No Heat Styling Tools or Chemical Treatments Heat styling can both strip your hair of moisture and cause heat damage, which is counterproductive when you're trying to boost your hair's strength and moisture before bleaching. Ditto for other harsh chemicals.
Tip 6: Don't Wash Your Hair Before Bleaching It
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.
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.
Is it better to bleach clean hair? Yes, it's better to bleach clean hair. Oily hair can look darker. It depends on the color service. For matching natural hair color, cleaner hair is better. For global blonding, a couple days build up of natural oils is good.
A bleach bath typically lightens hair by about 1-2 levels, but the result can vary based on factors like hair colour and processing time.
It's best if you don't go up more than four levels in one sitting. You can go four more levels up after two-three weeks to get the lighter hair shade of your choice. Going from dark to light too quickly can cause your hair to become dry, brittle, and weak. It's not worth risking your hair by using bleach.
Do you put bleach bath on wet or dry hair? As its name suggests, a bleach wash for hair is applied to wet strands. This allows the formula to spread faster and more evenly throughout the hair and dilutes the potent formula so that less damage occurs compared to a regular bleach process.
Bleaching wet hair creates a diffused, soft effect, and the resulting color covers a larger surface area. Whereas, bleaching dry hair allows you to achieve more targeted results.
Coconut oil, with its rich fatty acids, might coat the hair and potentially minimize some of the damage caused by the bleaching process. Here's a caveat: the science on this is not entirely conclusive. Some hairdressers swear by it, while others recommend other treatments.
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.).
You might want to nourish your hair with a thirst-quenching hair mask a couple of weeks before bleaching too. We love Aveda's Botanical Repair™ Intensive Strengthening Masque which conditions, strengthens and repairs hair, ensuring your locks are in prime condition before you head to your appointment.
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!
Combine a fourth cup of strong chamomile tea with one fourth cup apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spray the mixture to saturate your hair, let dry, and leave in overnight. This hack can also be used in the sun to increase its lightening effects.
It is recommended to use a clarifying shampoo for a bleach bath, as it helps to remove any buildup on the hair and allow the bleach to penetrate more evenly.
Coconut oil can have many benefits for your hair and scalp. It is used to relieve dandruff, restore luster to dry and damaged hair, tame frizz, and protect hair against styling damage. It is safe to use on all hair types.
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.
Don't Shampoo Right Before Bleaching
While there is some debate around whether dirty hair is better than clean, most experts agree that you should not wash your hair for at least a day or two before your treatment. “Avoid washing your hair the day of chemical treatments,” said Canale.
To help nourish your hair before bleaching, apply coconut, argan, or avocado oil throughout your strands.
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.
Bleach washing is a gentler and easier approach to lighten or lift out darker pigments from your hair. A bleach wash uses a bleach mixture blended with shampoo and applied to wet hair. It blends through wet hair quickly and is easier to apply than regular bleach treatments.
Bleach works best on dry hair; preferably dry hair that hasn't been washed in a while.
It features crushed violet pigments that neutralize style-ruining brassy and yellow tones. 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.
Remember that 40 vol bleach can cause burns, so should be kept well away from the scalp, plus will leave the hair cuticle wide open. A good quality bleach used with a 30 vol or even 20 vol developer can be equally effective at lifting dark hair with less damage.
You want the hair cuticle to be open for toning. Towel-dry hair to about 65 - 75% dry then start toning. Usually color & bleach is on dry hair, even toners and colors that do not require developer; however toner that uses developer is recommended on towel dried hair.