Mixing Super Diluted Colors to Get a Silvery Color?

Arctic Fox Sterling Silver on my previous white hair faded to a medium green to a light green. The initial color of Arctic Fix Sterling Silver was great.

Boy that is a quagmire. You did a great job removing the pink. Silver is tricky, because silver is very close to purple but not purple. Mixing colors is tricky because I often tried to make a purple from red and blue dyes. Sometimes the red dominated, sometimes the blue dominated and sometimes did turn out purple from a mixture of red and blue. Some purples will fade slowly into a silver. The purple has to be either very light purple or a pastel purple. From a few decades of experience would suggest a blue based purple like Manic Panic Ultra Violet, Direction Violet, Punky Color Violet, etc. Blue based purple for my white hair some have faded from a very light purple into a silver. A pink based purple on my white hair has always faded to pink. I have never had a pink based purple fade to a silver. This is the best can suggest.

These are my suggestions and humble opinion.

Hmmmm. Good thoughts. I’m wondering if I could use some of my artic Fox periwinkle and some MP ultra violet. Super diluted. Maybe just almost like a very light toning conditioner.

Hm, I will say, when I think about a true metallic silver, I haven't really found a perfect substitute for silver dye. If I were to play around with mixes, I'd ideally start with something like Adore Blue Black, mix in a tiny bit of pink until it's got a slightly purple hue, then add in a tiny, tiny bit of yellow or orange to get to grey. It'd probably look more grey to start, but it will eventually, hopefully get closer to silver. If you don't have a muted blue black, you could probably apply a similar-ish theory to a pastel lavender shade by adding the tiniest amount of yellow or orange. If you listed out the dyes you had, maybe I could offer more specific suggestions.

She's got a ton of hair, so I'd play around with small batches before committing a lot of dye, as you don't want to waste it. You'd want it to look like a muted lavender in the bowl.

Okay. Lemme wake up a little more and rinse out my bangs and I’ll come back to ya with the long list. (Yes. I slept with foils in my bangs. I got tired. Man. I got super tired. I threw on a disposable cap, and then I feel alseep with my enchiladas sliding off my plate. Next thing I knew it was this morning.)

PS- I DONT have black. I’ve never had black. I would never buy black unless it’s for a specific purpose like this. Even to cover a bad dye job. Black is not what I will do it with. I learned my lesson with that in 1999. What color DOESNT come out EVER? BLACK. Though .... that’s actually not true anymore. I’ve seen some great results fading out and removing semi-permanent black. But, not a color this chick will EVER put on her hair. See photo below of my hair black. Just for funzies. But, unfortunately, when you need a thing, it’s ALWAYS that thing you DONT HAVE. It’s just not in my Arsenal. But, I will send a list of everything I have, even the colors I have from doing other peoples hair that I don’t use.

Also. I’m not sure we need to get to a “metallic” silver. She bought 11 boxes of Metallix silver. I made her return it because with all that hair, I’m NOT using even a deposit only level of developer on her. It’s too much freaking hair for me to be able to confidently get through it without damage and apply it without splotches. (Course, then she spent her money elsewhere thinking I just WASNT going to do it at all. SMH). What she wanted was something like Artic Fox Sterling.

So, I did some experimenting with some dyes I had on hand. I think I got a pretty good tone with Directions Neon Blue and a tiny, tiny, tiny amount of yellow and then diluted with loads of conditioner. The thing with Neon Blue, though, is that it looks purple in the pot, but it actually is a blue dye when you apply it. If you have any colours that fit that description, you might have some luck.

However, as I was testing, I really did start to feel like I was overthinking things, since the base you're working with is already a bit yellow. I think something like Periwinkle or Ultra Violet diluted would probably work fine. It might start off a bit more lavender, but it will hopefully fade down more silvery after a couple of washes.

HERE WE GO. I added an estimate of how much I have of each color, too. No point in trying to mix some thing up if I don’t have enough of a color to actually add in to the mixture.

Every Color I Have:

