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 Root Touch-ups For Blonde Hair

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Joined: Nov 27, 2006
Location: United States
Posted: Sep 21, 2008 at 1:34am
This is going to be really long, and I apologize but I really need some help with my hair.
 
I have naturally extremely thick (I'm talking twice as much hair as an average person) ash brown hair that gets chunky highlights naturally from the sun. Since I turned 14 I've been drying it all sorts of colors... made some stupid decisions, etc. Well, in recent years all that dyeing caused a lot of damage so I decided to give up coloring and let my hair breathe.
 
After all the damage and the condition of my hair improved I decided to lighten my hair just a little bit with peroxide (kind of like Sun-In). It didn't work too well and I hated it so I decided that I wanted to go completely blonde and the best thing to do would be to go to a salon.
I went and the stylist who did my hair said that it would be impossible to dye my hair blonde and have it turn out well (due to the peroxide). The only way to do it is to get full highlights a few times and that would turn my hair the bringht blonde that I wanted. Great!
 
The first set of full highlights took 3 full hours to do, that's how insanely thick and obnoxious my hair is. It looked awesome. I was impressed... but of course on my hair, only one set of full highlights wasn't enough to brighten it to the level that I wanted.
A couple of months later I went to the same salon and got my hair done again - full highlights. The second time was awesome as well. This time my hair was actually light enough and I absolutely loved it. The highlights were really bright (some white-ish) but there were still a lot of natural streaks (looked like lowlights) underneath.
 
I was happy with all that. But then when it came time to get my roots touched up about 6 weeks later I got a letter from the salon informing me that my stylist was no longer working there. Upsetting. The girl was great and she did such an amazing job. But I set another appointment anyway with a different girl.
The other girl was nice as well, but it's just not the same when you have someone better. She told me that though root touch-up was a possibility that time and that she would do it, but that my natural streaks were starting to "disappear" (what that meant totally bloggles my mind but whatever). She said that next time I would have to put lowlights in to maintain that highted look. I took that as a "lets put more work into your hair so you will pay me more" and totally ignored her suggestion. But then, the second thing she suggested was that I go all one color even though I would have to maintain it more frequently.
 
Since the higlighted look is really hard to maintain, especially on long hair like mine. I can't do anything with it - I can't wear it in any other styles but down, and part it only the the same side I always part it on (I like to switch sometimes). It got really frustrating so I decided to take her advice and go all one color - totally blonde.
 
Well, a couple of days ago I went to the same salon to get this done. This time I had a different girl do it. I told her that I was sick of the highlights and to just do it all one color. She said okay, and she went to work. She bleached my roots and the natural streaks that were still in my hair. She didn't leave the bleach (or whatever they use) on my hair for very long before washing it out. I thought it was a bit weird since the first girl who did my hair always let the bleach on for a really long time, and then she would even put me under the dryer for about 5-10 minutes.
This girl washed out my hair and toned it while the roots were still in the orange state. She said the first toner didn't work so she had to use another one. After another toner she said it was puzzled and called over the other girls working there for their opinions. I was getting nervous since they asked her if she'd used this and that (green and some other toners). She said that she tried green but it didn't work, and the second one they suggested they didn't have at the salon. I was hoping there was something that could be done... I didn't want to walk out of the salon with whatever was going on on my head - it was obviously not pleasant looking according to all the girls who worked there.
 
Well, one of the other girls suggested that she bleach my hair again, leave it on longer, and then tone. So, that's what she did. She washed out my hair, bleached it all over again. (My roots looked horrible... extremely orange.) This time she left the bleach on a lot longer, my roots turned a bright yellowish-white... that's what one of the other girls said it was supposed to look like. Then she finally washed it out and toned it really well again. She said it looked a lot better this time - thank god!
 
This time my roots looked a lot better but still don't perfectly match with the rest of my hair. She asked if it was a problem and I thought it was too yellow... but it's not. I'm not overly picky about it so I said it was okay. She dried it and it looks pretty good so overall I'm happy with it; as long as it's not egg yellow or clown orange I'm okay with it.
 
