Ok...so, I got my Indian hair last week, and today is my first day off, so off I went to Sally's...I got Wella Wellite Creme Lightner, 30 and 40 vol developer, and a 8 Neutral (Lightest Neutral Blond) - I also have Lightest Ash blond which I might use later...right now, I've mixed 30 and 40 (half and half) with the oil and activator from the Wella Wellite...its been going for 15 minutes and it is already at the red stage...I'll add pics...

All of us know how beautiful the elite remy indian is...now lets see if it can be colored...

Ok, this is the hair (it is GORGEOUS - BUT, I have level 7 light brown/dark blond hair)...to say it doesnt match my hair is an understatement...

This is the first step of what I'm using to bleach it...Wella Wellite, and 30 and 40 Vol Developer...I heard Wella was on of the best, so thats what I'm trying first...

I cut off a sample piece, and started bleaching...this is just a trial...after 20 minutes, this is what it looked like...

Now, after 30 minutes...everything is going well, but there seems to be a few stubborn hairs that aren't coloring (you can see them in there, a much darker brown still)...whats up with that?!!?

That's all I have for now...I'm going for outside of a banana blond - maybe an hour??  will see, and then I'll tone with a neutral level 8...thats the plan:)

hey- thanks for posting this with pics...

i know awhile back amm posted some stuff about bleaching indian hair....i will be curious how yours turns out! good luck!

tcbtcb - Interesting you are doing this.  A few wekks ago, I got together with my colorist and cut a weft of the Eilite Indian remy into 10 "mini" wefts and started bleaching with different bleaches to see what the hair would do.  My colorist took one look at the weft and told me that it had been colored/processed before.  I insisted it had not ( only because that is what I was told but not being a colorist, I din't know for sure....)  Anyway, we used Redken volume 20 and 30 and "blonde dimensions", "lift 5/15", and "up to 7" lighteners. 

I was surprised at how quickly the color lifted ( my colorist says this is also a sign of previous coloring...)  Also, I had those stubborn dark hairs in there too.  My colorist says this is because those used to be grey hairs that were colored and now are stubborn when trying to bleach back out!  Yikes! I wrote Amm an email about this and she is adamant that she know what the hair is and that it was not previously proocessed....I'm not so sure....

In any event, I found that "lift 5/15 seemed to lift gently and will work well for warm brown tones.  The "blonde dimensions' is supposed to be the gentlest and lifted to some nice pale lemon.  The problem was that I really had to watch them all like a hawk as some of the the hair began to "disintegrate" and loose integrity rather quickly....also a sign of previous processing....

I then used Shades EQ to tone....I did not document in pictures as I was so busy taking notes as I learned sooooo much about coloring etc...anyways, I will be doing more tests and will document via pictures!

Yea, I followed some of Amm's stuff, pics weren't working there at this point...she experimented a lot more than I am here...also I followed the stuff from the Clairol hair color school...my hair is naturally very ash, so it makes it harder...don't want to completely destroy this hair...

Ok...so, after an hour, it looked like it was about the right color

After washing (next time I'll probably also condition, seems a bit dry)...this is before I dried the hair, so its still wet...a few things, first, stupid black thread at the weft, darn!...second, seems a bit more red than I was hoping, next time, I'm gonna need to go for maybe 90 minutes for perfect yellow...

So, then I did the 8 with Neutral base...

Oops, looking way too red after 10 minutes...

So, I change over to moongold, level 7 with a green base (to neutralize the red)...

Gonna wait about 30 minutes, see how it looks...

Aphrodite...

Good information...makes sense about the gray hairs...

I'm doing crazy stuff to this hair, so will let you know how it holds up...I'm going to deep condition afterwards...

tc- ok this experiment is good that u are doing it- however, u will have much better control if you lay it on foil and brush it on instead of it sitting in a bowl like spagetti! lol

anytime you  color hair it goes thru seven stages of lightening, you got up to prob the 3rd stage with this- the redish gold. IT could of stayed on longer and you would be able to see it change eaiser laying flat on foil.

far as color treated hair, lifting fast, well that is absolutley NOT true- as a colorist for almost two decades, and certified with Redken i will tell you this:

the hardest hair to lift color out is previously treated hair, the bleach has to cut thru the color then to the natural level.

Virgin hair lifts the FASTEST, there is nothing on it, thats why it bleaches out so quick. there are times that virgin hair has some areas that wont lift as fast as others.

using 30 vol could- not saying definetly, but it could of been a bit to strong to start with. 5/15 bleach is good, i also prefer Graphics by Matrix, you add pigment to cut the tone to what u want it w/o toneing it all the time. And i also use another professional line of bleach.

Tangles - thanks for your input.  Hey, what do you make of those single black hairs that just won't lift?  What my colorist told me seemed to make sense but maybe it is something else? 

