be breaking this into two separate posts; this one which will be about how I processed my hair and the products I used, and the second one will be how I upkeep and maintain it.

THE #1 PIECE OF ADVICE THAT I WOULD GIVE ANYONE ATTEMPTING THIS: BE PATIENT AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY!!!

It is entirely unrealistic and frankly unhealthy to try and achieve this in one day. Even salons don't recommend it but if they agree to do it, you'll be sitting in the chair for well over 6 hours. Therefore, do not plan to do this the night before an event or a day where you need to see a ton of people. My biggest regret both times around was rushing the process and trying to complete it in day and a half. If you have a long weekend coming up, that would be your prime time.

Here are the products I used:

1. L'Oreal Quick Blue Powder Lightener
2. Olaplex
3. Salon Care 20 Volume and/or 30 Volume Creme Developer
4. Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids in Violet, Silver, and Clear

*Note: Olaplex can only be purchased by licensed professionals. A 3-piece kit is $65 but is often sold for about $120 on Ebay and Amazon. I luckily had a friend who got it for me and I highly suggest using it for minimal damage; the technology and science of it is amazing and well worth the money. The same goes for Pravana- it's about $5 a tube BUT BE CAREFUL BUYING ONLINE! A lot of people counterfeit it online.

Here is what I did, what I should've done, and what I would recommend:

• I followed the package directions for mixing the bleach and the Olaplex. My biggest mistake was thinking Olaplex is a miracle worker. Just because it's designed to lift your hair faster with less damage doesn't mean the rule book goes out the window! I used a 30 volume developer which is the max you should go with bleach and left it on for nearly an hour, with a cap on, and without watching it closely. DO NOT DO THIS. Caps process hair faster and I was thinking I'd be doing it perfectly so that I'd only have to bleach my hair once and I'd have less damage. This is not how it works. LOW AND SLOW IS THE BEST THING YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO! Accept that it is a process and mistakes you make during it could ruin your hair for years. As a result, I wound up losing CHUNKS OF MY HAIR- see the picture below! My hair was snapping and falling out like crazy, the texture turned to what looked like shredded spaghetti noodles, and it was unbelievably fragile. I have never done anything so stupid with such detrimental results.

Here's what I should have done and what I would advise:

• Use a 20 volume creme developer. It may end up taking longer but it is 150% worth it. I still needed to bleach my hair again after the first process because it was a brassy-yellow and you need your hair close to platinum. So no matter what, know that it will take more than one time, and that's why you need more than a day. Also, if you have Olaplex, it's working to protect you, so if you have to bleach it 3 times, it still won't come close to being as harmful as what I did. I always lose my patience having to do multiple processes but as I've said, it is absolutely worth it in order to keep the integrity of your hair- THERE IS NO CUTTING CORNERS!

After I finished the bleach, I used about three tubes of Pravana Clear and mixed about 3 drops of Silver with 2 drops of Violet to get a customized shade of lavender. I would recommend this because Pravana's pastel purple has really bad reviews and I believe was either recalled or is being reformulated. Not to mention, if you begin with pastel color it's going to wash out so much faster.

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY don't recommend diluting color with conditioner. Girls all over the internet are doing this and I think it basically sets you up for a loss. The color will apply much more unevenly and it will wash out so fast you'll be dying your hair once a week- no exaggeration. I'm so happy my friend recommended the clear because it dilutes the purple but with a base that is actually formulated like a professional dye. My hair color lasts for weeks and not to mention Pravana is the only dye I have ever used that actually makes my hair feel BETTER after using it. So if you don't have a license, start hunting someone down who does!

So to summarize my experience, be patient and set realistic expectations. Find someone with a license or save up and buy Olaplex. Do your research on it and follow all package directions. Use a lower volume developer and process your hair in shorter sessions while monitoring it closely. Get *real* Pravana color and don't mix hair color with conditioner. If you follow all of these steps I think you'll get really amazing results and won't have to go through the trauma that I did. Good luck!

*all pictures are my own and this post wasn't sponsored*

John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss- Cool Red

If you're a fake redhead like myself, it's no secret that red hair is one of the most difficult hair colors to upkeep. The red dye pigments are bigger than most colors which makes it not only harder to blend but harder to keep it adhered to your hair cuticles. For the past 2 summers I've bleached my hair; the first summer I was blonde and this past summer I was blonde again before going lavender. Unfortunately, this has caused the most damage I've EVER had that still isn't completely fixed, even months later. One of the biggest problems I've had is the bottom half of my hair; all of the bleaching and processing has shredded my hair cuticles (even after haircuts) to the point where they will not reseal. This is my biggest issue when it comes to keeping my hair red.

Almost a week after re-dying my hair, the bottom will fade so badly that if I put my hair on top of my head in a bun, I can see a side by side comparison of the auburn roots and the light brown ends. As a result of the damage of my own making, I've been trying to be extra careful when it comes to taking care of my hair over the last few months, especially since I plan to go lavender again this spring...don't judge me.

A common tip I've seen/read about is color glossing; glosses are supposed to refresh color without damaging your hair like a dye does. Since I keep my hair red and that's already such a difficult color to manage on it's own- never mind my cuticle problem, I was all about trying a gloss out. One of the first search results I found was the John Frieda gloss; I swear I'd walked past this product 1,000 times and never looked at it twice before. Although it retails for about $12 (which is pricey for the drugstore in my opinion) I figured it would be cheaper than going to a salon or trying to find a salon-equivalent product.

I ended up totally hating this stuff- it dried my hair out even WORSE! I definitely would never recommend this to anyone. Not only do you have to use a ton of it which ultimately limits your amount of uses per bottle, but it didn't even leave any color in my hair...just more damage.

The reason why I still wanted to talk about this is because I am open to ALL suggestions! I'm getting so frustrated with the bottom half of my hair that over the course of the next month I'll be amping up my research and trying products until I find a routine that WORKS. I've been looking into cuticle sealers from Sally's Beauty Supply and read some positive reviews about Redken's Shades EQ Hair Color Gloss, so if anyone has a personal testimonial about these or anything else, please let me know! I'll come back and update my blog as I make my discoveries!

*the picture in this post came from google; post was not sponsored and all opinions are my own*