But the problem now is that my hair is a really bright blonde, and once my roots start growing it's going to really show. Even though my natural hair color isn't that dark, it looks a lot darker when the rest of the hair is so light.
So I'd have to go to the salon practically every month to get my roots touched up - and that's a problem. I'm a poor college student. I don't have tons of money to throw away at the salon every month. So I'm thinking since I don't have to work very hard with the highlighting crap anything... I can just brush on the color on my roots, wash it out, and maintain it that way on my own (with help from a friend or something).
And since I witnessed a professional hair stylist at a salon screwed up my hair the first time solely because she didn't leave the color on long enough - how hard can it be for me to learn to do this myself - slap on some color, tone it, and get on with my life?
 
So my question is: how can I do this?
I know absolutely NOTHING about hair bleaching, toning, products that I need to mix or whatever to achieve my blonde color on the roots.
 
Could someone explain to me in detail what I would need to do this myself at home? I would really, really appreciate it since doing this at home would be so much cheaper then going to the salon. I can do this on my own time and not have to worry about paying a ton for it.
Please suggest affordable products from Sally Beauty Supply since there is a store located a few blocks from here. I can't afford salon products, obviously. If I could I wouldn't consider doing this myself. I've seen other people do it and have their hair turn out great. So I figure it's not rocket science - I'm willing to learn.
 
Thanks to anyone who replies. I really appreciate it!
 
ThisGirl02008-09-21 13:31:20

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tint08 View Drop Down
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Posted: Sep 26, 2008 at 1:34am
  Bleaching is hardest the first time out--especially since this salon apparently did a whole lot of highlights and THEN decided to do an all over color (that's weird). 
 
  Anyway, all you need to do is run to a beauty supply store and pick up a bleach. You sound like you have relatively light hair, but it also sounds kind of resistant (that might be why she had to bleach 2x), so you might want to go for a stronger bleach. I'd personally try out either Clairol's Born BLonde (the professional version) or Clairol's complements gel lightener.
 
  Clairol Born Blonde is white, so you'll be able to see thru to the roots to see what color your roots are turning.  Just mix 1 part bleach to 2 parts 20vol cream developer and add a booster packette (you can buy those at sally's, too).  I'd use half a bottle of lightener (1oz) 20vol developer (2oz) and one booster. 
 
  You can use the rest of the lightener when your roots pop up in 1-3 weeks.  You'll probably want to have a friend section off your hair and apply the bleach. 
 
  As for toners...all you really need to do to get your bleached hair toned to a good color is get it down to the level of contributing pigment you're looking for (it sounds like pale yellow, almost white in your case) and then apply a toner to either make it more golden, neutral, or ash (or you can mix toners if you feel like it).  Most toners take 20vol developer and are applied right after you shampoo out the bleach--shampoo, rinse, towel dry, tone. 
 
  If you still have random dark streaks, that could look odd with your roots being bleached so heavily. You might want to lighten those up. You can do a "soap cap" bleaching on the rest of your hair...you basically whip up lightener, mix it with shampoo, and work it through to parts of your hair that need to be lightened up.  Watch it carefully.  This will also remove any previous toners that you've had applied, so you may want to do this *before* your root touch-up, so then you can tone the whole thing and be done with it.
 

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Joined: Nov 27, 2006
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Posted: Sep 27, 2008 at 1:34am
Thank you so much for your reply. This helps a lot.
The reason they did highlights first and then overall color because that's what I had initially. I did highlights for a while and then decided I didn't like it anymore so I wanted to go all blonde.
 
I was also researching the Sally Beauty Supply website and was considering getting Clairol Blorn Blonde. So your suggestion is right on. I will definitely go for that one. I wasn't sure if I should mix it with a 20vol developer or 30vol since my hair is so resistant (even though it's light brown). I think it would be safer to go with the 20vol just in case.
I was looking at toners as well and they have two different kinds at Sally. One needs to be mixed with 20vol developer, the other does not. They're both Clairol. The one that does is supposedly idea for double processing, so I will probably get that one since the other Born Blonde one is semi-permanent, so it would probably wash out.
 
