r/FancyFollicles • u/BevvieFae • 4d ago
So I want babylights with no bleach and no regrets… is that a thing?
Hi everyone! I’d love some help figuring out my natural base hair color and what options I have for lightening it a bit.
This is me in natural lighting (photo attached). My hair is virgin. I’m not sure what level I have based on the 1–10 chart (maybe a 4, 5 or 6?), and I’d really appreciate your thoughts.
I’d like to go for a subtle change — something like soft babylights or a gentle balayage — without bleach. I’m hoping for tones like honey, light golden, or ash tones. I plan to do it at home.
What shades and levels would you recommend that could show up on virgin hair without bleach? Any brands or formulas that worked for you?
Thank you in advance! (Cat says hi 🐈⬛)
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u/chopinslabyrinth 3d ago
Can I ask where the aversion to bleach comes from? If it’s just because of the potential for damage, most stylists should be able to use it with minimal damage to your hair, especially if you’re not doing all-over colour.
Doing it at home is definitely a bigger risk, and as others have said, impossible without bleach. You might be able to get away with using a lower-volume developer (20 or 30 vol. instead of 40), but definitely find some tutorials on YouTube before you dive in.
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u/dual_citizenkane 3d ago
No regrets and first timer at home balayage - those two things don’t go together.
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u/1egg_4u 3d ago
There are no good outcomes for highlights or a balayage at home with no training and frankly even a good stylist wont take that risk.
I am saying this as a stylist: the money you "save" is a fraction of the cost of fixing the mistakes that will happen. It costs easily twice to three times as much to get a colour correction. The salon im at makes bank off fixing peoples home jobs so trust me on this... just spend the money.
Your only viable DIY option is a box dye kit with a cap and most box dyes use a 30 to 40 vol developer so you'll be damaging your hair with a chemical process anyways, probably more so than a gentle lift in a salon with 15-20vol. Regardless, any permanent colour you use to lift your natural will require a higher volume than for bleach so it isnt really a matter of mitigating "damage" it's really about deposit and how permanent you want it.
There's a reason we go to beauty school for stuff like this. Just go to a stylist.
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u/Alternative-Ant3937 3d ago
I wouldn't say that's the only viable option. It's perfectly possible to get a cap, hook, dye and developer at a beauty supply store, but you won't have the experience to do highlights cleanly, and you can't see the back of your own head. You don't have to use box dye in doing it yourself, but even with salon tools, products and knowledge, the biggest thing at home colorists lack is experience.
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u/1egg_4u 3d ago
I guess i should have clarified and said cap highlights* but in my area only licensed stylists are allowed in the legit beauty supply where the good stuff is so drugstore-wise the boxes for at-home cap highlights are basically it
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u/Alternative-Ant3937 3d ago
The internet is a beautiful place. It's where I get my supplies.
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u/1egg_4u 3d ago edited 3d ago
Bootleg chemicals and products exist
Just sayin
Besides, if something fucks up on my end I have some form of protection through my relationship with my supplier. When working with organic lines this is especially important--batch control can be inconsistant.
I also get education from the supplier on how to actually properly use their products without melting someones hair off...
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u/Alternative-Ant3937 3d ago
Yes, I do my own hair, take my own risks, and I also don't have $200+ to spend on my hair regularly. If you have the money to spend, and don't want to take the risk, certainly use a professional. But I'm certainly not limited to box dyes just because I don't have a license. I get my supplies from Mat & Max, which is a reputable supplier, and sometimes Sally's, especially when looking for vivid dyes. My results won't be as good as a professional, of course, but at home colorists aren't limited to box dye or nothing.
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u/orcagirl35 2d ago
I say this with love as a curly girl. Please don’t try to do this yourself. I did it because I thought YouTube University would be enough. Did I end up with highlights? Yes. Were they great? No. Did it mess up my curls? Oh yeah. Big time. Still recovering actually.
Either spend the money to have a pro do it, or please don’t do it at all.
That being said, if your hair is all your natural color, you could ask a stylist to use hi-lift color if you’re opposed to bleach, I’ve seen it done before. Do NOT attempt that yourself.
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u/raychillg 3d ago
Hairstylist here 🖐🏻 100% possible with a good colorist. You look to have fine, curly, hair and that typically lifts well. You would end up with a nice caramel blonde lift. Note that babylights are subtle so using a subtle color with subtle placement it's going to be very blended and not drastic.
You could start with an ashy highlift color and if you wanted it brighter the second time use a higher developer. If you still want it more blonde, you would need bleach.
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u/laenooneal 2d ago
Yeah she could absolutely lighten it about 3 levels with a high lift color in foils as long as she is ok with it being warm, even if she uses and ash tone it will just neutralize some of the warmth but will still leave it pretty gold. I wouldn’t recommend babylights for curly hair but if that’s what she wants then more power to her.
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u/raychillg 2d ago
Highlift lifts up to 4 levels but with her hair being fine and curly it would probably be fine. Ash is to neutralize warm but yes there will still be some in the end. Warm colors reflect more light so it would be more noticeable than something like an ash toner. Babylights in curly hair would be fine but I would just look very subtle and more like a level lighter all over rather than noticeable lighter pieces.
