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How To Bleach Hair Yourself

EyeEm woman with shorter blonder hair on a beach

It can be a long and intensive process when you bleach hair at home. If your hair is naturally dark, then it can take multiple applications and many hours of hard work to achieve the right shade. In the end, though, the result is a great head of hair and blonde locks you’ve always dreamed about. There are a number of things you can do, however, to help ensure you get blonde hair exactly as you want it. Here we will take a look at some of the best ways of how to bleach hair at home as well as some aftercare advice. 

Bleaching hair at home: getting started

Back view of woman with dyed light blonde hair

Bleach blonde hair is a classic look.

Before embarking on any kind of home bleaching, you need to make sure your hair is in top shape. The most important thing to ensure is that your hair has not been bleached or chemically altered in the last six months. If there is any existing color in your hair then adding bleach to this can alter or even ruin the final outcome. It is also very important to make sure that you have all of the products and tools you will need right in front of you before getting started: you don’t have the option of running to the drugstore when you are mid-way through bleaching hair at home!

Key items to make sure you have:

  • Old towels and t-shirt
  • Rubber gloves
  • A plastic mixing bowl
  • Shower cap
  • Clips for sectioning

Important: The strand test is there for a reason. Don’t ever begin applying bleach to your hair without first performing a test: an allergy to the chemicals used can be very serious if you have a reaction following a full head application. 

How to bleach hair: Quick tips

  • If you want to bleach your hair at home but still have it looking natural, then don’t lighten your hair by more than two shades. Also, keep in mind that for those with dark hair, your eyebrows will still be the same color and the contrast to your hair will be strong.
  • If you have naturally red hair and wish for bleached blonde hair, remember that special blonde color treatments are available that will avoid your hair having a yellow tinge after bleaching. These treatments help neutralize the yellow hue that can appear from natural red hair to bleached hair.
  • For those with blonde hair and who are after a lighter color, it’s possible to find bleaching hairspray, as this can lighten your hair by about one quarter per application. Sunlight and using a blow-dryer also help to intensify the effect.
  • For brunettes who are not a fan of having visible roots but don’t want to constantly bleach their hair blonde, then the blonette trend is a good idea. A hair stylist can add highlights to your brown hair, which will provide a natural look without a big contrast.

Best ways to bleach hair

For anyone coloring their hair blonde, the first task should be to ascertain exactly how light you want to take your color. Remember that the more drastic the change, the greater damage your hair will sustain! Be sure to pick out the right type of bleach and developer according to your plans: some are designed to change bronde hair to lighter sun kissed hues, while others can take brown hair to blonde shades, such as Schwarzkopf’s Keratin 12.0 light pearl blonde.

Using a hair mask in the weeks leading up to bleaching your hair will help to ensure you have locked in as much moisture as possible before the intensive procedure. For best results, bleach hair at home on hair that is not freshly washed as this can sometimes irritate the scalp and cause itching or burning. 

Whichever hair bleach you choose to use, the most important thing is to follow the instructions on the packet. Don’t think dyeing hair blonde is something that guesswork plays a role in: bleach is extremely strong and can even burn your scalp if left on too long. No bleaching product should be left in the hair for more than forty minutes.

Bleach hair blonde with toner

So you’ve learned the basics of how to bleach hair. Now what? The answer to this is invariably double-pronged: tone and moisturize. Think about bleach as stripping color off your hair, while toning hair neutralizes unwanted shades and helps enhance the final color. Typically, if you want a very ash blonde color, a purple-based product is what you'll need to get rid of all orange and brassy tones. Purple shampoo also helps to prevent rcently-bleached hair from turning yellow.

Finally, be sure to use a rich product like the Gliss® Ultimate Repair Anti-Damage mask along with a daily nourishing conditioning formula to help nurse your hair back to health following bleaching.

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