Whenever women want a change, they often experiment with their hair. It’s an easy decision, and you can cut it or dye it and always wait for it to grow out, or change it back later if you don’t like it. Have you ever considered it safe to bleach hair? This is a popular choice for dark-haired girls specifically, and bleach can be used to oxidize the melanin that gives your hair its color.
Even if you are confused about bleach and how to lighten hair, you still have to bleach hair first. But it can be expensive in a salon, and not everyone has that kind of time or money to bleach hair at salon. So doing it at home is a reasonable alternative, as long as you’re up to date on your facts, and careful to take a few precautionary measures, since it can be rough on your hair. Follow the steps mentioned below if you want to know how to bleach hair at home.
How To Prepare Before Bleach?
Before you bleach your hair, you need to make sure that your hair is prepared. Don’t bleach your hair if it’s very damaged. It’s also most effective if your hair has never been dark before, and is a lighter color, like light brown. So what else should you make sure to do?
- Don’t process your hair for three months before bleaching. If your hair is already colored, also wait a similar amount of time, and try to style your hair with heat a lot less.
- Use a lot of conditioning masks at least for two or three weeks leading up to the bleaching job. Use ingredients like coconut oil, bananas, avocados, etc. in your masks. Don’t wash your hair for a few days just before you bleach, because it can annoy your scalp after you bleach.
- Use coconut oil on your hair the night before you bleach. It’ll help protect your hair from moisture loss that’ll come with bleaching.
How to Bleach Hair – Process
- Get bleach powder from a renowned brand, and also get some developer or peroxide. The volume of the developer depends on how much color you need to get lifted off. Higher developers damage hair more, so start on the lower end. If you’ve got thin hair and a scalp that’s a bit sensitive, it’s also better to use a low volume developer (not too low, however, that no color will be bleached).
- Now the actual bleaching. After mixing the bleach powder and developer, wear some rubber gloves and use a dye brush to apply the mixture on your hair. You can also wear an old T-shirt so that you don’t damage your clothes.
- Section your hair and apply it to the bottom, then go higher. Make sure you get the bleach to the roots. When all of it is done, cover your hair with a shower cap.
- Wait for about 40 minutes (not longer), and keep checking in the mirror to make sure your hair is bleaching.
- Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner, and let it air dry. Some people also like to use a toner at this stage. This is great try if you are wondering about how to bleach hair safely at home.
BleachingWhat To Do After Bleaching Your Hair?
Bleaching can be quite a draining process for your hair. You also need to maintain it since you put so much work into bleaching it!
- After you’ve bleached your hair, wait two weeks and then start using purple shampoo. It will help to preserve the color. Don’t use it every time you wash your hair, but use it every few washes.
- Use more natural products, since the whole process of bleaching can be very chemical. Try to add more natural products to your hair care routine to balance it out.
- Don’t use too much heat on your hair, especially immediately after you’ve bleached your hair. If you must heat style your hair, invest in a good heat protectant so you can spray it in beforehand.
- Oil your hair regularly, to nourish it. Try to do this at least twice a week, or once a week at minimum.
So yes, bleaching can be quite rough on the hair; it can dry out your hair and make it frizzy and delicate. But if you invest a lot of time in purchasing the right products and are particularly careful about hair care after you’ve bleached your hair, everything should be fine. A lot of people bleach their hair at home, and it’s totally doable. Anyway, remember, it’s just hair. If you mess up, you can always fix it eventually, and it’s no big deal.
Also Read: Is Coloring/ Dyeing Your Hair Safe
