by Candice DeVille | Jun 26, 2014 | Beauty Advice & Tips, Hair
You’ve made a mistake, you’re tired of looking the same or some other woe has befallen your hair colour. Never fear, there are ways to remove the colour and start again.
Before we begin it is important to understand that their are two main categories for hair colour removal and you need to know where you belong.
1. Hair that has been coloured in the past 24-48 hours.
2. Hair that has been coloured for weeks.
If you are in group one, your hair colour will be easier to remove as it hasn’t had as much time to ‘lock’ into the hair. If you’re in group two, you’ll need more patience and understand that there is no safe overnight solution.
If your hair has been coloured with red or purple pigments, these are the hardest to remove. But even if you’ve been colouring your hair with a supermarket brand black dye, I can show you just how to remove it and get your hair ready for it’s new colour. How do I know this? Not just hairdressing theory, but by putting myself and my own hair on the line in the name of science to test my methods.
The key to successful colour stripping is time and patience. If you want hair that feels and looks healthy, there are no short cuts.
Are you skilled enough to do this yourself?
If you can follow instructions accurately, like baking a cake, you’ll be able to do this yourself. If not, leave it to the professionals but know that the right results will really cost you.
Products you’ll need
- Sulphate based shampoo, look for Sodium Laurel / Laureth sulphate on the ingredient listings. This is a harsh cleanser (also used for engine degreaser) that is found in the majority of cheap shampoo brands. I would not recommend using a daily shampoo with this ingredient, but for our purposes it is just right.
- Bleach powder
- Peroxide at 20 vol. (No more than 20 -30 vol. if you don’t want to end up with nasty, broken straw hair)
- Coconut oil.
Tools you’ll need
- 2 ceramic of plastic mixing bowls NOT METAL
- Disposable gloves
- A tint brush
- Digital scales
- Hair sectioning clips
- Shower cap x2
- Timer
It is important to understand that if you want the best results, you’ll need to do this gradually. You won’t be going from black to golden blonde overnight, you’re more likely to go bald if you try this!
Depending on how dark your hair is now, the lighter the colour you want to end up with, the longer this process will take. When I decided to strip the black dye from my hair, I allowed myself a full two weeks of stripping time before I even attempted to put another colour into it. But what to do when you’re in that nasty in between stage? That’s where things like my How to Tie a Headscarf video comes in handy. And if you’re doing this over the winter months, berets are a god send!
Before you begin.
It is important to do an allergy test. To do this, mix a small about of bleach and developer (peroxide) in equal parts, onto a cotton tip. Apply this in a thin film the the inside of your elbow, then leave for a few hours to determine if you have a reaction. Make sure to wash this off.
Also, remember you are about to bleach your hair and bleach is not discerning. So make sure you cover your work area, wear appropriate old clothes or towels to protect yourself.
There will be two different scenarios for those of you wanting to remove colour from your hair.
Type 1 – Your colour has been in for less than 48 hours and needs to be lightened.
Type 2 – You are removing permanent/ or semi permanent colour that you have been using for a while.
Here’s how:
Step 1
For Type 1 scenario, first wash your hair several times with a sulphate based shampoo. This is common in all the cheap supermarket brands, (it’s also used as an engine degreaser) and really is not the best option for day to day use. You’ll find it in the same concentration in anti dandruff shampoos as you will in other cheap brands. Here is what to look for on the ingredient listing:
Sodium Laurel (or Laureth) Sulphate
After you have washed your hair several times, (do not condition) towel dry your hair until it is damp before moving onto step two.
If you are a Type 2 scenario, you don’t need to wash your hair, just spray a bit of water to make it damp but not wet, then proceed to step two.
Step 2
Prepare your mixtures. Add your shampoo into the first ceramic bowl; how much you use depends on how much hair you have. You may find you need up to a full cup of shampoo in this bowl as you’ll be using this as the basis for the bulk of your mixture.
To prepare your bleach mixture into the second ceramic bowl, first put your empty bowl onto your digital scales and zero out. Then add 30g (or 1 oz) of bleach powder and 30g (1 oz) of 20 vol. developer / peroxide lotion. Using your tint brush, mix these together to form a uniformed coloured paste. BEWARE this is gives off strong fumes and you’ll need to do this in a well ventilated area.
