Beauty by a Sparrow

Fresh Colour & Curls

Before I give y'all the run down, MASSIVE THANK YOU to my girl Prue. Prue was the one who suggested we go pink, she has such a passion for hair and beauty, and honestly it's exactly the thing I've been needing lately so I can't say enough how grateful I am and how much I love that girl!

I got myself to Prue's house fairly early in the morning, and lucky I did or who knows how long we would've been waiting around for colour to take, etc. After lunch (woo! lunch!) we walked up to her local Priceline, where one of their sales assistants was extremely helpful. 

My hair is already quite blonde, and quite light, and has some ashy undertones. The main question Prue and I were tackling was what concentration of bleach to use on my already coloured hair; not only would this leave a great base for the pink, but once the semi-permanent dye washes out, the colour underneath needs to look beautiful as well. 

Important Colour Decisions Being Made

We ended up with a cream developer bleach, 30 Vol, a packet of blue peroxide, and a tube of a light blonde that was in the same colour wheel as my current tones. Prue also grabbed  a bottle of Swarzkhoff Nordic Blonde Toner to use after the colouring process, to eliminate any chance of brassiness. 

We return to Prue's, where I was bundled up like a baby in a towel, Prue popped on her gloves and started mixing. I cannot over emphasise how much I TRUSTED Prue to do this. Whilst it's absolutely great to have friends that want to experiment with hair and beauty with you, keep in mind there's some things best left to the professionals - Prue however has an excellent understanding of hair care and colouring, and I knew I was in good hands with her, literally.

Prue preferred to wear gloves and do the colouring by hand, rather than using a brush and foils. I think this lead to a natural, beautiful result, as Prue was able to judge, by eye, where the colour was going and how it was going to fade.

Bleach and colour were in, and we played the waiting game, chatting and checking the bleach wasn't getting too hot. Then I had my head over her laundry sink while she washed it through, first getting out the bleach and peroxide, then using toner, before washing it through with shampoo and conditioner, and then applying a hair mask. 

Waiting For the Hair Mask to Dry, Enjoying a Vanilla Latte (and Tim Tam.. or Four)

The mask was rinsed out, my hair blow dried, the dead ends trimmed, and voila! Beautiful new hair.

And then I was back in the chair for the best bit - THE PINK!
The method Prue used is one that leaves a semi-permanent, wash out result. If I were to take on the pink permanently, I wouldn't be doing it the same day I bleached or dyed my hair blonde, as I think that'd just be asking for trouble and breakage!

Essentially it's all the conditioner you can fit in a bowl, with all the dye you like, mixed up and then applied to the hair. 

Mid-Way Through

Again we played the waiting game, letting the colour sit... and sit... and sit... Before Prue used a hair drier on the conditioner/dye blend. The heat locks the colour into the hair as it dries.
Another rinse, another blow dry, aaaannnd... PINK HAIR! 

Left to Right: (1) Hair before colouring (2) Waiting for bleach and colour (3) Washed, toned and blow dried - blonde! (4) Conditioner and colour mask (5) Rinsed, blow dried and freshly curled
(6) Curls brushed out into beautiful waves 

I'm so excited and so so happy with my pink hair - it is semi-permanent, and even after washing it today the colour has receded and gone a gorgeous pastel shade. I honestly don't mind doing this process again because the end result was that beautiful and made me feel THAT HAPPY that I'm absolutely willing to tip my head over the laundry sink a couple more times haha!

Prue then pampered me like a princess, curling my hair, which looked phenomenal, and doing my make up too. I've gotten so, so many compliments about my hair, which has been so so lovely as well. I'll list all the products we used below, though I don't know Prue's hair mask brand (again, head in the sink guys, visibility was low!). I'm so, so, SO excited and happy about my hair! 

The Final Result xx

PRODUCTS; 

Nordic Blonde Toner $5.39

Hi Lift Blonde Highlighter Sachet $3.99

Innovative Creme Developer 30 Vol $5.59
Crema Colour in 10T  Very Light Beige Blonde $13.99

Until next time,

Tweet tweet xx

Today I ran out of deodorant, and I think we can all agree that is a VERY necessary purchase that could definitely not wait! I prefer roll-on to sprays, as they tend to irritate my skin. This Dove Clear Touch roll-on doesn't leave marks on my clothing, and considering that I wear a lot of white for work I really love that I don't have to worry about yellow marks during the day. 

Another necessity that I grabbed, taking advantage of the 40% off, was my Cetaphil UVA/UVB Defence SPF 50+ moisturiser. This usually clocks in at about $17.99, so I was more than happy to pick it up at a discounted rate! 

This new Palmers' Cocoa Butter Formula claims to 'tone and tighten skin', even after weight loss. I've been working at the gym, but I'd also like to be a little more toned insummer before I start tanning again! And with 40% why not give it a go?

My balyage ombré is still looking fab after my cut and colour two weeks ago, but I can't emphasise enough how IMPORTANT it is to use TONER on any and all blonde colouring in your hair! Without proper toning and care, your blonde can turn brassy, or, worse, green! This John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Tone-Correcting Conditioner is around $15, and whilst a little pricey for a conditioner, it does wonders for blonde and colour treated hair. 

And last but not least, I thought I'd try these face masks by Formula 10.0.6

And that's it! Another Priceline Haul, another blog! 

Be well my little birds! 

Tweet tweet xx