DIY Mystic Purple Balayage
The first time I ever heard about hair dyes I was a little girl. It was the 90's and grunge was the way to go. The distinctive makeup and fashion trends were coupled with a variety of hairstyles, including the chunky highlights of unnatural colours. I remember getting my hands on a pamphlet of Taiwan's hottest sporting the new trend. Most of all, I remember being mesmerised by the model who had amethyst highlights worked into her luscious locks. Since then I have had a burning desire to have my head crowned in purple shades. Despite yearning for a fresh new look and a dramatic change I had never dared to venture into the bold colours because I learned early on my black hair needed to be bleached first. The fear of frying my hair prevented me from reaching my mermaid hair goals.
Then entered my friend Greta, who made my dreams a reality. She is one part makeup artist, one part entrepreneur, and two parts horse clipping artist. With some experience of working on human hair and a fellow fan of hair artist Guy Tang she offered her services to me. The result was very much to my delight being the first time I had my hair bleached then dyed. Today's blog is dedicated to showing how you too can achieve wondrous colours from the comforts of your own home without blowing your budget at the salon.
Both box dyed hair but with a bit of technique you can bring out the fun.
To start things off Greta did a lot of research on the best way to dye my hair so we didn't end up making a mess. We opted for the octopus hair dyeing technique rather than using foils. This way we only had to lay down a big piece of cardboard on the floor with some blankets and cushions for comfort. With my hair spread out and the box dyes at the ready we were good to go!
A makeshift salon in the garage; being innovative is part of the Kiwi DIY spirit.
Greta had originally selected Jerome Russell's Bblonde High Lift Powder Bleach kit to lighten my hair. (Pro tip: tease each section of hair before applying the products to get the balayage effect rather than a dip dyed look.) It had worked beautifully but once we washed off the product we realised a whole section of my hair had been missed off due to the way my hair was layered. It was lesson learned and we quickly rushed out to buy another boxed hair dye before the stores closed on us.
The first bleaching kit we used to lighten my hair.
The result of the first round of bleaching. It looked really good but you can tell we missed off a whole section of hair.
As most stores were closed by the time we made it to the mall Greta decided to get Schwarzkopf's Nordic Blonde dye kit to finish the bleaching job. This time we also sectioned my hair more carefully to expose the unbleached hair underneath. I also got a bit of a pampering while I was waiting for the chemicals to do its job.
The second boxed bleaching kit to finish the job.
Getting pampered with an eyebrow shape and face mask while waiting for my hair to be bleached.
Pro tip: section your hair to expose the shorter layer underneath to avoid missing a whole chunk of hair.
It is worth noting after the first round of bleaching Greta used a series of L'Oreal's Pro Fiber products to rescue my hair from too much damage. My hair felt soft and smooth after despite the harsh chemicals. She decided to not treat it again after the second round so the hair could remain porous to retain the colour we were to apply after. However, the purple conditioner that came in the Nordic Blonde bleaching kit was used to combat the brassiness after the second bleaching job.
Result of round two of bleaching. It is now ready for dyeing.
Greta selected the combination of Schwarzkopf's Live Colour by Ultra Brights in Magnetic Purple and Liliac Blush to colour my hair. They are semi-permanent hair dyes so we could switch up the colours in the near future should we be so inclined. Once again, she sectioned off my hair and teased it before applying the lighter shade at the ends and the darker away from the ends to give it a more gradient and natural effect.
Two purple shades to fulfill my dreams.
Lighter shade towards the ends and darker shade towards the roots to give the gradient effect.
We were not quite sure what to expect for the final result but our efforts into midnight paid off. My hair turned into a blend of purple haze with rose gold undertones. Greta further elevated the look by styling my hair with some ringlets. It was a bit hard to capture the full effect of the look on camera but I will definitely be appreciating the colours for the weeks to come.
The final result of the hair dye job - natural looking purple haze.
I was also relieved to find my hair had not frizzled out from all the chemical treatment. Now that I know with the right techniques and care my hair can handle the bleaching process I cannot wait to see what else Greta can do for me in the future. Maybe I will finally attain that mermaid or unicorn look.
Live. Love. Laugh. Liberate.
- Avis Knows