Anyway, this helps a lot. Thanks! I feel more confident that I can do this myself.
ThisGirl02008-09-27 13:59:20

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fakeizme View Drop Down
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Joined: Feb 28, 2008
Location: Canada
Posted: Sep 30, 2008 at 1:34am
Yeah, I think that advice is really good too!
 
You CAN do this on your own; you don't even really need a friend to help. The trick is to be prepared. You definitely need to have a mirror to see the back of your head. Section your hair into very small sections so they are easier to work with. As you apply the bleach to your roots, run a line (using a bottle) of bleach along your roots and just 'push' the bleach into the hair with a brush; just tapping. Then, you separate another thin section of hair above it and repeat. Try to do this quickly but meticulously and wipe any bleach that spills on your hands or hair. When everything is done, wrap a grocery bag around your head (to keep the bleach from drying out), but don't flatten or bunch the hair as this can cause the bleach to spread onto already bleached hair. leave it on for at least 40 mins and then check every 10 mins to see if your roots have lifted to the proper tone (inside of banana peel yellow).
 
I do this WHOLE process every month. It gets easier each time you do it. It's actually kind of fun for me now and I love to watch my Level 2 roots go pale blonde! I get very little damage, but I make sure to deep condition regularly.
 
Good luck!Big%20smile

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Joined: Nov 27, 2006
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Posted: Sep 30, 2008 at 1:34am

Awesome! Thanks. This is going to save me a lot of money and frustration. I don't think it's going to be that hard at all as long as I choose the right products; and I know exactly what I need.

I'll have my sister help me since I have extremely thick hair and it would be difficult to do the back by myself since my hair is also really long.

Thanks again!


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nycolorist View Drop Down
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Joined: Oct 01, 2008
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Posted: Oct 01, 2008 at 1:34am
Wait!! DO NOT USE BLEACH OR ANY KIND OF LIGHTENER ON YOUR ROOTS.You will only pull warmth or over lighten.Then you will have to tone it down to blend into your highlights. If you continue to do it this way you will have breakage!!!. seen it a zillion times.
A safer way would be to "break the base" using a drab liquid permanent color.

What you need:
1) rat tail comb
2) miss Clairol  #36 and #25 (buy 3 bottles of each)
3) 20 vol cream developer (buy enough to mix equal parts w/ color)
4) mixing bowl and brush
5)gloves

mix developer w/ #36 in equal parts
apply it to the roots. This should start working in about 10 minutes, so work quickly. when finished applying, check the front to see if the hair is coming up,if not wait  2 minutes, then check again. keep  checking every few minutes until your hair color matches highlights. The product when mixed with the developer looks dark.dont worry its normal.

When color comes up rinse color out good.(do not pull color through the ends) towel dry.
Then to tone and blend, mix up #25 with equal parts 20 vol developer.
apply to towel dry hair roots and everything (just like you were putting shampoo on) leave on for like 2 minutes or so.until product (not hair) turns a kinda purpleish color. rinse, shampoo, condition, and dry.
The # 25 says its a gold. but its really a beige when used this way.(on and off) the reason why I say use #25 perm color instead of a gold semi perm color at the end is because of the beige it produces. With blonds, there are two types: gold and beige. The beige will bring those white and yellow highlights together harmoniously.

Hope im not to late.



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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 01, 2008 at 1:34am
No, I haven't done anything to my hair yet since I just got it done about a week and a half ago and the roots haven't even started to come in yet.
 
I don't really have highlights anymore since I told the stylist that I wanted to have an all over blonde without highlights and she got rid of them (for the most part; there is still a bit of variation, but not much; it just makes my hair look more natural). She also used bleach on my roots, she didn't use color. I don't think that color would work on my roots since they are significantly darker then the rest of my hair (or will be once they grow out). I've dyed my hair with dyes blonde before, and it just comes out yellow... like golden retriever color, which is not attractive and it wouldn't match the rest of my hair. It also takes repeated application to get my hair blonde because at first it kinda turns orange. The stylist had to use bleach twice to get my hair to not be carrot-orange (not exaggerating, it was literally a disgusting color of orange for hair - totally unnatural).
 
