tbeon

I'm not sure if I am the only one who has been worried when people talk about a 40 volume bleach and the bottle I have is a 40 volume developer. Hopefully this post will clarify some of the confusion, so if there is anyone else out there like me, they won't freak out because they are worried they might be using the wrong thing or going about this the wrong way. This is a pretty long post but hopefully it helps to explain this method and the variations of it (bleach then redye, bleach and redye at the same time etc.).

Bases, by one definition, are substances that have a pH above 7. These include ammonia and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). The higher the pH (highest is 14) the more basic the substance is. Bases are what open up the cuticle (the outside part of the hair) to expose the cortex (the inside part) where all of those friendly THC metabolites (carboxy-THC) are located. So you will notice that ammonia and baking soda are mentioned frequently on this forum (bleach dye method, when using toxin wash and other shampoos) and it is because they are bases and help to open up the cuticle so certain chemicals can get deep into your hair.

So when I first tried the bleach/redye method, I just put a bunch of this stuff called 40 volume creme developer on my hair, and guess what happened? Nothing really. This is because developers usually contain hydrogen peroxide and very little if any base (usually ammonia in hair products). No base, or very little base, means not very much of the cuticle was being opened and therefore not much of that sweet sweet hydrogen peroxide was getting into my cortex.

Why is hydrogen peroxide so important to this process? Hydrogen peroxide forms these things called radicals which are super reactive. So when hydrogen peroxide actually gets into your hair it forms radicals and wrecks shop on the proteins that give your hair color. These radicals also take out some of those THC metabolites we love so much, and is why we are doing this crazy stuff to our hair in the first place. So a developer must be mixed with a bleach for it to actually bleach your hair. The bleaches are not the exact same thing as clorox, but contain some type of base (the one i bought contains sodium metasilicate, which has a pH close to 13), which lets that hydrogen peroxide into your hair to do its business. The bases in these bleaches also catalyze (speed up) the reaction between the radicals and other stuff in your hair, and also helps the coloring chemicals to set.

Some coloring kits that you can buy ask you to mix the developer in with the dye and put all of it in your hair simultaneously. This will still help to get stuff out of your hair, but I'm not sure if it is as effective as bleaching really well then adding dye, which is the way most people say to do it. I personally would bleach and then dye rather than the simultaneous way, but Im not an expert.

PLEASE correct anything that is wrong with this post. I'm just trying to clarify something I was confused about in case other people were also. Also I'm sorry if this or something similar to this was posted somewhere else, I really did spend a few hours looking for an answer to my question and even started a post. One extra post about this isn't going to kill anyone, plus a lot of the posts on this forum are so scattered throughout that it is almost impossible to find certain things. Finally I would like to thank Jerry_G and all of the other "gurus" on this forum, you all have been a huge help and I hope the knowledge i have gained from you all helps me to pass my hair test which is about a week from now. Thanks all, and good luck with your tests.

MonarchX

Thanks so much for the post! I was look for this info on this forum, but couldn't find any either.

But I still don't understand. For the best effects and best THC cleaning, should I get a 40 volume develop then a 40 volume bleach, then a dye?

Do they not sell just normal volume 40 bleach that bleaches your hair with ammonia and etc?


I am SO confused as to what products I need...

MonarchX

I just bought:

1. Pure White 40 Volume Creme Develop (contains Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate, Hydrogen Peroxide, others)
2. Actual bleach powder to mix with 40 Volume Developer (contains Ammonium Persulfate, Sodium Metasilicate, others)
3. 10 Black Color Dye for women (contains Ammonium Hydroxide, Ammonium Thiolactate, Propylene Glycol)

Are there enough good ingredients in those solutions to clean my BODY hair?

The dye is for white women (at least its a white girl on the packaging). Will it work on men's hair (if the same color) ???

I only spend $15 on all of this...

tbeon

Those three things you got are the right (40 volume developer, bleach powder, and color)

As far as just a bottle of 40 volume bleach that has both hydrogen peroxide and ammonia I haven't really seen anything like that. I wouldn't worry about it though, you know you have the stuff you need and the only difference in having an all in one bottle would the that you had it all in one bottle.

As far as women's and men's hair color, they are interchangeable between sexes so you can use either one. Although, I have read that women's hair color comes with more product and is usually more "professional", which i think means that it has better looking color. Hope this helps, let me know if there is anything else.

MonarchX

I think I got it. I just hope I don't have to go as far as perms and straighteners which also contain needed chemicals, but I believe its same old Glycol... I think I can compensate for perms and straighteners by bleaching and redying one extra time.

This is cheaper and easier than urine test I think. There is a higher chance of the treatment not working, but preparation is easier (no worrying about getting caught with a sub, etc). Especially for men who can shave all hair except for pits and chest!