• [ ] Beyond The Zone Color Jamz - Raspberry Kamikaze - 2/3 of 4 oz bottle
• [ ] Beyond the zone color jamz – tripped up turquoise - 1/2 of 4 oz bottle
• [ ] Ion color brilliance - fuchsia - about a 1/2 tube
• [ ] Ion color brilliance – purple - about a 1/2 tube
• [ ] Ion color brilliance – sky blue - about a 1/4 tube
• [ ] Ion color brilliance - radiant orchid - about a 1/4 tube
• [ ] Ion color brilliance - jade (NIGHTMARE NEVER COME OUT YOUR HAIR GREEN!!!!) - about a 1/3 to 1/2 tube
• [ ] Raw color – kryptonite green - 2/3 of 4 oz bottle
• [ ] Splat - luscious raspberries - 2/3 of 3 oz bottle
• [ ] Splat – midnight amethyst - Unopened 6 oz bottle.
• [ ] Splat – turquoise reef - 1/2 of 1.5 oz bottle
• [ ] Splat – blue crush - 1/3 of 1.5 oz bottle
• [ ] Manic panic - electric banana - 3/4 standard jar
• [ ] manic panic – virgin snow - 1/4 of standard jar
• [ ] Manic panic-atomic turquoise - 1/4 of standard jar
• [ ] One N only Argan oil Perfect intensity – pure purple - 3 and 3/4 tubes. (Using a good bit on my hair though.)
• [ ] One N only Argan oil Perfect intensity – midnight blue - almost full tube
• [ ] One N only Argan oil Perfect intensity – pastel Bubblegum - almost full tube
• [ ] One N only Argan oil Perfect intensity – Scarlet red - unopened.
• [ ] One N only Argan oil Perfect intensity – pastel Lilac - almost full tube
• [ ] Arctic fox - cosmic sunshine - unopened
• [ ] Arctic fox-Periwinkle - almost full
• [ ] Arctic fox - sunset orange - unopened

THATS all I got.

So, I'd estimate you'd need at least four Manic Panic jars to cover all the hair comfortably, though I'd make sure you have room for extra.

If your Periwinkle is the normal 4 oz bottles, that's about 1/4 of the volume you need. How does the One N Only Midnight Blue look? Is it more of a purple or green-based colour? If it's the former, I'd probably use that to supplement the Perwinkle and add some conditioner to dilute it. If not, I'd add some of the Splat Midnight Amethyst to compensate. I might also just squeeze in all of your Ion Purple into the mix. It's quite a dull colour and fades out pretty fast to grey, which is what you want in this case.

Once you get the full mixture of lilac/lavender, I'd scoop out a small amount of it and gradually add tiny bits of yellow to it until it's just muted enough, but still generally purple. If it goes too green, add some pink. Once you figure out the ratios, you can add it into the bigger batch.

Man. You are like my color super hero at this point. Lol. Okay. So really what I want is to make some tiny batches in little Dixie cups to see what I can come of with..... I’ll play around with it. When I get a few that might work I’ll snap a photo and send it along. She will be leaving in 5 days. So, I will get on this today and be working on it while I finish my hair.