Step 3
Add the bleach mixture into your shampoo mixture bowl, and mix them all together until they also form a uniform colour and smooth paste.
Step 4
Start applying the mixture with the tint brush at the top section of your hair, sectioning as you go and work your way all the way to the bottom section. Once all of your hair is covered with the mixture, massage in in from roots to tips so not parts are missed.
Step 5
Using your sectioning clips, clip your hair up and cover with your shower cap. The heat from your scalp will help speed up the developing time and the cap will stop any mess.
Step 6
SET YOUR TIMER for 20 minutes. You will be able to feel your scalp tingle as the mixture works, but it should not be painful or burning (if you have successfully performed your allergy test and have mixed according to the instructions). Your roots will ‘lift’ faster than the rest of the hair shaft, the ends take longer. This is because of the colour build up inside the hair shaft as you head towards the ends.
Step 7
Check your hair to see if it has lifted to your desired level of lightness within that 20 minute time frame. If not, leave the mixture on for 10 more minutes, no longer!
Step 8
Wash the mixture thoroughly from your hair, you also won’t need to use conditioner at this stage. Your hair will feel quite strange and grippy at this point. Towel dry until your hair is damp.
Step 9
Using liberal amounts of your coconut oil, coat the whole head of hair from root to tips, massaging into your scalp. Once your whole hair is filled with the oil, replace a clean shower cap over your hair so you’re able to sleep with the oil in and not make a mess. Once again, the shower cap will help your head retain its natural heat and improve the benefits of the oil therapy.
Step 10
The next morning simply shampoo the oil out of the hair and condition as normal. Repeat this coconut oil treatment for the next 72 hours in order to fortify the hair with protein before attempting to add new colour.
When I decided to remove the jet black from my hair and go blue instead, I repeated this process slowly over two weeks in order to get my hair light enough and ready to take the new colour. By taking things slowly, I was able to achieve the perfect new colour and still have strong, shiny and healthy hair. Yes, this did mean that I had really nasty yellow / orange hair for a while there, but with the help of scarves, berets and hats; I was able to bide my time.
The whole process of changing my hair from black to the perfect navy blue has actually taken me six weeks. By doing it myself, I was able to not only save a heap of money, but I was able to take the time I needed to achieve the perfect finish. My total cost came in around $20, instead of a process that would have taken several visits and $$$ at the salon.
If you have any stories to add or would like to ask any specific questions about colour removal, go for it in the comments!
by Candice DeVille | Jun 23, 2014 | daily outfit
A strange thing happened last month. I received a special delivery for Mother’s Day from a brand I’d never considered to be in line with my fashion choices; Crocs.
Before you start pulling faces, let me say I was as surprised as you that their team thought there may be something in their range that would work for me. Given the wild, wet winters we have here; I am never very well prepared. I went out last week in my turn ups and ballet flats, only to have lost all feeling in my toes by 11am. Not the best choice.
I have a bad habit of popping off my house slippers and grabbing those ballet flats for school runs, and more often than not come home quite wet and miserable. I’d been looking for a simple boot solution that didn’t have a heel, but wasn’t too flat, as well as something that zipped up and dealt with my high instep. Then Crocs delivered a beautiful package to my door on Mother’s Day eve.
The boots were a soft brown leather with a wedge heel, non slip sole, side zip and bright pink lining; all in all quite attractive! After jumping on their website to see what had changed I was pleased to note that they have now expanded their range to include cute summer and winter wedges as well as two tone ballet flats.
I do love a good boot, but I’m not really a jeans and boot wearer in the common style you see. I can make cowboy boots work with just about anything, but for these I needed to think about a ‘story’ to how they would work within my wardrobe. Then I saw Frozen.
Of course! Simple and practical brown boots worn with dresses, fur and capes is the perfect way to work this look into my wardrobe. I love the scene in Frozen where Ana changes her outfit into her “Adventure” gear complete with little brown boots. (I can see a lot more of this outfit influence over the coming winter days).
