Crazy Bold DIY Hair Color

This pink shade was done with a product called "Splat". Available at most chain drugstores, it is runnier than "Manic Panic" products are. It will still give you color but it is a messy process. You must strip your hair down in order to get the desired color and the product does include bleaching compound but if your hair is dark or you are doing your whole head, you need to make a stop at your beauty supply store for extra bleach.

For available shades, check out their website at https://www.splathaircolor.com

This is semi-permanent hair color but although it fades, you will need to dye your hair darker to cover it or strip it in order to go back to your natural hair color.

This pink shade was actually supposed to be bolder but we did not cover the head with a plastic bag (which would have intensified the color) or use a blow dryer while the dye was on. To get a bolder color, use heat.

Manic Panic is a popular brand of semi-permanent hair dye that is popular with teens and young adults. This is probably the best brand of bold hair color I have used. It comes in several bold shades and if you cannot find the one you want at your local Hot Topic store in the mall, order it directly from their website. They also have other great products on the Manic Panic site.

Going from dyed black hair down to almost platinum takes time and some skill. Although her hair is medium length, it is somewhat thick and it took some time to apply the bleach to the hair. Afterwards, I used a thick conditioner and allowed it to sit before rinsing. Her hair is baby soft and ready for some manic color.

Here is how we stripped this hair and came up with the color as shown. (the light gives the illusion of it not being evenly blonde but it is good enough for what we will be doing next)

While my daughter was changing into an old t-shirt, I prepared the bleach. Using a plastic bowl, I first opened a packet of bleaching powder and put it in the bowl. I slowly added the developer and stirred it until it was a creamy consistency. It should be thick but not so thick that it isn't blended. You are supposed to leave the roots for last because the heat of your scalp will cause the roots to lighten faster. I worked quickly, covering each section using a brush to paint on the bleach. Of course, I wore extra thick hair coloring gloves, bleach will lighten and sometimes burn your skin.

It took about 40 minutes to fully apply the bleach to her entire head ( I finished with the roots). I then took a plastic grocery bag and put it on her head and secured it. The plastic bag helps to keep the heat in which speeds up the process of stripping the hair color. It also keeps any bleach from getting on clothes.

I set the kitchen timer for 25 minutes. We have stripped her hair from black before and I know how long we need to wait before checking it. When the timer went off I removed the bag to check on how well her hair was turning. She was at an orangey stage and at this point, if I was to wash out the bleach, she would have had an uneven rusty orange color. I put the bag back on and set the timer for 20 more minutes.

At the next check time, her hair was showing noticeable signs of lightening to the levels that I desired. Unfortunately, it looked uneven and I decided that to be safe, we would wait 10 minutes, rinse it and then touch up where needed.

Ten minutes later, we rinsed the bleach out using warm water and followed with a quick mild shampoo. I added just enough conditioner so that I could easily separate her hair and rinsed it well. I checked the condition of her hair and it was good. I wasn't happy with the color, there were areas that did not lighten to the platinum blondeness that she wanted. I reapplied bleach and put the bag back on her head. We set the timer for 35 minutes and waited.

Her hair was looking much better after a total of almost 2 hours of bleaching. I decided to give her another 15 minutes and be done with it.

The timer went off and I washed and conditioned her hair. Although I wanted it to air-dry, she was insistent upon blow drying. Normally after bleaching, I prefer to rest the hair. Bleaching is heavy duty and could be drying and damaging. She has been lucky but why push your luck? She blowed dried (against my better judgment) and all was well.

Being cautious, I told her the manic color that she wants to do on half of her hair will wait a week. Give her hair time to have a couple of conditioning treatments and be in good condition for the extreme color that she wants next is the smart thing to do. I couldn't imagine what would happen if all her hair was to fall out. I imagine she would not want to go to school.

Jet black underneath and platinum with a pink middle, this hair style was easy to do. The model's hair was dirty blonde and half the head was stripped down with bleach. The top was tied up and kept away from the bottom layer that was painted with jet black hair dye. After 20 minutes the black was rinsed out. Pink was applied and wrapped in aluminum foil so the platinum wouldn't get messed up.

It is hard to do this kind of detail on your own head. It is easier to have someone do your hair for you. There was no need to strip the entire head when doing half of the head black. Black easily covers over brown. I did the bleaching first, just in case any got on the section that was going to be black. It is easier this way. Remember when you use bleach to protect not just your skin but the facial skin of the person whose hair is getting bleached. Bleach will burn your skin. It may even small white spots if it isn't wiped off the skin quickly. You can use vaseline with cotton strips to protect the hairline in order to keep bleach or color from getting on the skin.