I’ll have to look close at that midnight blue to see what the base is. So, I’ll be throwing up photos and combos as I go through them today, if you wanna keep an eye on the thread. I just really want to get her finished before she leaves. Cuz - 1 -I HATE not finishing a “look” on someone else. 2- We were supposed to get matching tattoos before she left. But, the good shops here have shut back down Cuz we had a spike in covid. 3- My relationship with this kiddo was a nightmare her whole life. Mostly because she has Aspergers, but is super talented and smart. She was in special Ed classes both for disability and for gifted. And .... all the other adults in her life, went with the “cut her some slack. Quit expecting so much. You know she has problems” side of things. As a person who has dealt with learning disabilities my whole life... I raised my siblings... and a former educator, and the only person in the family who researched and learned exactly what she was diagnosed with and kept up with all the medical research... I knew that if I just let her have that “crutch”, she would certainly do exactly what all of her Drs. Said she would. “Never live in her own. She will either be living with her parents, or some kind of group home environment. She won’t be able to function in society on her own.” I called BS. I got so much crap from everyone because I REFUSED to let her get away with stuff. I expected her best. Just like I expect of myself and my other kids. I treated her the SAME as everyone else. I DID take things into account, and made adjustments for her. She couldn’t sleep at night. I figured out it was the TEXTURE of her bedding and pjs. We went through the store and I let her FEEL pjs and sheets and blankets and pick out the ones that felt right. She couldn’t keep her papers organized in a binder. Everything ended up in the bottom of her booksack cus she just shoved stuff in, instead of taking out her binder or a folder that opened sideways. I found an expandable file sorter that is designed to go into a booksack and has the opening and tabs at the TOP instead of the sides. This allowed her to still shove things in from the top, but at least she could quickly find the right TAB and shove in in the RIGHT pocket. She used it from sixth grade until 10, when I had to buy her a new one. Almost never lost her papers again. She got into fights at school for saying the wrong thing. She got really mad and had fits in class when there was an unexpected change in routine. I did “exposure therapy” at home by switching things up sometimes and keeping her calm, and I spoke to her like the intelligent PERSON she was, and not like a “poor baby” and explained things. I talked to teachers, and requested that if they knew something would be different in the class, that they slip her a little note right when class started, so she could take a few breaths and not have it surprise her. And through it all, SHE HATED ME. I MEAN, HATED ME. She didn’t understand that I was doing things to make her more capable and resilient and logical and emotionally strong. She didn’t understand that I was so focused on her learning and being the best she could be, that I was willing to let everyone else be her comfort zone, and let myself be the “bad cop”. Until she moved out. It took about a year. I missed her every day. I truly believed that if one of my children were going to disown me, it would be her. I didn’t want that of course. But, being mom isn’t about MY feelings. It’s a JOB. And that job is, from the moment of conception, to teach your child how to WALK AWAY FRON YOU on there own and be okay. It’s not about being their friend. Or being liked. There DOES have to be love and comfort for a child. But, no one else was willing to do the JOB. I had to allow her to get that love and confront from those who told me everything I was doing was wrong, and be okay with her hating me. About a year after she moved out, she messaged me, and she said words I will never forget. “Hey mom. I just wanted to tell you. I get it now. I understand why you did the things you did that always made me mad. I’m sorry I couldn’t understand it sooner. I hope you can forgive me. I was a kid and I didn’t know what I was facing in the real world. I know this is weird coming from me. But, I just want to say thank you for loving me so much that you were mean to me. I’ve been at BK for 9 months. They just gave me my second promotion and I’m a manager now. I know that’s because of you.”
And I keep those words printed out on the wall by my bed. Of all my kids, she has been on her own for three years now and has never once needed to ask me for ANYTHING. She has struggles. But, she works them out better than most people my age. When she first started at her job, she accidentally set the grill on FIRE. And she got FIRED. She gulped down her dear, and the next day, she went to the manager with a printout of her documentation of her disabilities, showed it to the manager, explained that she didn’t want to not get the job because she has Aspegers, and it was her first time ever applying for a job so she didn’t know to put it in there or not. She explained that she didn’t understand how her issues could affect her on the job. But, that she could figure it out if she could have another chance. Yeah. She set butler king on FIRE. And was rehired two days later. All in her own. And THAT is all I ever wanted for her. To be able to stand on her own. I don’t know how I got into explaining all this or why really. It’s just, that we have only very recently been able to HAVE a good relationship. Finally. And I really thought that would NEVER happen. And she is leaving the state. Moving away. So, I desperately want to get this done for her before she leaves. It’s ... a present I guess. Anyway. I’m sorry. I’m all teared up and stuff. It means a LOT to me that you peeps have stuck with me through the green swamp nightmare and now this too. A LOT. I don’t even know how to day thank you. Okay. I’m gonna go stop crying and start rinsing my hair and mixing stuff to see what I can get to make silver Grey.

OMG WHOA!!!!

During Quarantine...... WE GOT AM ULTA DOWN THE STREET. THEY HAVE HAIR DYE!!!

We have Punky Colours. They have BLACK. And other colors. Uberliss Bond Sustainer in “Platinum Jasmine Silver”. Lime Crime Unicorn Hair - has a Charcoal and an Squid (???) They have Artic Fox Transylvania (no Sterling according to the app.) And a Brite Silver Shampoo.

If I can get my husband to give me a little money..... I mean, I gotta do this CHEAP. So, what would be the BEST way? You guys think I should just go for the Uberliss and get enough to do her whole head? Or would it be cheaper to get a BLACK and mix it down? I’m leaning towards the black option. It would be like what? One bottle of black should make enough for a big batch of diluted silver right?

Getting one black dye and diluting it down with conditioner is the most cost-effective option, but it depends on the base color of each of the blacks. Punky (at least, the punky black I got from Ulta a few months ago) dilutes down to a cool toned purple, and the Arctic fox seems to go muted blue or purple, depending on the batch. That being said, the af black is the most pigmented dye they make and when I use it to put streaks in mine or my partner's hair, I use usually a pea's worth of dye to a tablespoon of conditioner, which usually ends as a super dark but not quite black grey.

Oops. Here’s the charcoal.

I didn't see this yesterday, soI'm guessing you've already made a decision, but if you're not super confident in mixing, I think a diluted version on On Mute or Charcoal will definitely be the way to go. They aren't the most pigmented in the world, but they are fine. That said, I don't think they stock all of the colours in store and those two might be online only. To do things as cheaply as possibly, I'd probably just get some Punky Ebony. I've used it in the past and I think it dilutes to a pretty good purpleish gray, which you can mute further with a very small amount of orange/yellow. You can probably make one jar stretch for her whole head, since you'll be diluting it lots, but I think there's a sale right now where two jars of Punky is less than one jar of Lime Crime. I don't really love Arctic Fox Transylvania, as I find it less pigmented than Ebony and it has a tendency to fade down green over time, so I'd be a bit worried.

Also, it's super sweet what you're doing for your daughter and what you've helped her with her whole life.

