If your hair feels dry and damaged, spend some time repairing before you bleach it. You can do this with deep conditioning treatments and by letting your hair dry naturally, without the use of styling products or tools.
Professional hair stylists generally recommend waiting at least 2 weeks to between applying any chemicals to your hair; this time frame may be shortened or lengthened depending on how healthy your hair looks and feels. [2] X Research source If your hair looks and feels healthy after you’ve dyed it, waiting 2 weeks before you bleach it will likely be fine.
If possible, leave coconut oil on your hair overnight before bleaching. Some people even claim that the oil can help the bleaching process, although there is no real evidence for this. Coconut oil is made up of molecules that are small enough to penetrate the hair shaft, making it an effective choice for moisturizing your hair. [3] X Research source Besides being a moisturizer, coconut oil has many other benefits such as providing shine and softness. It also works against dandruff and stimulates hair growth.
What to look for: low pH, oil (argan, avocado, olive), glycerin, glyceryl stearate, propylene glycol, sodium lactate, sodium PCA, and alcohols that start with “c” or “s. ”[4] X Research source What to avoid: strongly fragranced products, alcohols whose names include “prop”, sulfates, and any products that claim to add volume to your hair. [5] X Research source [6] X Trustworthy Source American Academy of Dermatology Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists Go to source
As with shampoos and conditioners, only put things on your hair that will moisturize it.
If you must use a towel to dry your hair, consider a microfiber towel. They are made to prevent damage caused by improperly drying, and they also reduce frizz. If you simply must style your hair, consider using no-heat alternatives to straightening and curling your hair. Type “no heat alternative hair styling” into a search engine to discover a variety of methods.
Sally Beauty Supply is one of the most popular international beauty shops. Check to see if there’s one — or one like it — in or near your city.
Many stylists recommend using 10 to 20 volume. It will take longer for the mixture to lighten your hair, but it will also be much less damaging than using the higher volumes. If you have fine, fragile hair, use a 10-volume developer. For dark, coarse hair, a 30- or 40-volume developer might be necessary. [8] X Research source A 20-volume developer is your safest bet for effectiveness and gentleness, so if in doubt, choose that one![9] X Research source
When choosing a toner, take your skin tone and hair color into consideration. If your hair is too golden, you’ll want a toner shade that’s opposite gold on the color wheel such as a blue or violet ash-based toner. [11] X Research source Some toners need to be mixed with developers before being applied to your hair, while others come ready to apply. Both can be equally effective.
Whether you need a red gold corrector will really depend on your hair. People with darker hair, or hair that contains red, orange, or pink tones may find red gold correctors particularly useful in getting their hair extra white. Unless you already have ashy blonde hair that you’re trying to make white, you might want to err on the side of caution and purchase a red gold corrector, as they are fairly inexpensive at around $1 USD per package.
If you’re unsure of how much you’ll need, you’re better off buying too much than not enough. You can use any untouched packages later when you touch up your roots.
Purple shampoos are recommended for removing brassiness and yellow, unwanted tones from the hair. If you’re on a budget, at the very least buy the shampoo, which is more effective than the conditioner in keeping the brassiness out of your hair.
Do not use any metal as it can react negatively to the bleach. For towels, you can use old ones that you already have too; just make sure they’re ones you don’t mind wrecking.
To do a patch test, create a tiny amount of the mixture you will use on your hair and place a small dab of it behind your ear. Leave it for 30 minutes, wipe any excess off, then try not to touch it or get it wet for 48 hours. If after 48 hours that area of skin is fine, go ahead with bleaching your hair. To do a strand test, prepare a small amount of the bleach mixture and apply it to a strand of your hair. Check it every 5 to 10 minutes until it reaches the desired color. Note the time it took to reach this color so that you have an idea of how long it will take on your whole head. Another thing to pay attention to in the strand test is how damaged the hair feels after you’ve washed and conditioned the strand. If it feels very damaged, try a lower-volume developer or a slower bleaching process (i. e. bleaching your hair over several weeks instead of in one go). [12] X Research source If you only do one test, do the patch test, as a severe allergic reaction could be fatal.
Gloves are very important when bleaching hair to prevent chemical burns.
If it doesn’t, you’ll want to use roughly a 1:1 ratio between the powder and its developer. You may want to do one scoop of powder and then one scoop of developer, mixing them as you go.
Unless stated otherwise on the packaging, the ratio of developer to powder should be roughly 1:1 — 1 spoonful of powder per 1 spoonful of developer. [13] X Research source
Unless your hair is quite short, you’ll benefit from using clips to section off your hair as you work on it. Work from the back of your head to the front of your head. Wait at least 24 hours from washing your hair to bleach it. The oilier your hair is, the better, as your hair’s natural oils will help reduce the damage the bleach does to your hair and scalp. [14] X Expert Source Janet MirandaProfessional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist Expert Interview. 11 February 2021.
