Level 7 Copper to Level 9 Honey Blonde?

Bleach isn't likely to remove copper and it will definitely badly damage the ends, probably cause some breakage. Honestly, if you don't want to lose length and you have ends that are already tangling easily it's too much of a risk to bleach.

You could try a colour remover, but orange and red tones are a swine to remove. You need to do it very slowly. If a colour remover doesn't work, I would let it grow a little and get a trim before attempting a bleach bath. Then do very, very mild leach baths once a week. This really will be the best way to maintain the integrity. but get rid of the bad ends before you do anything with bleach because damage travels up the hair shaft.

I'm sure you know the other thing I'm about to say and I expect you to ignore me, but quit heat styling the ends so often 🙂

Hi thanks for your help!!

I know it’s bad to straighten the ends but they’re so frizzy looking without it... I have a U shaped cut and the longest part is down to my mid upper back. I’ve grown it all off of a Mohawk and I’m savoring the length - it’s taken four years and I really don’t want to cut it much! However, if I really wanted to cut all the damage off I’d end up with a collar bone length lob... not crazy about that idea.

A bleach bath even with olaplex would be too much? I’m really only trying to lighten 1-2 shades. Copper has to lift to yellow at some point, right?

I’ve already done two color stripping treatments with vitamin C and shampoo which lifted a considerable amount. I could try color oops but I’m not sure it will lift much more of the copper out.

Am I right at thinking I need to lift to a level 9 banana yellow color before I tone to blonde? I’m unsure of any other way of lifting to this without using bleach.

Constantly straightening the ends though, you’re making it worse every time. The problem with damage is that it travels up the bar shaft, so you’re going to keep having this problem if you don’t stop or get it cut off, doing both would work best really. You’re prolonging the pain by leaving it like it is really. It’s possibly going to get worse too. I understand you don’t want to cut it, but you won’t get to keep what you have if you don’t face it. But that’s beside the point and not what you asked about.

Whatever you do, don’t use colour oops again. It’s not a colour remover. You need to use colour fix. Color oops is a stripper and contains peroxide.

The problem is, that no, copper doesn’t have to lift to yellow at some point. Copper, and all red shades, have this annoying thing that they don’t stay in the hair for a long time but weirdly, they also stain badly. So they fade quickly, but almost always leave a residue on the outside of the hair shaft that is truly permanent. This can often never be removed. Sometimes bleach will remove it, but more than often it won’t. Do you get damage with no pay off. Bleach isn’t designed to remove staining, or even unnatural colour, so it doesn’t do it effectively. What you’re doing more than lifting the natural colour is removing the staining, and that’s hard. You need to remove the staining before lifting or you don’t know how light the hair is lifting.

And yes, you do use bleach, or permanent blonde hair dye which I don’t recommend either, to go paler. But if your hair is already damaged to the point it only looks ok with straightening it and it tangles a lot, it really is the worst th8ngyou can do. You’ve said you don’t want to lose length, my honest answer is don’t go blonde now. It’s the only way you’re going to keep the integrity of that hair that is already damaged,

I know it’s not what you want to hear, and if you go to other places and ask they’ll tell you what you want to hear. But I prefer to be realistic. It’s like, I don’t mind about cutting my hair short, so if I mess up and over bleach my hair I’ll just get it cut and it doesn’t bother me. If you want to keep the length, be careful with it. Hair can only take so much, and it’s often a lot less than we put it through! It isn’t designed to be bleached, blow dried, straightened and all the other stuff we put it through. It’s not even really designed to be washed! It all puts stress on the hair.

I hope you take this in the way I mean it. Just, if you want to keep the length, there’s really only one way to do it 🙂 in this case, especially if you’re going to keep straightening it which you will because the ends will be even worse with any amount of bleach, then think of another plan for your colour. Think the same level of shade, but changing the colour with a direct dye or something. I know if tough when you set your heart on something, but or out which is more important to you 🙂

Okay ... I’m feeling much more reverent of that bleach bath now! 😂 I did a stretch test on the mid shafts and also on the ends... the mid shaft did well but the ends stretched and broke apart without a lot of tension. I think my new game plan is to train my hair to wash far less (that way I won’t be heat processing as often), get a trim (for now) and just baby it with olaplex 3 and other conditioners. I can continue to try to fade the copper over time and maybe reevaluate in a few months.

Thank you for your help!!

I'm glad you did a strand test before just going on in there! Many wouldn't.

I think that's a good plan. Washing less makes a lot of difference if heat styling is an issue. Just persevere, it'll be well worth it in the long run, if only for the time saved washing and styling!