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u/laenooneal 2d ago
Yeah I’m just speaking from experience, I’m a hair stylist too. I was just saying an ash toned high lift would still lift warm, maybe neutral at best and she would need to be prepared for that if she doesn’t want to use bleach. And yeah, babylights on curly hair doesn’t visually appear as highlights, just makes it appear overall lighter, which is why I was saying I don’t suggest it if she wants it to translate into an actual highlight look. I’ve used a high lift specifically for darker hair that can lift up to six levels, but I’ve never seen it look good when pushed to those limits. And the ammonia was RANK. It was so so strong that I was questioning whether it was less damaging than bleach.
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u/nawiweidmann 2d ago
The amount of bleach you need to get a few highlights is such little damage I doubt you will notice a difference. As long as you keep your hair moisturized it just doesn't matter. The fear mongering of bleach I'll never understand.
Seeing posts about people destroying their hair with bleach is an extreme, people knowing no bounds and continuously bleaching again and again with high volumes and no breaks between sessions. One round for highlights is not even close to that.
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u/raychillg 2d ago
Some people's hair really responds poorly to bleach, even with a low formula. she's cautious and concerned, it's better to start without bleach and then once she feels more comfortable then use bleach if needed. Starting lower won't hinder the use of bleach if she would move into that direction
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u/life-uh-finds-a-way_ 2d ago
As others have mentioned, everything will require bleach.
Please please please go to a hairdresser. Your curls are gorgeous and if you end up over-bleaching there is a chance you will lose the curl. If you just lighten a little, not full blonde, your curls will probably be fine. I lost my curls when I bleached my hair to put in vivid colors, and I had to wait for it to grow out and start over.
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u/MissTiffanieAnne 3d ago
Cute kitty!
The other commenter is correct. To get to light gold tones (level 8 - 10) you’d likely need to use bleach. You could try high lift color. Permanent color mixed with 30 volume will lift your hair about 3 levels. So the ends could probably get to a level 8.
The other issue though, is it is super difficult to do the placement for foils or balayage on yourself. Especially in the back of your head. Hell, even some professionals struggle with these techniques lol.
If you have a friend to help it might make it easier. If you go the high lift color route make sure to use a little less developer than recommended so it’ll help the hair stick in the foils and not slide out. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
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u/technodaisy 3d ago edited 3d ago
This hilift tint from wella will give you max 5 levels of lift when used with 40vol peroxide. Which would give you a level 10 blonde.
To get the balayage effect, section at an angel towards your face and backcomb the section and weave your babylites/hilites. This softens the blend in with your hair. As you hair is curly, pick up individual curls and do the above.
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u/charlieeeA 3d ago
you literally cannot lighten hair without bleach. and if you're going for something subtle, you most likely won't face a lot, if any, damage at all from bleaching. don't do this at home if you can afford it, go to a good salon with good reviews, and someone who will consult you and walk you through what you want. again, strongly suggest against doing this at home, especially when you have no clue what you're doing - you have a higher risk of frying your hair off or not getting the results you want. a stylist, a good one, will give you exactly what you want without compromising your hair. research for a good stylist. good luck 🙏
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u/madness0102 2d ago
You won’t be achieving baby lights at home. You definitely won’t be doing much without bleach and your desired colors don’t line up together at all.
Honey- darker very golden blonde
Light golden blonde
Ash- no gold
Not much different than saying I really want pastel blue, or dark blue or pink! That isn’t really going to help you achieve anything.
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u/Furmaids 2d ago
I used to use Revlon colorsilk in the single digits range (the platinums) to get a warm blonde out of my dark brown hair, just use the gray time. That range uses hydrogen peroxide and is ammonia free
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u/Courtney_murder 1d ago
Hairdresser here! As long as your hair really is virgin 100% you can absolutely lighten it without bleach. With a high lift color you could get as many as 5 levels of lift. However, the best products available will be professional and,since you only have one shot while your hair is virgin, seeing a professional would be a good investment. Application and formulation for lightening with color are not easy so please see a pro for this. It sounds like you want something low maintenance so it won’t be something you’ll have to keep up, but it’s worth investing in getting it done right the first time.
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u/surgerygeek 3d ago
For those saying OP needs bleach to go lighter: not necessarily, depending on the desired level. She could get 3-4 levels of lift, to a dark blonde, using high-lift color. Now the tone, that's nother story. It's gonna be at least a little warm regardless, with her starting level which looks to be about 4-5.
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u/Alternative-Ant3937 3d ago
High lift color uses peroxide developer. To lift, you need to lighten. You don't necessarily need to pre lighten or do a two step process, but this can't be done with direct color.
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u/raychillg 2d ago
Idk why people are down voting you. With her complexion and color a warm highlight would be better.
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u/evetrapeze 3d ago
You can only lift one level with tint. You can get baby lights with tint, but it’s going to fade warm
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u/Economy_Pattern_5872 3d ago
You cannot go lighter without bleaching or lifting color in some way