Will your hair go back to normal after bleaching it?

Author: Dr. Abigayle Greenfelder V  |  Last update: Friday, December 19, 2025

Especially for bleach hair, you'll have to grow new hair to get your bleached hair back to usual. The time it would take depends mostly on how rapidly your hair grows, but it might take anywhere from two to three years.

How long does it take bleached hair to go back to normal?

In summary, while some improvements can be seen in weeks, full recovery for severely bleached and damaged hair may take several months to a year, depending on individual circumstances and care practices.

Can bleached hair go back to natural?

Bleached roots will not go back to normal color. They will grow out and you will have new roots but the bleached roots will remain bleached until you color them to match your natural color. The tricky part with this is that you can not just slap color on the bleached area and expect it to match again unfortunately.

How to get hair back to normal after bleaching?

The following tips, tricks, and hair care treatments can help you start to repair your damaged hair.
  1. Wash your hair less often. ...
  2. Condition more. ...
  3. Use a hair mask. ...
  4. Dry your hair gently after washing. ...
  5. Keep brassiness at bay. ...
  6. Add a hair oil into the mix. ...
  7. Skip the heat styling. ...
  8. See your stylist for a hair gloss treatment.

Will your hair ever be the same after bleaching it?

How long does bleached hair last? In comparison to other dyes, hair bleaching is a permanent process which cannot be washed away over time. This is because the melanin, which gives your hair its colour, is stripped away from the hair during the bleaching process.

How long does it take for bleached hair to go back to normal?

Is my hair permanently damaged after bleaching?

The good news is that there are solutions for damaged hair. There are no 'long-term' effects from bleaching hair, however, immediately after first bleaching the hair, it becomes prone to damage.

Is it better to bleach dirty hair?

Keep in mind that color-wise, the end result will usually be the same whether you're going to the salon with freshly washed or dirty hair. Allowing oil to accumulate before bleaching your strands is solely to nourish your scalp and should have no impact on your desired color.

What cancels out bleached hair?

If your lousy bleach job has come out more yellow, you'll need a purple toner. Purple shampoo can help neutralize the yellow. If your hair is orange, you'll need a blue toner. Try a blue shampoo to tone the brassiness and get rid of the orange.

Will my hair ever be thick again after bleaching?

Damage from bleaching is not only permanent; it also continues to build up over time. This is because weakened hair strands will not be able to combat new damage with each successive bleaching session.

How do you fix badly bleached hair?

8 Ways to Fix Bleach-Damaged Hair
  1. Leave-in Conditioner. Using leave-in conditioner is a great way to bring moisture back into your bleached hair follicles and strengthen the hair shafts. ...
  2. Trimming. ...
  3. Avoid Heat Styling. ...
  4. Protein Treatments. ...
  5. Gentle Hair Care. ...
  6. Regular Hair Masks. ...
  7. Overnight Oil Treatment. ...
  8. Silk or Satin Pillowcases.

How to get back to original hair color?

Get your original hair color back
  1. Wait for your hair to grow. Let your hair grow back. ...
  2. Get a bleach wash. Go to your favorite salon to have bleach bath done right. ...
  3. Color your hair. Shoulder length hair with straight Bangs. ...
  4. Get balayage highlights. Balayage highlights are a new trend. ...
  5. Rock your growing roots. ...
  6. Cut your hair.

Can hair bleach damage reversed?

Open cuticles make your hair much more prone to breakage, split ends, and frizziness. While you can't undo all the damage bleach does, the fix here is to supply your hair with some added strength to prevent any additional breakage and achieve smoother strands.

Can you ever have virgin hair again?

Once you have processed or color-treated hair, it can never go back to being virgin. That's right, once you've dyed your hair, even just once, you lose your virgin strands forever. Virgin hair is a hair colorist's dream because it's also much easier to color hair that doesn't already have dye on it.

Can bleached hair go back to original color?

Getting your hair back to its natural shade depends on the current state of your hair as well as its health. Oftentimes, returning to your natural color takes several sessions with a colorist unless you're planning to let your hair grow out.

Does bleach ruin your hair?

However, in this transformation process, bleach can sometimes remove more than just color. Essential proteins, oils and lipids that maintain your hair's strength, moisture resistance, and shine can get stripped away. This can leave your hair dry, fragile and vulnerable to breakage.

Why is my hair so thin after bleaching?

When people bleach their hair, there is the time it goes on the scalp and penetrates underneath into the hair follicles, which will harm the skin barrier (acid mantle) and the microbiome and cause irritation and inflammation. This temporary type of hair loss is called telogen effluvium.

How to make hair healthy again?

How to Get Healthier Hair – and keep it that way!
  1. Step 1: Wash your hair less often. ...
  2. Step 2: Apply conditioner properly. ...
  3. Step 3: Use a hair mask weekly or as needed. ...
  4. Step 4: Protect hair when heat styling. ...
  5. Step 5: Minimize hair processing such as dyes, perms, relaxers. ...
  6. Step 6: Protect hair when going in the sun or swimming.

Can bleached hair be healthy?

If you take care of bleached hair it can be healthy, silky and shiny.

Is bleaching bad for thin hair?

Dyeing and bleaching fine and thin hair

Hair dyeing and bleaching can weaken or damage hair, making it break off faster. Of course, dyeing and bleaching remains a chemical process. Therefore, use a professional product that minimises damage to your hair.

Should I bleach my hair again if it turned orange?

Your stylist's colour-correction methods may vary, but it's likely they'll reapply bleach to lighten your hair to fully remove the orange, then tone your hair with an ash or light beige colour to neutralise brassiness.

How do you reverse the effects of bleach on your hair?

Deep conditioning is one of the best ways to repair bleach damaged hair. Deep conditioners penetrate the hair shaft and help to restore moisture and nutrients. Look for deep conditioners that are specifically designed for damaged hair.

What hair should not be bleached?

Tip 5: Know When You Bleach Your Hair

This is one of the most important hair care tips because hair that is brittle, dry or breaking, should not be bleached.

Do you shampoo after bleaching?

Avoid washing your hair for the first 48-72 hours after bleaching it. Give your hair ample time to seal in its new color. Because bleaching is such a volatile process, your cuticles remain open for longer immediately following a bleaching session.

Do hairdressers prefer clean or greasy hair?

While some hair types may hold better the second or third day of washing, in most cases it's best to visit the salon with clean, dry hair. Despite what you may have heard before proms and formal dances back in the day, it's actually preferable to work with hair that is free of oil and buildup.

Is it better to bleach wet or dry hair?

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.

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