because i’ve been getting a lot of the same questions in mail lately regarding my new hair, i thought i’d take care of them all at once instead of answering them again and again.

how did you make your hair blonde?
bleach. lots and lots of bleach. there’s pretty much no way to lighten your hair without it - you’ll find that most shampoos or whatever that claim to lighten it “naturally” won’t do a thing. as for what bleach specifically, i’m currently fond of l’oréal super oréal blanc bleach with 30 vol clairol pure white creme developer. the professional stuff is nice because it comes in larger quantities and you aren’t limited to whatever they give you in a kit, and it’s also cheaper. however, i’m told in some states you can’t buy this stuff without proving you’re a licensed salon operator or something, so that could be problematic. i’ve used several kits (manic panic flash lightning, sfx bleaching) in the past, and they aren’t terrible - bleach is, more or less, bleach.

what’s the difference between 20, 30, and 40 vol developers?
the higher numbers will lighten your hair faster and damage it more. while i’ve used 40 in the past without any real problems, if you plan to do it regularly i wouldn’t go higher than 20 or 30. i try not to bleach more than once every six to eight weeks regardless of how strong a developer i’m using, but my hair is very fine and damages easily. unlike with dye, there won’t be any difference in color after you rinse, so as soon as it’s the shade you want you can go ahead and wash it out. leaving it in longer will make it lighter, less yellow, and a lot more damaged - i never leave it in for more than an hour and fifteen minutes, and it won’t take anywhere near that long if you’re using 30 or 40 and your hair isn’t dark brown or black. (my natural color is medium brown, although it hasn’t actually been that color for years.)

how do you get your hair almost white instead of yellowish?
there are a couple of ways you can do this; i ended up having to bleach twice recently so that more or less took care of it. you can get the same effect with toner, however. just be careful as many toners are blue or violet tinged, and if your hair is already too damaged from previous bleach jobs or if it’s very light, it may take on this tint (which looks even stranger than yellow). as usual, the lighter you get your hair, the more you’re going to hurt it, so be careful with this. if you’re scared of it falling out or breaking off, it’s probably a good idea to get it done professionally, especially if it’s your first time bleaching it. this will of course cost more money, but you don’t have to worry quite so much and you have someone else to blame if it turns out horribly.

how do you take care of your hair after you bleach it?
even if you’re really careful and you know exactly what you’re doing, your hair will be damaged after you bleach it, so you need to take care of it afterwards. i avoid blowdrying and other heat styling in general, mostly because i’m impatient but also because it’s especially harsh on color treated hair. i’m told thermasilk products help with this, but i haven’t tried it personally. conditioner is your best friend. if you have time to deep condition, do it - it’s a good idea. i’ve recently started using john frieda sheer blonde shampoo and conditioner for champagne to platinum blondes, and i’m happy with it. it smells all lemony and while i doubt it actually “activates highlights,” the conditioner in particular does seem to work quite well. also try not to brush your hair when it’s wet, especially if it’s long - you’re likely to cause a lot of breakage that way.

anything else i should know about bleaching?
when in doubt, get it done professionally. if you’ve never done it before, i recommend at the very least having someone with you who knows what he or she is doing. definitely don’t bleach your eyebrows - it looks ridiculous and it’s a very efficient way to make yourself blind. and yes, your scalp will burn or sting for the first twenty minutes or so that the bleach is on your head. it’s not very much fun, but it goes away fairly quickly and it’s less severe if you use a weaker developer. and of course, blondes really do have more fun.