Bleach and redye is the best way to go but whether you have to to pass depends on your history the past 3 months. My only extra tip would be follow the Jerry G method exact with the added stuff I did but as you can see I didn't and past with my smoking history. If you really need to pass I would do the bleaches just to be safe. As for shaving wait 10-14 days after last hit so all new hair growth will be clean and trim before test if you want to be certain they take from your head.And yes I rinsed out the baking soda before starting zydot.