So this morning was the first day of work in the Winter Solstice, and as the weather man announced impending rain and hail I started to play around with a few bits and pieces to come up with a warm outfit that would handle it all.
With a pair of grey faux fur cuffs on loan from Miss 9, I came up with a fun mix n match look from pieces I’ve had around the wardrobe for ages.
Outfit Details
Scarf – (worn in hair) Vintage silk
Teal knit top – Greetz from Tiz
Cream knit bolero – 1950’s vintage
Teal skirt – ASOS
Wedge Boots – Crocs
“C” initial brooch – Vintage Triffari make
Lip colour – “Lady Bump” by Chi Chi
by Candice DeVille | Jun 20, 2014 | Pets
Super cute pet photography by Helen McLean!
If you follow along on Facebook and Instagram, you’ll know by now just why things have been a little slow on the blog front recently.
Meet Loki, our (now) 12 week old Cavoodle puppy! Like his name suggests, he has indeed been a Dog of Mischief (because dog is god spelt backwards..). The story goes like this:
Over the last two years we have been looking at rescue dogs to join our family. Having two children, three guinea pigs and two other special needs dogs to get along with, meant we needed to find one of a certain size and temperament. Of our other two dogs, Lola who is eight, has a serious anxiety problem and epilepsy and my other thirteen year old fur baby was blind, no sense of smell and was experiencing the onset of dementia. About six weeks ago we had to make the heart breaking decision to have him put to sleep as his health rapidly declined.
With the beginning of our renovations starting, and no suitable rescue dog to be found, it seemed like getting a puppy was the last thing we should be doing. Of course you try telling that to two little girls with all the enthusiasm in the world and some great googling skills.
Having recently been researching and learning about the puppy farm or puppy mill trade in Australia, this was a”teachable moment” to help them understand that not everything is as it seems. Although those images on google looked adorable, it didn’t mean that those puppies came from the best origins. It gave me the opportunity to look into alternatives and ways of identifying good homes and origins for non rescue dogs. Starting our research with The RSPCA, we discovered that the traditional Registered Breeder system (of pure breeds), now has a partner system (The AAPDB) for registering breeders of cross breed animals. If we were to consider adopting a puppy, it was essential that it came from one such breeder.
Of course, here I am thinking, “Yep, that should hold them off for a while.” but no. With their google ninja skills I was shortly presented with the most adorable images of an apricot coloured, eight week old cavoodle, and two sets of fluttering lashes.
And so it was that we headed off on an interstate road trip to go and collect said bundle of apricot fluff.
I’ll skip ahead here and tell you that Loki was instantly one of the family. When we arrived home on the Sunday night, his tiny little body weighed no more than one of our guinea pigs, and he fitted comfortably into the palm of one hand. He jumped and played and chewed on anything that dangled from your person. He sat balled up on my lap, dreaming puppy dreams, while I typed away on these pages. No less than a week later, the following Saturday, things started to go wrong.
Little Loki stopped eating, he slept all day and wouldn’t get up to walk. By midnight that first Saturday, I lay in bed with him on my chest praying he’d make it through the night.
The next morning, I bundled his motionless rag doll body into my arms and rushed to the vet. His illness was a mystery, his tiny leg wrapped in tape as he stayed on a glucose drip in an attempt to give him some strength to fight. Each night I’d bring him home and sleep with him on the lounge room floor, feeding him by syringe every hour until we could take him back into the hospital and back on the drip.
After rounds of blood tests and X-rays, and thanks to the perseverance of the vets, the cause of his illness was discovered. A stomach bug that in a bigger dog may have past unnoticed, but in this tiny individual, had nearly taken his life over night.
With the right medication and round the clock monitoring, I’m extremely pleased to say that Loki is now back to being a bubbly bundle of puppy goodness!
He’s learning to sit, stay and already has us wrapped around his furry little toes in the studio. He is our little living teddy bear, cuddly and full of beans.
