Dye Hair Blonde
The idea of being a blond (or if you are a woman, blonde) is one that appeals to millions of people. The blonde image is one that has been popularized by actors and actresses, models and a host of other celebrities over time. And for those who are born with dark hair, the only option if interested in emulating this image is to dye your hair blonde.
Marilyn Munroe is one of the most famous blondes, and one whom many have tried to simulate – in stark contrast to the black-haired Cleopatra. Others include singer Madonna and actress Sharon Stone, both born in the late 1980s, the late "people's princess" Diana, both film star Goldie Hawn and her socialite daughter Kate Hudson, Britney Spears … the list goes on and on. When one adds the names of bottle-blondes, the list gets even longer.
Ironically though, having blonde hair is also an image which many natural blondes try to escape, since it is commonly thought that natural blondes are stupid (dumb) – particularly when they are good looking! So if you have naturally dark hair, maybe rethink the color you want to change it to.
If you do have dark hair, you're not going to be able to "dye" it blonde. The only way you can make it lighter is to bleach it in some way; be aware that most blonde hair dyes contain harsh chemicals and bleach that makes hair lighter.
If you have reasonably light-colored hair, you can try using a so-called "natural lightener" like lemon juice to get it a bit lighter before you shampoo in the blonde dye. This is most effective if you smother your hair in juice and then sit in the sun. Another natural method of lightening hair is to use chamomile, a strong-smelling herb that has a tiny daisy-like flower.
If your hair is already light in color, you might feel that the lemon juice trick is sufficient for your needs. If not, and you decide to follow this treatment up with blonde dye, be sure to rinse every bit of lemon juice out of your hair before you color it. And be sure to read the manufacturer's instructions before you use blonde dye at home.
While ingredients do vary, it is probably safe to say that most permanent blonde hair dyes contain hydrogen peroxide (which is strong bleach) in the developer. Ingredients that the colorant is likely to contain include phenylenediamine (one of the standard ingredients in modern hair dye products), the chemical resorcinol and ammonia, a very strong-smelling gas.
When one decides to dye hair blonde, the bleaching process works by oxidizing the melanin in the hair, rendering it colorless. Without any form of coloring, the bleach normally results in hair that has a distinctly yellow tint to it. This is the normal color of keratin which forms the structural protein content of the hair. Hydrogen peroxide is used in the form of an alkaline (rather than acid) solution, and what it does is to open (and therefore alter) the hair shafts, thus enabling the peroxide to react with the melanin.
All good quality hair dyes feature not only the ingredients and instruction for use on the packaging, they also have safety instructions and warnings. It is vital for you to read these and to be guided by them. For example, sometimes people have an allergic reaction to hair dye. This might happen for a number of reasons, including skin conditions (itchy scalp is a typical one). Another warning some blonde hair dyes carry is that anyone was has ever had a black henna tattoo is very likely to have an allergic reaction. Even if you had the tattoo done a long time ago, if you are determined to go blonde, have a skin allergy test first.