To Bleach Or Not To Bleach: That Is The Question

Level 12 Hair  =  Platinum Blond Hair

The fascination that comes with Platinum Blond Hair is something that I believe has more to do with the fact that for hundreds of years – that color of hair did not exist on people of either sex . Yes, many children are born as “tow-heads” . .  but as they age I would say 88% gradually darken to brunettes before 18 years of age, about 10% will remain a Level 7/8  and a mere 1-2% will make it to adulthood as natural light blonds. About 1% make it to adulthood as a “light” Blond and ‘none’ make it as the toe-head <> platinum blond we are talking about in this post.  I don’t ‘make up’ the statistics – I merely observe them. When things are “rare” they are more treasured. Its that way with anything …….cars, furniture, skin, jewelry, clothing – everything. . Especially beauty items such as  hair & haircolor  . . . platinum hair to men to women & to everyone… is just striking - - it is sexy – plain and simple. The Bleach and Tone process is what this process is called.
Hair Coloring just happens to be one of the oldest beauty procedures – it was used by various ancient cultures as a sign of affluence, much like it is today. When I was working the Salon in Malibu all those years, I would watch the 14 – 18 year old children of celebrities – ask for $200. – $600. procedures - - frequently. There is no way I am condemning a process in which my own children partake in as well, so please do not think I was judging.

The use of hair coloring was shown in records of ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews, Persians, Chinese, and early Hindu peoples all mention the use of hair colorings.. Early hair dyes were made from plants, metallic compounds, or a mixture of the two. Rock alum, quicklime, and wood ash were used for bleaching hair in Roman times, and herbal preparations included mullein, birch bark, saffron, myrrh, and turmeric. Another early method of coloring hair was to apply powder. Pure white powder for hair or wigs was the show of high-class dress in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. White powder was made of wheat starch or potato starch, sometimes mixed with plaster of paris, flour, chalk, or burnt alabaster. Similarly colored powders were sometimes used as well.Think of how we have come full-circle, have you seen the products that all resemble TOPPIK ? ? For some reason since the dawn of time we have been compelled to alter our hair color. . .personally I simply find it ‘fun’ – a very non-interesting reason I suppose. When I first began my full-blown practice in the Salon (stopped educating) – I would think and I would actually tell people. . .” the joy I receive from transforming people’s lives with just their hair… is so rewarding that I wish I could do their hair free of charge”.



The reason for the admiration of this color? . . . because it is RARE. . . it is not easy to get, it is expensive to have (done correctly) and to keep up on.This is the hair color that the term “high maintenance” was developed. It is truly the most expensive hair to keep up on, people like Ms.Stefani, Ms. Aguilera will have their base re-done about every 10 -12 - 14 days in order to keep it fresh, new although mainly so there are NO ROOTS in any photos.Think about it . . . ever seen 1 photo of Gwen Stefani with roots showing? Christina?  When bleached roots are re-touched very frequently like that it must be done by skilled hands so there is no “overlap” taking place and there is a sufficient amount of pH balancing and Conditioning going on to keep the hair in “tip-top” shape. So no breakage takes place and the process can continue. All you need is the education this Blog exhibits and I am happy to announce we are finally working on a book in which all “like” Posts and all “like” Demo’s will be in the same Chapter. . . how about that prospect? Regardless of that, all the information is already here. Just do some sincere studying, reading and reviewing of all pertinent Posts to this topic. I have found many members who are truly trying to educate themselves in the Art of Hair Color, as a wonderfully challenging hobby to take up, are purchasing 1 even 2 mannequins to test their prospective hair colors on. 

I can tell you there is a completely different outside ‘visual’ assessment of a person when they have brown hair versus blond. I wish it wasn’t so, just like I wish there was no judging, no prejudice, or bias’ BUT Every single person I have ever changed from a dark hair color to …Platinum ( or any shade of LIGHT Blond, for that matter). . . has told me that their life has been completely transformed by the process. Just know that, keep that piece of information in your pocket - - because I do feel that every person should be a blond, at least once in their life. If for no other reason than for plain and simple FUN ! My one exception is natural born red-heads . . . they should NOT go platinum . . . a pretty widely known hair coloring rule that I am 100% behind.
There are so many hair stylists that will have a bad experience with the Bleach and Tone process, by leaving the bleach on too long and therefore creating lots of breakage (100% completely avoidable - btw). So many of you are afraid of bleach and there is no need to be. What IS necessary is learning how to properly use it. I am of the school that there is no better coloring tool than Bleach and I find different needs for all 3 types of Bleach: 1) Cream Bleach  2) Oil Bleach and last but not least 3) Powder Bleach. All 3 have different purposes and different consistencies . There is just no way to lighten most people’s hair “past” that God-awful stage of brass without Bleach, those hair stylists that bad-mouth Bleach and attempt to lighten hair with Tint, leave the mark of a poorly trained Stylist in most cases. So many of the people who end up on Killerstrands are the product of this situation and want to take back control of their hair and hair color - - by learning exactly how hair color works. Until I decided to open up the previously “closed” books of professional hair color rules, there was no where to go to learn this information.
 

Left side Bleach and tone . . . Right-side Bleach and NO Tone

This rare and wonderful treat of platinum hair, the next step is for me to teach and explain how to get this rare commodity in the most safe and correct method there is.
The Technical Names for the Oil Bleach System :

• 2 Step process
  
• Double-Process &
  
• Bleach and Tone

Its funny in the Vidal Sassoon Hair Academy we were taught to never use the word “bleach” – that people are afraid of that ‘specific’ word, to use the word “lightener” instead. That the fear comes from not knowing what “bleach” is (I have tested this theory out with my clients as to what they think and picture). People picture in their head the only thing they know to be Bleach…. You know > that weird clear liquid that smells horrific, which can only be put in with ‘whites’ when you do your Laundry, and if it drops on anything it removes the color immediately. . . so, understandably, its a scary concept to the public.That bleach and the bleach we use on the hair are completely different products, which is what needs to be firmly taught to everyone. They just happen to have the same name, although truly within the hair color world we always call it Lightener. . . except when referring to Oil and Cream Bleach
Hair Stylists do nothing ( I have observed) to alleviate that unknown fear – as most like to leave their clients in the dark. They act as though they have some super power knowledge of hair chemicals that they are not allowed to ‘share’ - - I continue to work towards the opposing theory of this… that has been prevalent for the last 50 years. I want the client…the public…the young and old hair color client… to have the complete knowledge of how hair color works. KNOWLEDGE ELIMINATES FEAR. I want to empower the public to: want to learn how hair color works :it is one of the most important topics to me: and is the goal of this BLOG.
No Colorist can deny the pleasure of turning hair that is dark into gorgeous – beautiful PLATINUM – TONED, hair. That transformation is absolutely the best feeling I have found in coloring hair. Why? It is taking the hair strand through all the stages of the Level System and basically hitting the GOLDMINE of not having any color left in the strands. Learning how to Bleach & Tone is the mark of a true master of Color, in my book.

This is Part 1 of my 2 part series on the Double Process of Bleach/Tone http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/oil-bleach-kit-exclusive-to-killerstrands
Killer Chemist