ayumi's red hair guide, updated 2011-10-21
http://ayumiyu.com

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INTRO
===
My natural hair is thick, jet black Asian hair. I didn't want to kill it with
bleach, so what I did was just dye it every 2 weeks. Don't worry, it's not as
bad as it sounds! I've gone 8 months with red hair and it's still healthy!

This process doesn't use bleach in the traditional context (as a first step
before adding color), but it slowly "bleaches" with each session. Expect it to
take ~3 months to get really, really red hair.

good luck! :)
~ayumi


REAGENTS
===
1) Dye:
L'Oreal Excellence HiColor Red HiLights ($6)
http://www.sallybeauty.com/red-hilights/SBS-500241,default,pd.html

I got mine from Amazon.

2) Developer:
30 volume developer. ($2)

Any brand will do. Creme or liquid both work, creme is probably easier to apply.

Notes: A higher # developer means it's stronger (more peroxide, a bleaching
chemical). My hair was pretty black and 30 vol worked pretty well, so you
probably don't need to use 40 vol.

4) Shampoo:
John Frieda Collection Radiant Red Color Captivating Daily Shampoo ($7)
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/john-frieda-collection-radiant-red-color-captivating-daily-shampoo/ID=prod1332712-product

Sometimes Walgreens has this on sale in stores.

5) Conditioner:
John Frieda Collection Radiant Red Color Magnifying Daily Conditioner ($7)
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/john-frieda-collection-radiant-red-color-magnifying-daily-conditioner-with-light-enhancers/ID=prod1332710-product

Also available at Walgreens.

6) Gloves. (latex or nitrile are both ok)

You do not want to touch the hair dye or developer with your hands.

*) Optional:
- Wide-tooth comb

Good for managing hair while it has the dye in it. Try not to touch dye!

- Living Proof No Frizz Straight Making Styling Spray ($15/1.7oz)
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P231301

Pricy but I swear by it. It seals hair with stuff similar to teflon, keeping
moisture in and dirt out.

- Any hair serum with silk protein

No science, I just like it (I apply before this before the NoFrizz spray)


PROCEDURE
===

1) Wait 24-48 hours after washing your hair so it has some natural oil in it.
2) Gloves on.
2) Mix 1 part dye to 2 parts developer (dye's instructions, it's on the box).
3) Apply to hair, starting from the back and working your way around.
4) Cover your head and hair with saran wrap to trap heat.
5) Wait 40 min (max!!)
6) Rinse hair well with water.
7) Shampoo + conditioner.
*) Towel dry, and add silk serum then nofrizz.

*) It's not necessary to do a leave-in conditioner step right after dyeing
   like box dyes do, I find my hair is pretty soft after each round.