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Pre COVID-19, when I walking pretty much anywhere, I would get people staring at my hair or others running up to me asking me how questions like ‘how do you get your hair SO blue?!’ ‘What dye do you use to get it that bright!’ Although we are no longer in a time where we are going up to people and touching their hair (yeah that happened to me on numerous occasions) I thought I’d write a blog post about the process it takes to get bright blue hair. I’ve actually tested all of the blue shades from Colour Freedom as well as their green shade which is Green Emerald which honestly is lush. I am currently wanting to dip dye the ends green with the rest blue, however, my hair currently isn’t in the best condition so it doesn’t take as well. But, if you are starting from scratch or happy to bleach all of your hair I would totally recommend it.
So for the blue, I usually go for Truly Blue which weirdly looks like it is purple from the box but it is actually a really deep blue or Blue Denim which is a slightly lighter shade of blue. I’d also recommend trying out tropical aqua if you’re looking for a brighter blue. I have used lots of the Colour-Freedom shades on my hair, so it’s always fun to experiment. Another point to make about the ultra-vibrant colours from Colour-Freedom is that the bottles are huge, you are going to get 2-3 uses out of one bottle dependent on how thick/long your hair is.
Preparation
So on to the process of dying your hair a beautiful mermaid blue, first things first I would recommend using style freedom detox kit, which can be purchased from Knight & Wilson who own style and colour freedom. Using this can help provide a better base for your colour as it removes the build-up of product in your hair and leaves it feeling clean and ready to take on the blue. The detox kit involves a purifier which is a similar feel to shampoo and a revitaliser which is similar to conditioner and nurses your hair back to health after using the purifier. If you’ve ever used Olaplex, it has similar results, except the Colour Freedom edition is way cheaper.
Once you’ve finished with the detox kit, you should notice a change in the feel of your hair and with that, it’s ready to move on to the next stage.
The Colour Freedom Bleach
Then on to the bleach, I now go for a Bleach London, no bleach, bleach as it is easy to get your hands on and creates less damage than other bleaches. In the past, I’ve used Jerome Russell which you can buy from pretty much all supermarkets, but it is not great for your hair by any means. On this occasion, I decided to try the Colour Freedom cream bleach, what I noticed from this bleach is my hair was nowhere near in as bad condition as it is from the Jerome bleach however it took longer to get to that white-ish blonde as opposed to the horrible yellow.
When testing the Colour Freedom Bleach, I only went over my roots, therefore it was okay to leave it on for a while as it is virgin hair plus it can take way longer to lift dark coloured hair. The total time I usually leave this on for is an hour. But read the instructions as it may not need that long, once it’s time to take off the bleach, wash it thoroughly and then towel dry, ready for the colour.
Mermaid Ready
Following this towel dry your hair as for the Colour Freedom dyes they work better on towel-dried hair as a base. By putting it on semi-wet hair, it is so much easier to apply all over. Once you’ve done this the box says to leave for 30 minutes. However as it doesn’t have bleach in it, I tend to just leave it for as long as I want, for a more vibrant finish. Washing the blue off will cause your bath/shower to get covered in blue, I’m talking a smurf has visited, type of blue. I am warning you now if you shower it yourself rather than have someone else wash it off for you, you will have plenty of blue body parts for a little while! (I’ve had some strange looks from my bright blue knees, legs and feet).
From my experience this dye won’t run clear as it is only semi-permanent, therefore every time you wash it with anything like shampoo it tends to come out and fade.
When washing out your blue for the first time and from then on I’d recommend using lukewarm water, as using hot water opens up the hair follicles and lets the colour seep out, whereas cold keeps them shut.
There you go folks, that is how you get mermaid blue hair, a quick disclaimer, blue is quite difficult to get rid of as it stains your hair, you’ve got to be in it for the long run. Once you’ve dyed it, you will find that bright colours are a lot of maintenance. I would recommend using heat protection products on your hair when straightening and drying it to keep your hair healthier. Also, avoid washing it as much as possible for longer-lasting colour. Dry shampoo is a saviour for me!
Let me know whats the ‘coolest’ colour you’ve ever gone!
*Contains PR samples.
