[Sticky] Colour B4 Information

Thanks Mathurine - I will add a link to this is the hair FAQ sticky too.

Thanks, Matty--this is a really useful FAQ : )

One question that I see being asked a fair amount that's not in there is about the Schwarzkopf XXL.  As in "I have dyed my hair with Schwarzkopf dyes, and I heard they are incredibly difficult to remove.  Is it even worth trying Colour B4?"

The answer is yes, as the silicone in XXL only becomes a problem with excessive (and excessively hot) heat styling.  This boils the silicone from the dye into the hair shaft, effectively turning your hair into a coloured plastic.  With minimal heat styling, this is not a problem and they behave like any other box dye.  Several people on the forum have had great success with B4 removing Schwarzkopf dyes.

Thanks squishy, I've added that to the first post.

hi im sure you have been asked this a hundred times. I have had black hair for over a year now, i have used colour b4 (twice in two days) and my hair is now a reddy brown  prob on a base 5 quiet uneven colour and fairly dry.

I want to use loreal majicontrast in magenta red all over it but i need it at a 8/9 base to achieve  the colour i want. My mid-lengths are still quiet dark where the colour has built up do you think a bleach bath would help?
how long should i wait before doing this ?

many thanks

You need to deep condition your hair and wash it a couple of times to make sure all of the B4 is out before bleaching, as the bleach can react with B4 residues and turn your hair black again.

Red only needs a ginger base to go very bright, however I would not put a permanent (or any dye that requires developer) onto bleached hair, nor would I recommend bleaching it prior to a permanent.  This is because developer bleaches out your hair to deposit the replacement colour, so to put a permanent on freshly bleached hair will be double processing and you risk damaging your hair.  I would bleach bathe, use a semi for a month and then try the majicontrast, or use the majicontrast on unbleached hair.

Semis always look better than permanents anyway!

thankyou ladies xxx

Hi! I have a question though I don't even know if it can be answered. I've used colour B4 once on my over-dyed-black hair and it worked a charm in my eyes. It's so much lighter than I expected! There is still some dark colour left behind, it was gingery but using Joico violet shampoo just 3 times did wonders on it and now it's very much brown and not ginger. Anyhow, I'm going to use Colour B4 on it again, probably today, and after that I plan on bleaching it (Directions 40vol) to get my hair as light as it can go, and after that I won't bleach the ends again (only refresh my roots). Sooo my question is, how long should I wait before putting on the bleach? I was planning to put it on 1 week after colour B4, after lots of conditioning (I don't have anything too fancy! I have normal conditioners and Tresemme hair masque, is that enough?) but I really want to be sure I won't bring my old colour back or my plan will be totally ruined! I've seen lots of comments to "wait a few days" but never heard any outcome of those people who waited a few days to a week... A broad question I guess... Hopefully someone can speak from experience?

ok colour b4, leave i a week or a few days, wash your hair a fair bit to make sure all the b4 is out, ready for bleaching. use good conditioner in the mean time (aussie 3 minute miracle)

dont use 40% vol bleach. you really dont need it and its dangerous if it gets on your scalp. 30% would be more than enough. what colour are you hoping to achieve? you could do bleach baths instead, as you can do 1x these a week. as opposed to 1x a month as they a far less damaging
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=995.0

Thanks for your help! I don't have the patience for bleach bathing, and just hoping to get as much colour out as I can with 1 bleaching. I'm not sure what colour I'll have, I'm hoping for something quite blonde but not expecting too much. I have directions Atlantic Blue to put on if I don't really like the blondey colour I end up with. I might go with bleach bathing in next year, but not right now.  Do you know any good way I can dilute the 40vol bleach? I've already got the 40vol at home and don't want to waste it. I thought I'd put the bleach on the ends for the longest to work at full strength, and then only on the roots for a short time towards the end of the bleach developing time. Is this a good enough option or do you still think I should dilute it?

I bleach bathed my hair with a 40% and it turned my hair from dark ginger to blonde. If you want to keep your hair nice, put some shampoo in that mix please!!
Thats how you would dilute the 40% you have.

Hey
Ok i need advice/help, i have naturally mousey brown hair, been having highlights for 6 years, and went very blonde once, i then had a temp brown put over it and then i permantly dyed it brown about 3 months ago (massive mistake)

im just wondering what will happen/or will possibly happen to my hair if i use the colour b4 extra stuff... i have a wella proffesional semi permanent to put on after in a dark blonde shade - will that work?

please help as i have been thinking about doing this for a few weeeks but put it off because im worried il ruin my hair or go an awful colour and il have to dye it dark again!!!

thanks Jo x

The permanent brown might still come out but as it's been in for 3 months it might be hard to shift. Sometimes the longer the dye has been in the harder it is to get out. Try Colour B4, at the very worst it'll do nothing at all but I'm betting it'll get some of the colour out for you. You can try Colour B4 once a week for three weeks and it might get some more out each time.

It's such a hit and miss product though. I've seen several mixed reviews. It may just strip out all the colour in one hit but as it's a non bleach based product it's always worth a try. If it does nothing at all then at least it's not damaged as much as a bleach.

If you're dying afterwards as well make sure you've really got all the B4 out first otherwise it could react with the dye and turn it black. we always say on here to wash out the B4, rinse like a made thing and make sure you've washed your hair twice over the next couple of days before using a dye, just to make sure all the residues are out and your dye comes out the right colour.

So try it, hopefully it'll work well and you'll just need one application.

Thankyou 🙂 i will give it a go tonight and see, thanks for your help