Hey!

I'm looking to dye some of my hair (just a little stripe in the back of my head) purple.

I have brown hair though, so I figure I need to bleach my hair there first.

I usually dye and highlight my own hair, but I don't really know how I should approach this...Should I wait a certain amount of time before I dye the bleach purple?

What kind of brands should I use if I do it on my own?

How much would it cost to do it on my own, and how much would it cost to get it done professionally. (Do they even do it??)

Thanks!

Well, personally if you don't know how to do it, it's best to go to the hair dresser instead of doing it on your own.

Never use Manic Panic. It makes you go bald.
A lot of brightly coloured dyes come with the colour already, but those are hard to find.
I'd bleach it with something from Garnier Fructis or Loreal.
Wait twenty four hours after you bleach your hair though.
If you don't, you would damage it to no end.

What do you mean by, 'they come with the color already?' Do you mean that they bleach it right away? (and thanks for the advice on Manic Panic.)

I've heard that those drink mix powders make good dyes. Is that true? Could I do it like that and cause less damage?

The bleach is a pre-treatment that is packaged seperately in the box.

The drink mixes do not work. It's easy to wash out. I wouldn't really suggest that.

I would just dye the hair with Raw and grab some damage control conditioner.

While I cannot offer any solutions to your inquiry on the self-dye job, I can recommend that if you decide to pay someone to do it that you perhaps see if there are any schools in your area that handle cosmetology or hair dressing. My sisters will typically get their hair dyed/styled at a local Paul Mitchel or Marinello school and pay a fraction of what it would cost to have it done professionally. Most of the men/women there are rather good at it too once they've reached their client hours. ^_^ (Sorry, I know this doesn't help with you doing it yourself, but just trying to help if your options take you elsewhere). =p