Bleach London’s newest range of permanent hair dyes, No Bleach London, gives you the ability to get the shades you want without having to bleach it first
A few weeks ago I got that feeling – you might be familiar with it – that I needed to make a change in my life immediately or else I might just start screaming indiscriminately. By pure coincidence, right around this time, I was invited to a dinner celebrating the launch of Bleach London’s newest range of products: permanent dyes that can drastically switch up your hair colour, without using any bleach. Between courses I decided that I was going to dye my hair a bright colour and I was going to do it as soon as possible. That’s the great thing about hair – it’s a pressure valve that allows you to have some small feeling of control over your life when everything else feels senseless and full of chaos.
The new range of products, ‘No Bleach London’, is the first time Bleach has ventured into the world of permanent box dyes. It was in practical development for three years, though the team has been thinking about it for 10 years, says Bleach founder Alex Brownsell. The hairdressers in the salons then spent over 3000 hours testing and retesting the formulas to ensure the results they wanted. The range uses absolutely no bleach when dying your hair, which minimises damage. Currently, it comes in seven shades – red, vivid copper, natural copper, natural blonde, black, rich brown and natural brown – split into “Go Lighter” and “Go Darker” formulas, depending on whether it will darken or lighten your hair.
“It was difficult to select the final colours, but this first range feels purposeful and reflects the contemporary colours people look for in our salons,” says Brownsell. “Alongside the brand, I still work in fashion and don’t feel like existing products on the market offer modern or trend-led colours, so that was the goal of the final collection.” Brownsell and the team drew inspiration from people like Sharon Tate, FKA twigs and Priscilla Presley when creating the colours. Rihanna and Megan Fox were both references for the red and copper shades, which have all proven extremely popular. “We have seen a lot of reds; 90s Red, Cherry Reds, Bitter Plum and Baked Strawberry being requested in our salons,” says Brownsell. “Reds and coppers are such striking palettes that are incredibly wearable across the spectrum of more vivid shades to darker, moodier colours.”
It was Vivid Copper that I decided on and, after enlisting the help of a friend, got to work. This was not my first rodeo with a box dye and the process was pretty much identical to previous times: you get a couple of different bottles of potions and powders which you mix and then apply to the mid-section and ends of your hair, and then the roots. After you’ve applied all the product generously (more on that later) and left it to develop, you rinse out your hair until the water runs clear, wash it, and then apply the provided conditioner. Before the conditioner, my hair was feeling a bit straw-like but afterwards it was as soft as can be. Overall, it was a very easy and painless experience.
Ensuring that the kits were fool-proof was important to Brownsell and the team, who wanted to make them accessible to everyone, no matter what level of experience or skill they have. “Our instructions are written for first-timers and help you every step of the way,” she says, “so you can apply the colour the same way I would.” The colours were made to be simple to mix, the formula non-drip and the texture creamy to make it easy to apply. One tip Brownsell has for DIY amateurs is to make sure to use enough product. “Saturation, saturation, saturation, use plenty of product! Ensure your hair is fully saturated and you’ll get a beautiful end result.”
Not being generous enough with the product is the only place I think I went a bit wrong – we definitely could have saturated my hair more than we did. I was still very happy with the results, the colour came out very bright considering that my hair is naturally quite a dark brown. However, I think had we used more it would have been as bright as the hair of the people I’ve seen on social media who used the same shade. I would also suggest that you make sure you are leaving the product on your roots for long enough. I did not and as a result, they stayed quite brown, making it look as if I was already a few weeks post-dye.
If you made the same mistake as me, or just want to keep the colour as bright and vivid as possible, Brownsell recommends using the brand’s Super Cool Colours as a second step. It’s also a way to customise the shade to your exact liking. “Tangerine Dream will add extra vibrancy to Natural Copper,” she says. “You can also pair White Heat with Natural Blonde, or I Saw Red with Vivid Red.” She also recommends doing your roots every 6-8 weeks and pulling the colour through to your ends for the last 10 minutes. To protect your coloured hair, bond-restoring products will keep it strong, as well as ingredients like amino acids, hydrogenated castor oil, and hydrolyzed wheat proteins. Brownsell also suggests washing your hair with cool water and avoiding too much heat.
This No Bleach range comes at a time when many people don’t have as much money to spare for going to the salon. With it, Brownsell wanted to make people feel unembarrassed about opting for a box dye. As someone who started her career dyeing her friends’ hair in the kitchen sink, this DIY attitude is very much part of the brand’s DNA. “There’s still a stigma around dyeing your own hair, which I don’t understand. We paint our own nails and apply our own make-up, so it doesn’t feel right that people don’t have the option of a great permanent hair colour at home,” she says. “Hairdressers are highly trained individuals offering a personalised and valuable service, but salon appointments are a luxury we can’t always afford. I believe great results can be achieved at home with great products.”