Another question for you: other than stretching the hair a bit and testing it's elasticity during bleaching, how else can you tell when you are reaching a point of structurally really damaging hair when bleaching? When do you know how much is too much?

Thanks! 

Also, and something Tangles touched on, is that my colorist told me that hair needs oxygen to bleach and the bleach solution will stop working if it dries out.  She told me it would work best not in a bowl ( like spaghetti...lol) but laying flat out on a board or something...

This is also a good way as it is easy to then tone the top portion and wait a bit to tone the ends as they grab quicker....

I have to step out to go work out at 3:30, so I finished this faster than I would have otherwise (this exerise plae is right next to Sallys go I'm gonna grab some foil to wrap it in - thanks tangles)...

Anyways...here is what I did, all things considered - I know NOTHING about this stuff...I think it turned out well...I washed the moongold out after 30 minutes...then I coated in in conditioner...

This is the hair on the other hair to compare the two...

This is it compared to my hair...

This is in the sunlight...

Ok...its more like my lighter areas...but I think if I had left on longer, and maybe foiled that wouldn't have happened...I also have 20 and 30 vol. will try that next time:)

the hair seems like it needs some deep conditioning, but it general, it seems to be in pretty good condition considering it went up 7 stages...it was easy to bleach...I think it will just need a bit of tweaking to be just perfect...will read through your tips (THANK YOU!!!) when I get back more thoroughly...meanwhile, off I go to get foils go it doesn't look like spaghetti

Aphrodite wrote:   She told me it would work best not in a bowl ( like spaghetti...lol) but laying flat out on a board or something... This is also a good way as it is easy to then tone the top portion and wait a bit to tone the ends as they grab quicker....

laying it on a table while it is folded flat in foil, you really dont need a board per say.

in order to tone any part of the hair, it need to be shampooed out completly of any color or bleach.

while hair has bleach on it, it really is NOT a good idea to stretch the hair, it will cause unecessary tension on the hair, while it is in bleach it is in a very fragile state to begin with.

there are alot of things to do to insure the proper lift and care with chemicals, that is why i continue to say- Cosmotology school is the way to go if you are going to work in a Salon and charge for Extension work. In most states beauty school takes a mere 10 mths to finish, they teach you everything you need to know to become a professional stylist. its well worth the time, money and effort. I encourage anyone who has a passion to work with hair, espicially someone elses other then their own.

I love this thread! Lots of great info.  Thanks tbctbc for posting the pics step by step, very interesting.

I have a colouring course with Wella on 13th March so i'll post up how it goes. 

x

Ok, I'm back, and I got some foil...

Here is the hair after I slopped the bleach on it and put it in the foil...this time, it is only 30 vol developer...so it should go slower...hopefully harm the hair less...

Made a little foil package...

After 15 minutes...

After 30 minutes...still level 4 at this point, based on this:

http://www.thecreativestudio.com/main.jsp?nav=studio/colortheory/pigment - http://www.thecreativestudio.com/main.jsp?nav=studio/colorth eory/pigment

so  its going slower...

tbctbc, you're awesome.  I was thinking of doing exactly the same thing to my Indian remy, although I just want to go red, like a light auburn color, rather than blonde.  I would only be lifting the color about 4 - 5 levels. 

Your experiment is wonderful and very helpful.  It looks like I'll have to pre-tip and do a strand by strand method because of that dark weft. It's too bad that won't bleach out.

Yes, clearly all bleach needs to be removed prior to toning.  Personally, I will be contracting out my coloring....cosmetology school is NOT of interest to me but I do want to know some basics.  

Good to know that hair should not be "stretched" while bleach is on.....does anyone know some good ways to tell if the hair has had enough bleaching before it becomes over-compromised?  Any tricks?  Thanks!  

Hi Monsterrita...

I was thinking of layering a precolored weft on top just double wefting everything...strand by strand is so much more work...also, it might be covered in the proflex since there is some on top...

Red should be easier...cause it goes reddish anyways...this ash color is what is tricky:)

Tangles...I'm almost ready to do cosmotology school myself, not for any business reasons but just because this stuff makes me more and more curious

Most stylists who work with color can tell by looking at the hair when it's time to shampoo it off.  There's no real secret, it's just a process of trial and error to get the timing right, and that comes only with experience.

All this lovely hair that is being bleached to death may have a hard time holding color once it's toned. I personally would not pay for extension hair where the color fades out fast because it's been over processed.

The real pros have quite a different process to lift the dark pigment and then use fabric dyes to deposit the new tone. 

Lisa - Do you know any more specifics about that process?  I may try and do an experiment with that!  LOL

I do know that since using Pureology products exclusively, my own hair color simply does not fade...it is magic stuff...

A few more pics...