I will look up your suggestion - the product you suggested - and then figure out what to do. I think I'll definitely ask the people at Sally Beauty Supply to help me out with everything prior to buying products. They should know since they can see my hair and the condition (it's so thick, I can't stand it).
 
Thanks!
 
Ok, I just went on the ClairolPro website and looked up Miss Clairol products. It sounds good, however, they don't have a #35 and it also says that in order to achieve the brightest blonde I would need to mix it with a 40vol developer (I'd need to lighten it about 4-5 levels since my hair is a about a level 4 naturally according to the swatches on their website, and I'd like it to be about a 9). I've read countless times that a 40vol developer is never recommended for use on the scalp because it works so quickly and is so intense. I don't think it would be safe for me to even attempt to use it (especially the first time) since it will take me probably 20 minutes to just apply the solution to my hair (like I said, I have extremely thick hair, it's almost abnormal). Putting 40 would work too quickly, and I don't know what it would do to my scalp. I don't want to risk it. :( It'd probably be best to go with a 30 in my case.
But I'll continue researching and see what I can do.
 
ThisGirl02008-10-01 13:01:44

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nycolorist View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 01, 2008 at 1:34am
okay. 

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fakeizme View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 01, 2008 at 1:34am
I think you would be wise to use something like Clairol 7th Stage Cream lightener or Wella Wellite cream lightener for your first time. I use Wella Blondor and mix it all by myself --- it lightens fast and non-damaging. Go with your instincts and try it on your own.
 
I wanted to add, that it helps if you cover all of your hair (that is blonde) with a heavy/thick conditioner before you start the process. I always do this as any bleach that may drip onto that hair won't affect it.
 
Breaking the base can be great, but you still have to do it every month AND it often lifts warm, which is what many want to avoid!
 
Don't give up or get scared. A lot of people will tell you you can't do it yourself. If I listened to everyone who told me that, I would not have ever coloured my hair at all. My hair is long and blonde and in pretty good condition. You can only TRY!!!Big%20smile

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 01, 2008 at 1:34am
Yea, Clairol 7th Stage or Born Blonde are the only two at Sally Beauty Supply (on their website) that I considered getting since I read about them on different websites and they seem to work well.
Wella has good reviews as well.
 
Thanks for the conditioner trick. That will help a lot since my hair has been processed so many times already (due to the highlighting). It wouldn't be good to get more bleach on it. Plus it does tend to dry out occasionally so conditioning can't possibly hurt. I have a good deep conditioner for this.
 
A lot of people do suggest professional and that mistakes can be made. But I did go to a pro and even she didn't do it right the first time. I learned from her mistakes... plus I did a lot of research of my own. It's not rocket science - I'll be able to figure it out. I've witnessed a friend bleach his hair in 30 minutes and then dye it blue. He is definitely no expert when it comes to hair atall and it worked just fine for him.
 
Thanks so much! Love encougraging words cuz that way I'm not as nervous about it.
I'm glad that my roots haven't even started to come in much yet (maybe they're like 3mm long, which is not notceable at all) so I still have plenty of time to read more about it.
ThisGirl02008-10-01 14:54:19

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fakeizme View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 02, 2008 at 1:34am
[QUOTE=ThisGirl0]
.....
A lot of people do suggest professional and that mistakes can be made. But I did go to a pro and even she didn't do it right the first time. I learned from her mistakes... plus I did a lot of research of my own. It's not rocket science - I'll be able to figure it out. I've witnessed a friend bleach his hair in 30 minutes and then dye it blue. He is definitely no expert when it comes to hair atall and it worked just fine for him.
.....
[/QUOTE]
 
Ummm...EXACTLY!!LOL I totally agree. It's going to professionals (no offense) that ultimately started me on the road to DIY hair colour! A lot of them do NOT know a lot about hair colour much less bleaching and are afraid to do it. If you read any professional hair websites/forums, you will quickly realize that they have to ask each other every day HOW to mix and apply colour. I mean, I think it's awesome they are still learning, but I don't want any mistakes I have to pay for done on MY head!!!LOLConfused
 
I think the trick for you too, will be to have all of your supplies on hand, just in CASE things don't work out perfectly the first go-round. Like, have your purple shampoo/conditioner on hand if it's a little brassy or have a couple of semis or toners for that reason. You MAY even want to get an ash or neutral blonde hair colour that you could apply to your roots just in case the bleach doesn't lift enough the first round.
 