And yes, he will indeed be seen frequently on these pages, because puppies make everything better!
by Candice DeVille | Jun 17, 2014 | Travel, Uncategorized
As you sit there, staring at those clear waters and swaying palm tress on your screen saver; ask yourself, “What am I waiting for?“
While I pulled out my woollens and dusted off the umbrella last week, an email came asking if I fancied visiting Noumea. To my shame I had to head to Google for answers, thinking that perhaps Noumea was somewhere on the eastern seaboard here; charming, but still requiring a few extra layers. Nothing could be further from the reality and, as a short check on Wikipedia showed me, I should have immediately realised that as a French colony, it was not a part of Australia. Perhaps I can put it down to the lack of caffeine that morning, but my eyes had skipped over one of the very important lines of the email which read, “Aircalin inaugural flight, Melbourne to New Caledonia”. Once my morning fog had cleared and the images of Aircalin’s bright red Hibiscus flower logo had entranced me, I knew I was in for a big adventure.
Three and a half hours; that is all it took to fly directly from Melbourne to New Caledonia. Three and a half hours for Australians is a simple jot up to the country to see friends, a commute to work or even just popping out for milk (ok not quite). The concept of a World Heritage listed, tropical paradise holiday only three and a half hours from my door was almost unbelievable; until I experienced Aircalin.
Greeted in the Business Class lounge by the CEO of the airline, his passion and enthusiasm for New Caledonia was matched only by his elegant grey suit and vermillion orange tie. I complimented him on his look and asked for local fashion tips when he replied with a smile, “I have my suits made in Paris when I go home.” But of course! New Caledonia is a French Territory, and as such all the delights of french culture, food and wine awaited us. As if on cue, I was handed an effervescent glass of GH Mumm Champagne. My glamorous tropical adventure had begun.
Whenever I fly, the first thing I look forward to is receiving the menu and mentally preparing myself for the treats in store. Being presented with a French Champagne and wine list prepared me exceptionally well, as high school French phrases came tumbling back into my consciousness.
In a very amusing and apt moment, I was also presented with this little gift from Aircalin as a memento of our Inaugural Flight. Without their knowledge, they had stumbled across one of my “in jokes” of travel.
A short water taxi ride from the Noumea marina, is La Escapde; an earthly paradise by anyone’s standards. As a traveller who requires both adventure, glamour and luxury, Escapade Island Resort is my ideal island holiday destination.
Learn more about our Towel Rating System here.
I may not be much of a sun person but I can certainly recommend this method of increasing your vitamin D. With water so clear I could see the fish dart in an out around the turtles mottled shells, and skies of the most beautiful blue, I was in absolute heaven.
From the balcony of the over water homes, you could see clearly into the coral below and with a few steps, enter from your private stairway.
The idyllic pace of the island could be offset for those who chose the more adventurous jet skiing, but for Lady Melbourne and myself, a lazy afternoon of white sands and the sounds of water lapping was all that we needed.
As I indulged in the magnificent buffet of local seafood, decadent patisserie and full bodied French Bordeaux, I wondered how long it would be before I could arrange to bring Mr.SKM and the girls back here. Escapade Island is without a doubt the perfect holiday destination for each of us.
by Candice DeVille | Jun 10, 2014 | daily outfit
Neon.
Often for road workers, commonly seen on the dance floor circa 1995 and experienced a small fashion revival in 2012. Apart from the odd 90’s rave moment, it was a trend in which I never indulged; until I bought this intense neon pink, matt lipstick a few months ago. Then, a small and perfectly proportioned love affair was born. Neon pink is not a forgiving colour, but used as a surprising accent, it is quite the mood booster.
I found this new collection of silicone, child friendly jewellery at Siliwear, a small Australia start up company. Something people never warned me about when I first had children, was how much of my jewellery the would ruin through chewing, pulling, tangling and of course, attempting to choke on! They may not be that little anymore, but there is another small, furry addition, (whom you’ll soon meet ) who also has a thing for jewellery. 🙂
Outfit Details
Lilac skirt – ASOS
Teal cardigan – Portmans
Two tone shoes – Betts
Beads and Bangles – Siliwear
Chiffon scarf – vintage
Bow Earrings – Juicy Couture
Makeup notes
Base – Missha BB Cream in shade 13
Cheeks – Benefit Dandelion
Lips – Chi Chi “Hollywood Wannabee”
Eyes – light pink base and purple lid tone by Essence. Crease cut colour by Urban Decay in “Last Call”
