When I started bleaching my hair years ago, I always end up so frustrated because I couldn't get to the platinum blonde state (Level 9-10) I always wanted.  I would always end up with a corn-rust blonde that I sometimes love, but hate most of the time.

Instead of aiming for that platinum blonde hair, I'd just end up choosing a darker color (again) to cover up the brassiness.  And I would always envy those that could get it done at the salon because I never had that kind of budget.

Before using this, you may want to do research first which variant should be used for your current blonde shade.  If what you are using is a bit darker than its requirement, it may not work.


When mixed right and applied on the correct shade, it works wonders and works fast.  Although, I am not a fan of the stingy feel it gives, like when you're bleaching or using a really high volume developer.

REMEMBER: Do your research! Don't just dive in because it's a really strong concoction.

These two are a match made in heaven! It is a perfect combination made for every chemically treated blonde head.  As I shared earlier, purple tones are used to neutralize the brassiness of the hair, so that in itself is self explanatory why Purple Shampoos and Conditioners are the best way to maintain blondes and grays.

There are imported purple shampoos like this from Generic Value Products (GVP), but I personally prefer using local ones like the ones from Beach Born and other local brands from Shopee.

I love everything about this combo, except for the part where Purple Shampoos tend to dry your hair a bit so it should be used moderately.  Using it 2-3x a week should be okay and should keep the brassy tones away.

This is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE and my current holy grail! My toiletry basket simply isn't complete without this.  Everybody has been asking if i kept bleaching my hair to get the white its come to, but no. It's just this pretty thing right here.  The power of purple shampoo, but with the conditioning powers of keratin!  And everybody who does DIY hair coloring knows that keratin is your bestfriend!

I found this gem on one of my usual "let's find the cheapest option on Shopee" days.  This kawaii themed shop (https://shopee.ph/melanchelly) sells this 500ml bottle for P288!  And this lasted me 3 months!  

I love everything about this product only sometimes, it's so potent that it stains your hair violet.  However, you need not worry! You just need to mix it with a little bit of white conditioner and voila! You're all set!

~

That's  it! Care to share any of your toning routine? Comment below!

Remember when I shared my bleaching the red hair experience and it just turned peach pink-ish? Told ya'll I was going to find a way how to remove the remaining color... Well, I've finally figured out how to clear my hair of all the stubborn red/orange pigments!

Just to make it clear, I'll be sharing 3 things that I did to my hair to reach the almost platinum blonde shade it is in now. If you have red, orange or pink hair and would like to have it remove before jumping into another color, then read on!

DISCLAIMER: I AM NO EXPERT or PROFESSIONAL.  Everything you see or will see in this blog about my #hairventure is based solely on personal experience.

After bleaching my red hair, it went dry -- OF COURSE.  So, I needed to have it rest before I go full on chemical warfare with it again.  I searched for natural ways on how to (gradually) remove the color from my hair and I found two (2) that were quite effective.

(A) Anti-Dandruff Shampoo + Baking Soda

When you have color treated hair, you are advised not to use any anti-dandruff shampoo since an ingredient present in anti-dandruff shampoo strips away the color faster.  Add an equal part of baking soda, which is natural ingredient used in cleaning almost all kinds of stuff --- You get an easy and somewhat natural color remover for your hair.  I used this formula for about a week with my regular conditioner.  Change is very gradual, but it works and is perfect if you're not in a hurry.

(B) Dishwashing Soap + Baking Soda

I know this is weird and not to mention makes your hair smell a little funny after, but it's not all bad.  Mix equal parts dishwashing liquid and baking soda.  Shampoo as normal.  As you rinse, you'll see a bit of color down the drain. Although, this method might also need a few washes.

About a week into it, my hair somewhat returned to its natural soft state or at least to a state where it can handle a little bit of bleaching again.  I mixed about 10-15grams of bleaching powder and 9% oxidizing lotion.  After, I added in equal part shampoo.  I just used my regular shampoo for this, but I read in a blog that using a clarifying shampoo does a better job.  I used this every other day until my hair became about Level 8 blonde near the roots and Level 4-5 towards the end.

