There are basically three chemical steps you go through when developing your film in a darkroom. The first one you use is the developer, which makes the image visible. After that you use something called a stop bath. This chemical basically stops the action of the developer, however some people use plain water instead of a stop bath. This chemical can also help clean the developer residue from the film, so it doesn't contaminate the next chemical used, which is called the fixer. This chemical makes the image permanent and light resistant on the negative.
Fixer is slightly corrosive so the film must be washed after fixer has been applied to it. Film can then be put into a bath of a hypo clearing agent or something such as selenium. It should also be treated with a solution that prevents hard water stains, then dried and cut into strips. With color negative developing, the silver halide crystals that are in the film emulsion have to be removed. This is called bleaching and can be done as an extra step or the bleaching liquid can be mixed in with the fixer. A small bottle of developer can be bought for about $10.
