Advice On Dying Very Dark Hair?

Hey everyone!
So I’m feeling like my annual dye-my-hair-a-crazy-colour day, but this year I’ve decided to be mature because I’m at university so instead of dyeing it blue or pink I want to dye it natural. I’m a guy, I have very dark brown (almost black) mid-length thick hair and fairly pale skin.
I wanted to go platinum blonde but I know from past experience that it’s virtually impossible to do this at home with my hair colour and I’ll end up screaming for my mum with a bleeding scalp.
So, how do I go lighter brown? Would I simply be able to bleach it once and then dye over it with a brown colour?