#goth upkeep

[gothiccharmschool]

Whoops, took the gloves off too early.

[minimal-sunshine]

Dyed my hair black again. It always makes me so happy. The only time i was ever unhappy was when my #narcissisticabusivemom would give me shit. I feel like its my body again.

[gothiccharmschool]

Goth Upkeep: claws sharpened.

[gothiccharmschool]

okay well while we're on the subject, any recommendations for a good black hair dye??

Oh wow. This will actually be slightly difficult for me to answer, as I stopped coloring my hair black over a decade ago, and I'm sure the science of that dye has changed.

When I was dying my hair black, I didn't use drugstore box dye, but used one a dye from Wela and their brand of developer. (You don't have to use the same brand for both dye and developer, I just found better deals if I purchased both.) I know the Wela range is available on Amazon or at places like Sally Beauty. People who have dyed their hair black (black black no. 1) more recently: what are the good brands out there nowadays?

[gothiccharmschool]

javanomicron said: What constitutes as Goth Upkeep, Auntie Jilli?

For me, Goth Upkeep is hair dye. All the hair dye. 

Round One (which I did today) is coat all of my hair (except the pink side streaks) in burgundy dye and leave it on for 3+ hours. (I use a jar of Directions “Rubine” semi-permanent color, mixed with a small amount of conditioner so it will be easier to comb the color through before I bundle it all up under a plastic cap.

Rounds Two, Three, and Four (which I will probably end up doing Wednesday night) are for the pink streaks: bleach the roots, put on white-violet toner, and then apply the pink dye. 

[gothiccharmschool]

Happy World Goth Day, peeps! I will be celebrating in a traditional manner: Goth Upkeep. It is time to coat my hair with dye, wrap it in plastic, and let it sit for 5 hours. 

[gothiccharmschool]

Dear Auntie Jilli, I was wondering what hair dye you use? It always seems to be beautifully bright and doesn't really fade when we get to see your wonderful face! (Is it an Eldergoth Cabal secret? Fab hair only for the Chosen Few? 👿)

Aww, thank you! I think part of the brightness is due to the grey/white strands really grabbing and holding my dye.

I use a 50/50 mix of Manic Panic “Vampire Red” and Special Effects “Burgundy Wine”. I apply it, put a plastic cap on my head, and leave it on for about 3 hours. Then I rinse (rinse, rinse, and rinse some more) with cool water, then do one final rinse with cool water mixed with a bit of apple cider vinegar.

I add about 1-2 teaspoons of my dye mix to my shampoo and conditioner, so I’m refreshing the color when I wash my hair. (Also, I only wash my hair once a week.) (Yes, I’m one of those people. But I don’t actually use a lot of hair products, so I don’t have to worry about product buildup.)

Aaaaand I made myself some custom dry shampoo! 

 1/2 cup of arrowroot powder (tho’ you can use cornstarch).

A few drops of BPAL Blood Popsicle. (Because of course I want my hair to smell like Blood Popsicle).

A bunch of burgundy, red, and bright pink eye shadow pigments that were not quite the shade I wanted for makeup. (And a dash of pink glitter. Because why not?)

I mixed all of that together in a ziplock bag, then decanted it into an empty jar. I apply it to my roots with a blush brush, then vigorously brush my hair. The burgundy/pink color of my custom dry shampoo means I don’t get that weird ashy-powdery look that regular dry shampoos leave on wacky-colored hair. And leaves the tiniest trace of glitter, which is important, dammit.

[gothiccharmschool]

batajandra replied to your photo:See? Before the application of pink, I’ve got...

If you don’t mind me asking, which bleach do you use? Do you have to bleach more than once?

I use Wella Color Charm Lightener powder with 20 vol. cream developer, for about 15 - 20 minutes. Then I follow up with  Wella Color Charm toner in t18 White Lady to remove more of the brassiness.

I generally don’t have to bleach more than once, but that’s because I’m bleaching my undyed roots, which are a light ash brown mixed with silver.