Know your hair history
The last time I died my hair, it was blue (Brave) at the top and purple (Wicked) at the bottom. For the past 5 years, the bottoms have always been some shade of pink, purple or red, and the top I either left natural (dark blonde) or used pink or purple (and most recently, blue!).


Do a strand test to see which volume to use and how long to leave it in for (and to set your expectations for the results)
I got to test out the Ghosted 20 volume bleach at the Attitude Hair Day, and noticed that it didn't lighten my hair as much as it should have. I got the advice to use 30 volume bleach and add a bit of the Holyplex shampoo to prevent excess damage. I also got the advice to apply it a lot more liberally. I'm very happy I did the strand test first or else I would have never dared try the 30 volume, and only gotten mediocre results using the 20 volume because my hair wasn't reacting as well as I expected.
Everyone's hair reacts differently, so even if you have hair that looks like mine, don't immediately go in with 30 volume! Always start with the lowest volume and do a strand test :)

Pick your colours based on your hair history and your strand test - be realistic
Because I'll be bleaching the bottom section of my hair, I know it will probably uncover the pink tones from previous dyes, which is why I picked Proud pink for that section, and to cover the blue leftovers I'll be doing purple at the top (Dramatic and Wicked).

Use the colour wheel for advice! If you have many pink and red undertones like me, it's not smart to immediately put green on top because it will turn a muddy colour (mixing 2 opposite colours).

Section the hair and prepare your surroundings
I sectioned my hair into 6 parts during this process - 3 layers from bottom to top, split in half left and right. Covering my surroundings with towels, plastic, or wearing clothes I didn't mind ruining was also crucial to make clean-up painless and quick!

Mix the bleach
Mix all of the powder and activator together until there are no lumps - make sure you have enough for your goals (I used one full bleach kit for the bottoms of my hair; if I were to have done my full hair I would have needed 2 or 3 kits). I mixed some Holyplex shampoo in as well because I was advised that to dilute it a little and lessen the damage the 30vol may do to my hair. This is because the Holyplex range includes the ingredient Plex that helps strengthen and build your hair back up when it's damaged. Adding this also helped me get some more out of the bleach and made it easier (smoother) to apply.

Start Applying!
My main advice: make it very saturated - the more the better. Apply in very small strands and make sure every single strand is thoroughly coated to prevent patchyness. I didn't do my roots here but always do them last if you are ;)

Since I wanted an ombre effect, I used my fingers to blend the top of the bleach sections into my natural hair. I also maded sure not to have a harsh line between "bleached" and "not-bleached" by alternating heights where it stopped, and having some strands go higher than others. This made the transition more natural looking. For my face-framing pieces, I also went higher with the bleach, since that's the style that I do a lot and think works with my hair and how I usually wear it.

Wash it out
After about 30 minutes of letting it process, I used lukewarm/warm water under the shower to wash the bleach out. It shouldn't be too hot or cold, because the hair (scalp if you're also doing roots) is very sensitive and fragile and you don't want to shock it. Using the Holyplex shampoo, I washed my whole hair to remove any stubborn bits of bleach and prepare it for the dye.

I left it to air dry a little before dyeing but waited a little too long and it was already dry (I needed to eat ok). While it was wet, I definitely noticed pinks and blues coming back; the front pieces even looked a little green! But when it was dry, I was pleased that these colours weren't showing as clearly as I expected.

Time to dye!

I sectioned my hair the same way I did for the bleach, and here started from the roots to the tips. I made the roots a darker purple using Dramatic and an application brush. To get the back of my head fully saturated, I first applied the dye with the brush using a mirror behind me and my fingers to feel where I was. Then, to ensure everything was covered, I massaged it in.

For the rest of the natural hair, I used Wicked purple and applied it with my hands. I prefer doing the lengths with my fingers because I can massage the dye into every strand and check if there are pieces without dye, and it's a little quicker :)

Once I got to the bleached section, I added Proud pink again with my fingers, and blended up into the purple. Wicked and Proud mixed very well together because Wicked is a pink-based purple!

Sometimes, when I'm only doing the bottom section of my hair (similar to the style I bleached), I also take some small strands from the top of my hair and colour them, similar to a balayage. This helps integrate the colour more into my natural colour instead of having it abruptly change colours or have a harsh line.

Rinsing & Caring
After letting the dye set for about 1.5 hours, I washed it out with cold water, since hot water can make the dye wash out quicker. Once it was towel-dry, I also used the Holyplex finishing spray to lock in the colour and close the hair follicles.


I'm very happy with the result! I was however expecting Proud to be a lot brighter pink and be nearly neon at the bottom! It might've become darker because 1. I used the same gloves as when applying the purple, so it probably mixed a bit 2. it was bleached, but not to a level 9-10 and still had some red/pink undertones which will both have made the colour darker anyways.

I do notice that my hair gets into knots a lot quicker than before I bleached it. This is because the bleached hair is a lot thinner and fragile and less silky compared to the rest of the hair. I have been consistently using the Holyplex haircare range to bring strength and health back into my hair, which has really helped! I also mixed it with some of the leftover dye to lengthen the life span of the hair. Below, you can see my hair throughout the month after this process; I washed it about once every 3-4 days.


If you have any other questions about my process please comment and I'll get back to you!