I wasnt able to get to the store yesterday. My husband said we have to wait till he gets paid tomorrow to see if he can give me money for this. Things aren’t usually this tight. Covid man. We got bit later on the financial end than most people because of the way his commission works. He gets paid several months LATER, on his sales. Basically, when the company he sells to pays their bill, to his company, THEN he gets the commission on his check. We knew if was going to happen this way. We tried to save extra for it, but, our front steps because dangerous to walk on, our back porch had been rotting, and the dog finally fell through the thing right by the door. (He’s fine.). So, we had to have new steps built for both. THEN, put AC unit leaked onto the floors and walls. We got the ac fixed. The floors and walls are still waiting. So, we aren’t exactly living paycheck to paycheck. There’s just not much extra. And you are absolutely correct, as usual. The only color of the Lime Crime they sell in the stores, out of the ones I looked at, is the Oyster. I would need probably three jars of that, plus something to darken her roots. If I can get the oyster, even one jar, I probably will. Cuz it’s perfect. Of I can get something to apply to her roots straight out of the bottle, I’ll do that too. If not, we’ll pray they have the punky ebony and go with that. Every 28-osh days, I get super tired and my pain levels amp up really bad. That was yesterday. So, I ended up not finishing my hair yesterday. I was in and out of sleep from 2pm till bedtime. I missed dinner cuz I couldn’t wake up. Just exhausted. I will finish it today and cut her hair. Every time I see her brushing it I want to scream. She just yanks her brush through it, with no product. YIKES. Thank goodness her hair is so think. Otherwise, there would be breakage everywhere. I’m glad she’s moving in with a couple of girls. I’m sending products with her and already asked the girls to teach her how to take care of her hair right. But, I’m going to get rid of the dead ends today, clean up the overgrown baby fringe at her nape, which will give us some test strands, and give her fresh long layers. I’m going to attempt to run some bleach through the roots to remove the remaining pink spots and feather the level 7/8 roots into her hair. If I can at least get THAT done before she leaves, I’ll feel better. Thank you, @vivienne. I guess I’m YOUR fan girl now. Lol. You are super awesome and helpful. I appreciate your kindness and your compliment about me doing stuff for my daughter. It made me cry a little. Not many people get how I feel about this child. I love her with everything I have and have so long been the “evil mom”. It’s super weird to sit with her in my bed while we draw and watch tv. It’s been super weird just having her here for a month. Before she moved out, being around each other for more than a couple hours, always ended in a fight. So, we agreed when we started to get closer after she moved out, that it was best for us to NEVER live in the same house again. Lol. Then stuff happened and I wasn’t going to let her be on the street and we literally risked the relationship we have started to finally have by having her come here while she waited till her move out date. Shockingly, we haven’t even ANNOYED each other. And we have spent almost every day together. So.... I dunno. I just really appreciate your encouragement.

Okily dokily. I was given just enough money this morning to purchase two jars of lime crime oyster and one jar of punky black. It was really the ONLY options I could afford. She says the oyster looks a bit too purplely. So, any suggestions on how to make it less purple and more pure grey? Should I add some yellow to it? Or some of the punky black? Or maybe her hair has enough yellow tones in it already to neutralize some of the purple?

I placed the order for pickup and will go get it when it’s ready. So, I guess that’s what I’m gonna be doing today and how every long it takes to get it done. I have MY hair almost done. But, it’ll have to wait to be finished until I finish hers. I’ll post updates as I get them. We have to cut and shape, bleach and feather the roots. Dilute, mix and apply the color. I don’t even have the energy for this right now. But, I’m gonna do it anyway. Thank you all so much for the suggestions and help. Time to pray to the hair dieties that this all works out.

Ughhhhhh. They only had ONE jar of the Lime Crime Oyster in stock!!!!! Now what?

I think you can get by with some Oyster and two Ebony jars. The Ebony should make the Oyster a bit less purple and the yellow from her hair should help with the rest. Do a quick strand test first (just wait like 20 minutes instead of the typical hours) to see if it's too purple. Oyster is such a soft colour, that I'm pretty sure the purple won't stay too long even if it shows up initially.

EDIT: I meant one Ebony. You probably won't need two since you're diluting it anyways. If you have two, it might be good just in case you don't have enough and you could always return the unopened jar if you don't use it.

Okay. This is what I ended up with.......

(Stupid Sally’s HAD LIKE A HUNDRED BOXES OF SILVER EVERYTHING!!!!) If I had just gone there, I could have gotten about 10 boxes, of this, which HAS to be thinned out because it’s so thick anyway, and slapped a bit of periwinkle in it and been GOOD.) But, I’m pretty sure I can make this work. So, bout to cut her hair. I’ll get my test strands from that and starting the color theory mixology. Lol. I feel so crazy on the head right now.