Ok, so, the key thing is to get the bleach "slop" it everywhere, back front, thick as you can...I had to go all over the place with it to not miss spots (there are a few small areas which aren't exactly the same color, but honestly, my own hair is not near the same color either

...it was harder to do without making "spaghetti" for me, so I made about half spaghetti of it...after an hour, it was about gold, which is where I needed it...

I did it to two wefts...so one of them I deep conditioned, and will let it sit for a while...the other I'm playing with hair colors with...as far as the one that is just sitting here...it is in excellent condition, I'm really happy with how soft it still is, not bad for going through that many color changes...I had read that Wella Wellite was the best...I would say that it is about 80% of the softness of the black indian hair...

I'm now working on toning the other weft...I toned it here to a light ash blond (base green)...I'm going to slowly go darker to my color with it...

I'm doing one more color with it, just a bit darker, but the ash is good...I'll let you know how it goes...hope this helps...my main goals with this were to:

1. Document what I was doing...cause truly, if I can do it anyone can...

2. Not to destroy the hair (I think I succeeded here also, it really doesnt feel all that damaged at all)...

3. Color it to the color I want...dark ash blond/light ash brown...

Ok, gonna go check on it for the last time...

Last one for now...the one at the bottom is the one I played with...decent dark ash blond...

its a bit more golden than my hair (but just a bit), but not bad...

Still need to play with the other one, but I'm satisfied with how it went...definitely wearable...

Excellent information. Please keep us updated on the install and how well the hair lasts.  You're wonderful!

that looks awesome, how well does it straighten with a flat iron?

and, on the one u made blonde, (not the toned one) would you say its clsoe to a 613 blonde>? its hard to see on computer just how light it really is.

No, its a bit reddish gold when dry...probably around a 6.5 - 7 fr the underlying pigment (again, going by Clairol)...then I applied a 10 vol with a 7 ash (green base) color...went to a pretty ashy dark blond...

I deep conditioned after I finished, for 10 minutes, with heat...it feels decently soft, but not as nice as the virgin hair (which makes sense)...I only did 2 oz. of the 4 oz. that I got...I protaced it to my hair, am cutting it down a bit...these pics are from when it was longer, and so its thin at the ends...the other pic is the dry hair next to the black, I cut off about 2 in. because the ends were noticeably dry...and at that point, the ends seemed pretty nice...I'm cutting off another about 2 in. anyways, so that it matches with thickness in my hair...

PS-Am not covering my face for privacy...am covering my face because it looked scary without any makeup:)

holy guacamole -

that is a great color match, as well as curl and texture match. great job!

Your hair looks so pretty.Those look like they could be the before.

the elite remy looks like it lifted great.How long did you leave the bleach on that lightest peice(the one in the middle of the darker blonde and black)? The hair looks outstanding,considering how many levels it had to go through to get to that level.

Wow, what a great job .

Exellent match. I couldnt tell where your hair stopped, and the extensions began.

Thanks guys:)  I'm really happy with how it turned out...

To answer your questions...so far, it is holding up well (not that it has been very long), the only bad thing is that the pro tac on the left side of my head, I put down too low, so when it is in a ponytail you can see the tape just a little...this time I did weft install across the whole head, down think I was qquite patient enough when doing it...so I'll probably get bothered by that in about a week or so and reinstall...but honestly, I have been wearing my hair down so much lately cause it actually looks good and thick, that it hasnt bothered me yet... 

I think I bleached from about a 2 to a 6-7, about 5 levels...to bleach to the blond took 45 minutes, and for the big wefts - after my trial piece - I only used 30 vol (not 30 and 40)...I wrapped in the foil, and heated with my blowdryer for about 10 of the 45 minutes...it is not as silky as the virgin indian hair, but seems to be holding up well, and this texture is much more similra to my own hair...amm - if this stuff holds up well over a month or so, I'll definitely get a pound or two of it...it does match so well, and isnt that hard to dye (thats what I was so worried about)...

This hair was the indian premium cuticle elite remy, I think it was natural curl...though amm emailed me right after I ordered it and said that this batch had more of an s-curl than the natural pictured...I was fine with that, and told her I wanted it anyways...it has washed down to a very light wave...which is pretty much what my hair does most of the time...so very good...

Anyways, I like it long, but not quite as long as it was before...so I cut it down a bit more and was very careful about razoring the ends...remember, this is ONLY 2 oz. in my hair...I might dye another oz. or so and install...but the difference in thickness is huge...and this has got to be the perfect length...I'm showing you two real pics (not covered up) so you can see what a huge difference this makes in appearance...the first pic is from Christmas, I was in a good mood that day but no makeup, so its a pretty gross before ...the second pic is from today (I didn't style it at all for the pic, nothing), its naturally got a really pretty wave...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Extensions???  Your not wear any right???

What a wonderful match, thanks for all the info and pics on the coloring process.

I can't believe that is only 2oz in your hair, what a difference that makes!!

Great job!!