If you’ve ever attempted to bleach your hair, you would know that colors (no matter what kind you are using) always show up best on a plain white canvas. The same goes for hair, if you’re looking at dyeing your hair in a vibrant shade, then results will show up the best on lightened or bleached hair. Which is what bringing us here today, rolled up sleeves and armed with old-t-shirts aplenty. We’ll be taking you through the steps of bleaching your hair at home, the process is fairly simple but we’ve broken it down into detail to help you understand the significance of some of the steps! So, without further ado, let’s dive in and create the perfect blank canvas for our masterpieces on how to bleach your hair….
Now for things, you will need.
- Lightner/bleach
- developer
- protective gloves
- comb
- sectioning clips
- shower cap
- applicator brush (or use your gloved hands)
- disposables for creating the bleaching mix
- petroleum jelly
- an old-t-shirt/ protective sheet
Lastly, try to rope in another pair of hands to help you pull this off seamlessly especially if this is your first time.
Prepare to bleach.
- Bleaching freshly washed hair irritates the scalp. Make sure you have not washed your hair in 3-4 days as the natural oil on the scalp helps protect your hair from damage. If they love you on hair wash day, they should love you on Day 4 hair too, no?
- Wear a tee or a protective sheet to protect your clothes and wear gloves. Bleach irritates the skin if kept in direct contact for long. Trust us, we’ve had bleach even under our nails and it was not a pretty feeling (#themoreyouknow)
Split your hair into sections and tie them up with clips.
- The number of sections could be 4-8 depending on how thick the hair is. Sectioning makes the bleach application process simpler and faster.
- Make sure all sections are equal or mostly equal. (We're team 99.9%)
Make the potion; mix the bleach powder and developer as per the instructions provided.
- Add two parts of the developer for one part of bleach.
- The developer ratio varies from brand to brand. Make sure you mix them well without leaving any lumps.
- The More you Know: A developer is a runny, creamy white liquid that contains the chemical hydrogen peroxide. A developer is what lifts the cuticle layer of the hair and makes space for bleaching agents and colors to do the work. Ever noticed that in a box dye, you always get a tube of color and an additional bottle with a cloudy liquid? That is what a developer is.
Let's start painting; apply the mixture from the bottom sections of your hair.
- Start from the back working your way up to the top. Leaving 1-2 inches of the roots.
- The roots take less time to lighten as compared to the rest of the hair as the body heat from the scalp helps the bleach to work faster. Hence, we will pick them last once we have uniformly covered the rest of the hair.
- Remember to work fast while covering the roots or you might be left with a patchy bleach job. Once you are done applying bleach all over your hair, cover your scalp with a shower cap.
Let it rest; Keep the bleach on your hair for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Bleach lightens the hair faster if subjected to heat. Hence, you can cover your hair with some Aluminium foil; this will help hold some of the heat that’s emitted by the bleach itself. Kinda like how a thermos works.
- If you’re using Aluminium foil, you can slightly heat it from the outside with a hair dryer. Only slightly, or else the bleach will dry and will not be as effective as we would prefer it to be.
- Keeping the bleach for a longer period can damage your hair. You can always go in again. Keep checking on the hair in between to see if the bleach is reaching the levels you want.
Lastly, wash it out!
- We prefer to wash our hair after a bleaching session with a sulphate free shampoo or any other gentle shampoo.
- Deep condition the hair, this is the kind of conditioning that doesn't require therapy to come out of thankfully.
- Let your hair air dry and your blank canvas should be ready!
- A lot of people like to go in with a toner after these steps to remove any brassy or warm undertones from the hair. This is completely up to you and the result you desire.
FAQs
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Which hair colour does not damage hair?
Semi permanent hair color coats the strand of your hair, it results in no damage. Since it only deposits colours in your hair cuticles without opening them, it does not damage the hair at all. These dyes are safe to be used even on intensely bleached hair. If you are someone with bleached hair, looking to dye your hair safely without further damage, this type of hair color is perfect for you. Even with regular usage, semi-permanent hair color doesn't damage your hair.
PonyTres Semi Permanent hair color dyes are exactly what you need to satiate that craving for changing our hair like Nymphadora. These hair colors are gentle and non-damaging on the hair. Our semi permanent hair colors are for everyone. Even gentle enough to be used not just on hair but can be used on one’s beard and eyebrows too. Careful though! They aren’t edible as they seem.