I have to say I always HATE what my hair looks like when I bleach my roots! Smile It's just not 'natural' to me to have blonde roots --- I like a darker root. That's another reason why I like to have Roux mousses and rinses on hand, so I can just apply them to my roots after a wash. It gives me the neutral blonde root look I like!
 
OK, I'm rambling!LOL  Good for you for taking your time and reading. Your patience will pay off.

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 02, 2008 at 1:34am
Yes, you expect a pro to know what to do since they do have to go to school for that kind of thing. But they mess up so easily. The girl that did my hair had no clue and had to ask the others what to do since she tried every toner and nothing worked. Weird but I learned from her I guess.
 
I will definitely get a toner just in case, but I will probably need it since all the girls who have worked on my hair have used it. And I have shampoos and conditioners for this already. I'm pretty confident that it will work out just fine.
I personally hate roots. Can't stand them so as soon as they start coming in to maybe half an inch it starts to bug me. So learning this is going to eliminate frustration and save hundreds.

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jodic View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1:34am
[QUOTE]
...
I have to say I always HATE what my hair looks like when I bleach my roots! Smile It's just not 'natural' to me to have blonde roots --- I like a darker root. That's another reason why I like to have Roux mousses and rinses on hand, so I can just apply them to my roots after a wash. It gives me the neutral blonde root look I like!
[/QUOTE]

I'm also new to blonde hair but, like you, have noticed that having slightly darker roots looks more natural.  My hair is naturally light/medium brown and is bleached to about level 9.  I'm curious about the products you mentioned, the Roux mousses and rinses.  Are they anything like the Shimmer Lights shampoo  I've been using? 

When do you rebleach--at some point, the roots must get too long for you, what do you do then?

Sorry to horn in on this thread, but the information is so good, I've learned a bunch just from reading what you all have had to say.

thanks!

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1:34am
Haha, yea the info is really good. I'm glad people responded. It really helps a lot. My roots right now are maybe half an inch long (in about 5 weeks) and thought it's not that bad it's starting to bug me. So I think I will be rebleaching mine sometime next week.
I just gotta go to the store and get all the supplies. I'm kinda excited to learn to do this myself.
I also have to look into some deep conditioning treatments, or preferable even leave-in treatments. My hair is so long and so so extremely thick that it's always dry, especially now that it's been chemically treated and the weather is getting cooler.
I drown my hair in serum, leave-in conditioner, and even jojoba oil (that stuff works so great for my hair) every time I wash it. And when I do that my hair feels so soft and manageable even though it's only for a couple of days.
I'll have to find something that produces those results for my hair. Though I use a deep conditioner once a week it doesn't really seem to do the job. I need something to leave in.
I'm considering just going to a health store and finding a big bottle of jojoba oil. But then Sally Beauty Supply has so many of these products. I'm sure I can find something that will work.
ThisGirl02008-10-17 12:50:23

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adivamom View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1:34am
This thread is very informative. I am new to color too, so any information is helpful!
Fakeizme and others, could you please touch on toners, and the purple shampoos that you mentioned for brassyness? Are toners to be applied immediately after coloring? Are there different types of toners? I saw color only deposit toners, is that for brassyness? Any information would help. Thanks!

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1:34am
I agree, I'm not very familiar with toners either. I am still reserching that part.
I found two different types of toners on the Sally Beauty Supply website. One is semi-permanent, the other is permanent. They are placed in the same category as hair dyes so I'm assuming that they function similarly.
 
I don't really know how to select the color of a toner though since I've heard that they come in shades of blue, violet, green, etc... but the ones on the SB website are labeled by number (i.e. 301, 303, 323, etc). They do show the shade of blonde that they produce, so I'm assuming that you would select a toner based on the shade of blonde that you want your hair to be.
And from what I understand, toners are typically applied during double-processing - after bleaching and shampooing your hair (at least that's how my stylists did it every time). But I'm pretty sure that they can be used any time you want to alter or refresh your shade.
 