You can do this by massaging your hair around your head and feeling for any spots that are dryer than the rest. When you come across these spots, add some more of the bleach mixture to them and massage it into your strands. Use a mirror to look at the back of your head.
As the bleach works, your scalp may begin to itch and sting. This is normal. If the tingling and stinging become too painful, remove the plastic wrap and wash out the bleach. If your hair is still too dark, you can try to bleach it again with a lower-volume developer in 2 weeks if it’s healthy enough. Avoid the temptation to apply any heat to your hair at this point, as applying heat could wind up in your hair falling out completely.
If your hair still looks dark, reapply more bleach to the strand of hair, replace the plastic wrap and allow it to sit for another 10 minutes. Continue checking your hair every 10 minutes until it has become completely blond.
Your hair should be a yellow blond color. If it looks bright yellow, proceed to the instructions for toning. If your hair is orange or still dark, it’s necessary for you to bleach it again before toning. To keep your as healthy as possible, wait 2 weeks between bleaching. [17] X Research source Note that you won’t need to reapply the bleach to your roots if your roots are whiter than the rest of your hair. Just apply the bleach to the parts you want to lighten further. You may even want to stretch the bleaching process over several weeks. If your hair is quite thick and course, You might even need to repeat the process up to five times. [18] X Research source
You can tone your hair directly after bleaching it (just make sure the bleach is washed out first!). You will also likely want to tone your hair every couple of weeks in order to keep it looking white.
The ratio is usually 1 part toner to 2 parts developer.
Use a mirror to have a look at the back of your head to make sure the toner is fully covering your hair.
Check your hair every 10 minutes to ensure that you don’t end up with blue hair: use a towel to scrape some toner off a thin strand of hair to get a sense of what color it’s going. If your hair’s not the desired color yet, reapply toner to that strand and put it back up beneath the plastic cap/wrap.
If you missed a spot, wait a few days and repeat the process on the strand of hair in question.
Most of the time, you’ll want to let your hair air dry. If you must blowdry your hair, be sure to use the coolest setting. Avoid applying heat or otherwise manipulating your natural hair texture as much as possible, as this can cause your hair to break off — you could end up with chunks of hair sticking out from your head that are only an inch or two long. [19] X Research source If you simply must straighten your hair, you can achieve a straightening effect with a blow dryer and a round brush — do this as an alternative to using a straightener. [20] X Research source You’ll want to comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb. [21] X Research source
If you regularly work out/sweat or use a lot of products in your hair, you can likely bump this up to twice a week. You can also substitute dry shampoo for a wash. When you dry your hair, gently pat and squeeze it with a towel — don’t rub the towel quickly over your head as this can cause more damage to your hair. [23] X Research source
A good hair oil will keep your hair looking softer and less frizzy. Some people swear by extra virgin coconut oil to reduce frizz and help condition their hair.
If you let your roots grow longer, it may be more difficult to touch them up without having them clash against the rest of your hair. Since hair grows about . 5-inch (1. 25 cm) per month, you will likely need to do your roots every two months.
Be careful not to over-process your hair. If your hair is quite thick or long, you’ll want to section it off with clips. You might even find it useful to section off short hair so that you can make sure you get all the roots. Use the pointy end of the tint brush to work your way through your hair, painting the mixture on your roots, flipping the hair over with the end of the tint brush, and then painting the other side before moving on to the next chunk of hair.
If the rest of your hair could also use a tone, apply the toner to your yellow roots first, then pull it down to the rest of your hair. Remember to keep an eye on your every 10 minutes to make sure it’s not going too blue, silver or purple.
If you run out of the mixture but you still have all the ingredients you need, quickly mix this together and then continue applying the bleach to your hair. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes for you to make the mixture. If you need to go buy more ingredients, complete the bleaching process for the hair that you’ve covered in bleach (allowing it to sit on your hair until it’s blonde or until a maximum of 50 minutes have passed — whichever comes first). Then at your earliest opportunity, buy more materials and apply the bleach to your remaining unbleached hair.
Apply a clear alcohol such as gin or vodka to a cotton wool ball. Rub the stain and the area around it with the ball; this should move some of the garment’s original color over to the bleached area. Keep rubbing until the color has covered the bleached area. Rinse well in cold water. If this doesn’t work, you might consider bleaching the entire garment and then dyeing it with a fabric dye in a color of your choosing.
If you need to bleach your hair a few times to get it blonde, be sure to give yourself at least two weeks in between bleachings. After each bleaching, pay close attention to the quality of your hair. If it begins to feel very damaged, you’ll need to wait longer before you try again. Your hair should feel fairly healthy before you apply more bleach to it, otherwise you’ll risk it breaking off or falling out.
You can address the darker bands by applying a small amount of bleach to them and letting it sit for several minutes until the strip of hair is closer in color to the rest of your hair. These bands will generally become much less noticeable once you’ve toned your hair.
