Be gentle with your hair.
After bleaching, your hair needs some 'TLC', so be gentle and detangle your hair when it is still wet using a flat brush, as opposed to drying it roughly with a towel. And leave your hair to air dry whenever possible; it's time to decommission the dryer for the summer.
Go easy on heat styling
Bleach makes your hair brittle so that coupled with intense heat only causes your hair further damage. I love my Dyson Airwrap as it's much kinder to my hair & allows you to style you hair in beautiful ways without extreme heat.
The general advice before bleaching hair is to let your hair oils build up for a bit before slapping the chemical on there. To do this you can refrain from washing your hair for a few days before the process (if you can swing it). In addition to that I use my super secret Coconut Oil method.
Washing or rinsing your hair won't mess up the bleach job at all, we only recommend dirty hair because the natural oils can protect your scalp and prevent irritation. Bleach CAN eat through product, but I would recommend rinsing all product out just so it will be guaranteed to lift faster and more evenly.
Applying bleach to dry hair lets the lightening agent penetrate further into your hair cuticle and cortex to dissolve melanin, leading to a more vibrant and bold result.
If your hair tends to be oily, you'll want to make sure your wash window is within 24 hours of your upcoming permanent or semi-permanent dye job. For normal-to-dry hair, that window can stretch up to three days between washing your hair and applying at-home dye.
If your hair is very oily, wash it the day before coloring for best results. If you have normal or dry hair, wash 48-72 hours before you plan to color. The best base to apply hair color are strands with enough natural oil to keep them moisturized and protected, but not so much that it affects the results.
“I generally tell my clients to wait 48 hours before they wash their hair,” VanDyke says. During the first 48 hours after a color service, the pigments of the salon color are still settling—meaning if you shampoo your hair too soon after an appointment, it can cause your hue to fade quicker.
Hair stylists often tone bleached or blonde hair to neutralize brassy yellow and orange tones on bleached hair with a purple color. Purple shampoo is a great at-home solution for toning hair and preventing brassiness.
We recommend leaving the bleach in the hair for 15-45 minutes. Because some people will experience their desired lift in less time, always check the hair every 5 minutes or so throughout the process.
Use a purple or blue shampoo
Pick your toning shampoo based on the original colour of your hair before you applied the bleach. Blue and purple shampoos neutralise unwanted brassy tones to reveal a cooler blonde or light brown shade.
Avoid going outside in the sun right after getting bleached to prevent skin irritation and redness.
Greasy hair is the recommended hair condition for bleaching, as your hair's natural oils are well-equipped to resist the bleaching process, and protect the scalp from chemical damage. We recommend bleaching hair at least 72 hours post-hair wash for ultimate protection.
Stylists advise that bleach does not need to go on clean hair, and that it's actually healthier for your hair to be a little oily when you bleach. In fact, the oils in your hair help to protect your scalp during the bleaching process. So, however tempting it may be, do not wash your hair before getting it bleached!
In conclusion, it is recommended to come to your hair appointment with clean hair but not freshly washed or wet hair. Communication is key, so don't hesitate to ask your stylist for their preference to ensure you get the best possible results.
Global Bleaching is unlike Highlights, Balayage and Ombre because in just one session you can go from dark brown hair to the lightest tone, like platinum blonde, pastel lavender lust and Rose Gold. Also, it's unlike whole-headed bleach because when the roots grow out, the harsh line will show.
Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize. Bleaching hair is an extremely drying process, so it's important to infuse as much moisture into your hair ahead of time as possible. If your hair is already dry, brittle and weak, bleaching is likely not a good idea. Most hair professionals won't bleach damaged hair.
You should always apply your bleach mixture to your mid lengths and ends first, and then go back to your roots. Working through each section, saturate the mid-lengths and ends of your hair with your bleach mixture. Once you've worked through each section, it's time for the roots!
“There was a time when hair color was very harsh and you needed a barrier between it and your skin,” she says. That's not the case anymore: Today, hairstylists generally prefer the hair to be clean before dyeing it.
Don't shampoo immediately before dyeing your hair. Why? Because 1-2 days unwashed hair has a protective barrier on the scalp - it means there's less chance of any irritation and color pigment is better deposited. Also, just before dyeing, avoid using styling products (dry shampoo, hair spray, gels etc.).
If your hair is extremely dry and not washed often enough, it can lose its natural moisture with age. According to stylist Rosi Fernandez, director of Ananda Ferdi it is not advisable to go for more than a week without washing hair, as “follicles become clogged and do not get oxygenated,” she explains.