The purple shampoos are supposed to eliminate brassiness (unwanted yellow shades). The girl who first did my hair told me to do this. Though I don't use a purple shampoo currently since I bought a different one that is also for blonde hair and is supposed to wash out chemicals and residue. It's not purple but it is specifically for blonde hair so I figure it's okay. I'm gonna continue using it till I run out, then  I'll be getting the purple Stay Blonde shampoo I saw at Sally Beauty Supply. A lot of people say it works wonders.
ThisGirl02008-10-17 18:35:56

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borne.blonde View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1:34am
Assuming you lighten to the appropriate shade of yellow for the Toner...

301 White Beige / White White / BLUE

302 Platinum Beige/ Delicate Platinum / Violet
303 Champagne Beige / Delicate Baby Blonde / Violet

307 Champagne Ice / Almost White / Blue-Violet
311 Towhead /  Light Ash  / Blue-Violet
323 Extra Light Platinum / Lightest Pearly Platinum / Blue-Violet

315 Extra-Light Blonde / Delicate GOLDEN / Yellow

You can change effects by having 1pt toner to 2pts developer or Combining toners.
Can leave on 15 to 45 min depending on desired effect.
They smell kinda good. They are definately NOT brassy. You will notice they have D for Drabbing or G for Gold I think.
Somewhere Clairol has Mixes for discontinued toners too Thumbs%20Up



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adivamom View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1:34am
Borne blond, do you choose the toner color based on the effect that you want to achieve? If there is too much brassyness after bleaching, would you choose a more violet or blue tone? Or do you choose the toner based on the color that you achieved with the bleach and try to match it?  I am sorry, but I have no clue about toners. Can I apply a toner days after bleaching, or is it something to be done immediately after? Thanks for giving us the breakdown of the colors, that helps. One more question, what is drabbing vs. gold?

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 17, 2008 at 1:34am

I looked at all the colors that they have... and my hair has a lot of variation in it due to the previous highlights. I see a very slight difference between some of the shades. I could pick probably 3 of those and go with them and probably have it look okay (though 311 looks like the best choice). I don't really see how you can specifically determine which one you need other then based on what you want it to look like. It's difficult. I think I'm just going to have to wing it 303 or 311 since they look the closest.

Also, the last time I had my hair done (described in detailed above) the stylist used two or three different colored toners, I believe (she mentioned blue and green) to try and change the color of my hair; it didn't work the first time since she didn't lighten my roots enough. For some reason she thought that bleaching my hair to a red-orange state and using green toner would work to make it look like the Towhead shade. Weird.
ThisGirl02008-10-17 23:06:12

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Studio728 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 18, 2008 at 1:34am
It is very sad that the person who started this thread had such a bad experience with a salon professional stylist.  I am a professional colorist of 9 years, and an American Board Certified Haircolor Specialist... take my advice in regards to when and if you ever decide to visit a salon again. 
 
MAKE SURE YOU DO A PRE CONSULTATION WITH THE STYLIST that will be working with your hair.  Ask them questions about what the techniques, formulas, outcome and maintainance will be on your hair.  Listen to how they respond... should they not be able to provide you with real answers and just try to say that everything will be great, then I would go to someone else.  A highly trained professional will go into detail without a problem.
 
As for the formulas for your hair, DO NOT APPLY ANY KIND OF toner to the mid-lengths/ends of your lightened hair that involves 20 vol, for that matter any peroxide at all.  Use only a demi or a semi that will deposit color OR ELSE you will just increase the damage to the lower portion of your hair and you will have poor color retention over time.

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 18, 2008 at 1:34am

Thanks! I was going to use a toner on my roots only anyway.


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Slipknothartgir View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 19, 2008 at 1:34am
Hey girl! I just wanted to say good luck with keeping your roots covered.I also wanted to tell u about a color deposting shampoo that will keep uour blonde nice & bright.It's called Artec color.U can look online at it.They have all kinds of blonde colors.Check it out.I use it for my red colored hair.It works wonders to keep my red, vibrant.Good luck with your hair! :)Slipknothartgir2008-10-19 13:43:23

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Ally<3 View Drop Down
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Posted: Oct 26, 2008 at 1:34am
It still amazes me how many stylists out there that don't seem to know what they're doing. Bleaching to pale yellow is basic hair colour 101. That just bothers me.

