All you need to know before getting your hair bleached

What is bleach/how does it work?

Bleach is a lightening technique used on hair to make it go blonde. It works by opening the hairs cuticle and oxidises the hairs natural melanin leaving it colourless. Bleaching is one of the only ways to get your hair lighter. The bleach comes in a powder and is mixed with hydrogen peroxide to enable it to work.  

Your hair colour is made of a combination of different colour pigments, the darker your hair, the more pigments it contains. Dark hair contains red and orange pigments. Part of the bleaching process is stripping the visible colour from your hair eg. brown and then leaving you with a visible orange pigment. If your hair is left slightly orange after bleaching, it will just need bleaching again. Alternatively the bleach can be left on longer or a higher peroxide could be used. 

It is advised that you do not bleach your hair at home to avoid any mistakes. 

How can bleach be applied to your hair?

Bleach can be applied in a variety of ways to create different looks. Highlights and balayage are the two most common techniques that use bleach. Once your hair is lightened with the bleach, toners can be applied. Bright colours can also be applied to pre bleached hair to make them stand out more. 

You could also have a full head bleach applied to the scalp however, it can make the head burn and feel itchy as well as cause damage to the hair. It is usually advised that you try to avoid this treatment however if you wish to have it done see a professional.

Cons of using bleach 

• Split ends

Bleach opens the hair cuticles making it prone to split ends resulting in the hair feeling rough.

• Breakage

Over bleaching the hair will cause it to feel fragile and break. 

• Dryness

Bleach takes the moisture out of the hair, if enough moisture is not added back into the hair it can cause it to feel dry. 

• Yellow tones 

Yellow tones after bleaching are caused by not processing for long enough. Although yellow tones may look frightening at first, they can be easily removed with toners and purple shampoo. However that is just a temporary fix and will only last a few weeks before looking yellow again. 

3 tips for looking after bleached hair.

• Hair masks/treatments

You need to add moisture back into the hair after using bleach. Investing in a good conditioner and treatment will make your hair feel amazing. 

• Regular trims

After a while the ends of your hair can start to look untidy. Having regular trims will make your hair look healthy by removing the dry split ends and encourage it to grow.

• Heat protectors 

Heat protectors help seal the moisture into your hair / reduce frizz. Creates a barrier between the hair and heat.