I knew there are several hair color removers in the market, but they're too expensive (for me) that I really tried the first 2 ways first since they're cheap and I already have them.  But, I was getting impatient from removing all the dark tones that I finally decided I'd spend P500 - P900 for a hair color remover.  Still, I was hoping against hope that I'd find something that is within my budget, and thank the online shopping gods, I DID!  I found this shop on Shopee that sells repacks or "takals" of expensive hair stuff.  

I purchased this 15grams repack of Matrix Essentials Solutionist Color Erase Permanent Hair Color Remover for P299! I just purchased one set since I only had shoulder length hair and would only need to remove color on the bottom half of my hair. The set includes a repacked powder form color erase, 100ml of oxidizing lotion and very precise instructions on how to use it. It looks like and has the same process as bleach, but it does not bleach the hair. It will only remove the current color and bring it back to the original state it was in. For me however, since I already bleached my hair before this, my hair instantly went from muddy orange to Level 8-9 blonde.

A little warning though to those who would like to try it --- IT WILL DRY YOUR HAIR. I was kind of shocked as to how dry it became after the color removal. It was more fried than when I bleached 2x in a week! It is very effective and it really does what it's supposed to do, but you have to be prepared for a lot of conditioning treatments after. Before using this, I would advise to stock up on Keratin treatments and deep conditioners.

Nevertheless, if you want it fast (because you are impatient like me) I would strongly recommend this! Just remember to condition A LOT and as always, never forget the holy grail of all Hair DIYers --- Virgin Coconut Oil. I also used my favorite Purple Keratin to remove the brassiness left after all the bleaching and color removing.

If you plan to try this product out, or any hair color removers/routines, share them on the comments below! I would love to hear them or maybe even try them out too!

PS. don't forget to follow me on Instagram and checkout my #hairventure highlights!

2) Tools for Bleaching

4) Sectioning The Hair

5) Applying the Bleach

Nawala na naman ako sa internet world lately, guys. Sorry. I've been super stressed out with finances and a bit overworked since you know, BER months is kill yourself month in the advertising world.  Not complaining though --- just making that clear.  Just saying this because I want to share something I do to destress (apart from binge watching K-Dramas ANNNDD Chinese Dramas --- I found a super cute series, I'll share it with you next time)

Anyway, one of the things I do to destress and break away from all the corporate slavery is look at some stuff I love and like in the internet or just anywhere then make them into something I can put in  shirts. I know, it's not that original, but I do this mostly because I'm a shirt kind of girl, but I can't find shirts that I actually like (in the PH, at least) So, what I normally do is make them myself.  I do a bit of tweaking and bring them to the nearest shirt heat press while you wait station.  As we all know, heat pressed prints breaks and chips of in time and a single shirt can't actually go under the silkscreen process, because HELLO isa lang yun, hindi tayo mayaman.  

As I did my research on what other options I can use, I came across this really cool website, Fundr by Custom Thread.  This website became the solution to my shirt printing problem and more!  The likes of it are already famous and widely used abroad, but they're the first one I saw doing it here in the PH. 

I'm not sure how long Fundr has been in the business but they've already worked with local bands like Kwjan, Ransom Collective and Callalily.  Aside from that, they print your designs on 100% cotton shirts and use direct to garment (DTG) printing.  Not only do they make your shirt for you, they also give you an avenue to sell your shirts in their marketplace! Super cool nito guys.  

One day, I was just planning to destress and make myself a couple of shirts and voila! Instant business for me too!  

The website is very east to navigate and gives you a lot of guidelines and options too!  This is super perfect for work at home parents, bloggers, freelance artists, etc.  Fundr removes the hassle of managing an online shop by doing all the production and shipping them out for you.  All you have to do is create your design and upload it to your Fundr page.  

Check out their website to find out more and start your own Fundr Shop! And while in the process of checking out their site and making a decision whether you'd want to try them out, check out my fundr page too --- see that SHOP TICK TOCK ITS LOCKED button on the blog side bar --- Just click and start shopping!