I bleach mine and it's the best it's ever looked color wise and health wise. My only advice is use professional products wherever you can. It's quality that's the difference, and that's what counts when you dry it off after coloring to see how it turned out.

I used Redken Levitation Oil Bleach, applied twice, 55 mins each time (my hair is 7R) to bring it to very very pale yellow. I then tone with Wella Color Touch (demi) in half Lightest Ash Blonde and half Pearl Ash. All pro products. Love the results and have never been happier.

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
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Joined: Nov 27, 2006
Location: United States
Posted: Oct 26, 2008 at 1:34am
Well, I went to Sally yesterday and got all the products I need. The only thing that I had to get that was different was the toner. Online the swatch that looks closes to my blonde is 311, but when I looked at it at the store it was totally different. I ended up getting a 315 since that matched almost perfectly.
I'm gonna be doing it sometime next week. Can't wait.
ThisGirl02008-10-26 14:56:48

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ThisGirl0 View Drop Down
Newbie
Joined: Nov 27, 2006
Location: United States
Posted: Oct 28, 2008 at 1:34am
Ok, so I decided to do the roots today... and unfortunately it did not turn out exactly as I expected it would.
 
I got the Clairol 7th Stage lightener, and according to the bottle I was supposed to mix it with a 20vol toner. Well, since my hair is pretty resistant I decided to get 30 instead since that would lift faster and better - or so I thought.
Turns out that the lightener is actually BLUE not WHITE as I expected. (Guess I should have got the Born Blonde Creme Lightener since that one is white and would make it much easier for me to see what's going on underneath.) Mixed it and had my sister help me apply it with a brush; another mistake - I should have used a bottle instead since it's hard to do it with a brush plus she kept accidentally getting bleach on the rest of my hair that's already blonde.
Like I said many times, my hair is insanely thick and long. It took her probably half an hour to apply the stuff to just my roots (very sloppily).
I figured since I had already had it on my hair for so long I should have already seen a difference in color, but I didn't see any. I waited and waited and became more frustrated since the blue of the lightener was interfering with the rest so it was hard to see what was happening. Plus it mixed with some of the blonde streaks that I had in my hair previously, making my hair appear GREEN. I was freaking out at that point so to make it lighten faster I used a bit of heat.
 
It basically looked like nothing was happening except my hair turning green. So I went and washed it out. Turns out my hair was lightening, but very verrrrryyyyy slowly and the bleach had already dried up by now so I figure leaving it on longer wouldn't make a difference anyway. Well, my roots looked A LOT like they did when I got it done at the salon (when the girl screwed up and had to rebleach). So basically I figured I would have to do the same thing again, but being all wet and just out of the shower I couldn't go back to the store to get more bleach.
 
So I decided to tone it with the toner I got (Clairol Creme Toner 315) thinking that it wouldn't make a difference. I toned it anyway for maybe 10 mintues and washed it again. Well, now my roots are kind of strawberry/golden blonde while the rest of myhair is pretty pale.
Though the toner didn't do a whole lot for my roots, fortunately it did take out some of the yellow that I had at the top from the previous disaster that the stylist didn't fix properly.
 
So now I'm stuck with about 1" long roots (thankfully it doesn't look that bad) that are kinda strawberry-ish/gold. I'm thinking rebleaching would be unnecessary, so I just need to pick a different toner. Thankfully the Clairol website offers good advice on how to choose toners based on the color you prelighten your hair.
I would consider my roots to be a glonden yellow I guess since it's not pale like the rest of my hair. I'm thinking that in order to get it to match better with the rest of my hair I should probably pick the 302D Platinum Baige toner since that is the only one that would match the closest to the rest of my hair if I applied to my roots; the rest would turn out too yellow or too beige I think.
Should I just do that?
ThisGirl02008-10-28 19:04:54
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