Should You Bleach Your Own Hair at Home?

Are you intending to lighten your hair but do not wish to go to the salon?

The temptation to bleach your hair might be strong. This is where you take out the colour of your hair in order to make it lighter. This DIY technique is not recommended for hair professionals but it can be done. This article will help you to know how to bleach your hair at your home. You’ll learn how long to put it on the hair and how to prevent irreversible harm.

How long can you leave bleach on hair when doing hair colour?
Bleaching does not have to be a one-size-fits all process. It depends on several factors such as hair texture and colour.

There are more factors that influence how long bleach remains on your skin.

• The colour you are aiming to achieve
• If your hair has ever been coloured before

What does bleach hair do?
Bleach is an aggressive product. It dyes your hair by widening up your hair cuticle to dissolve the colour (melanin). The more you leave the cuticle open, then the more protein bonds (keratin), are destroyed. Ammonia or hydrogen peroxide are two of the most commonly used bleaches. However, there are not many other products that can help prevent damage. Do not get fooled by “peroxide-free” labels. This is just a sign that one more oxidizing ingredient was used. It could have been even more damaging to hair.

What happens if your hair is left bleached for too long?
The belief that bleach works better when left on longer is false.
Bleach should be left on hair for no more than 30 minutes. Bleaching your hair for longer than this can cause serious hair that includes brittle hairs.

Other Risks of Bleaching

• You should not leave bleach on your hair too long. There are other potential dangers to this kind of process.
• Your hair may lose all of its pigment and become white.
• Hair could become white due to the oxidation process.
• Your hair might become weak and less capable of retaining moisture.
• One research revealed that bleaching caused hair to become much weaker. Even skin or scalp that was touched by bleach was affected.
• Bleach can also make hair porous. This occurs when hair cuticles are too spaced too widely. It makes it challenging for the strands retain moisture.
• Moderate porosity enables the hair look fuller and curls more easily. However, excessive porosity can cause hair shaft destruction and may lead to irreversible damage.
• You could see your hair lose keratin
• Bleaching can lead to hair loss of keratin. Keratin is a kind protein that makes hair.
• Keratin is essential for hair structure. Without it, hair becomes brittle and hard to style. When bleaching, it is very difficult to avoid keratin losses.

Are there other precautions you can take?
Three important points to remember before you decide to bleach your hair yourself at home.

Perform a patch-test before you begin.
Perform a patch test prior to bleaching your hair at home. There may be an allergy you are not aware of. A 16-year-old girl was admitted to hospital in 2012 for a one percent of full-thickness chemical burn at her nape due to bleach. You can also test your hair prior to bleaching to assess if your hair condition is suitable for bleaching. If your ends are kinked, they will look frizzy or frayed, please do not lighten your hair. Instead, you can find a clear glossy to smoothen things until your ends are reduced and you have healthier-looking strands.

How to conduct a patch-test
You can test your skin with patch tests before applying a product topically, such as hair dye. Here’s how you can do a patch-test:

• You can wash your forearm with an unscented, gentle soap and dry it.
• A few drops of hair dye can be applied to an area on the inner forearm.
• You should wait 24 hours.
• If your skin patches are red, itchy, blistering or swollen you have an allergic reaction and should stop using the dye.
  NOTE: If your forearm is red or irritated within the 24-hour time period, wash it immediately with soap and warm water. Do not apply the dye to your head or hair.

Please read the instructions carefully
It is recommended that clients always follow professional procedures, such as wearing protective eyewear and gloves when doing bleaching at home. As in a professional hair salon, you should check for the hair’s lightness. It is recommended that the first check should take place after ten minutes. Then, you can go back and do another check every 5-ten minutes until you reach thirty minutes. If the results you are looking for do not appear after thirty minutes, rinse out the mixture and start over. Follow these directions and do not leave the bleach on for more than one hour.

Assess the type of hair your have
Some hair kinds cannot take the strength of bleaching. Bleaching should not be done if you have chemically treated your hair. This product is not for you and your head will literally turn to dust if it uses lightener. You can still bleach curly hair but you should be very gentle to the curly texture. When applying bleach, do not pull the curls.

How can I take care my hair after a bleaching treatment?
These tips can help you restore your hair’s softness and health after bleaching.

• Use pre-shampoo conditioners three days before and after bleaching
• Apply a post-colour bond builder treatment like Olaplex
• Use a nourishing scalp mask
• Use a thermal protector to protect your hair when styling it with an iron or blow dryer.
• Use a light-weight protective spray or serum each day
• After shampooing, use a conditioner for your hair
• Be gentle with your hair, and do not brush too hard.
• Wash hair with lukewarm to avoid drying out
• Reconstructive products are recommended
• You should wait between 6 and 8 weeks before bleaching again

There are pros and cons to bleaching at-home vs. professional hair salons
Consider these pros and cons when deciding whether to dye your hair at-home or at a hair salon.

There are pros to going to a professional hair salon
They know what they are doing. It is best to let the professionals make the harsh changes to your hair. If you are trying to make a dramatic change, like going from dark brown or platinum blonde, it is best to visit a hair salon. These experts can also guarantee full coverage because they are well-versed in the bleaching process. If you try to do it yourself, you may end up with blotchy spots or even burnt on your skin and a colour you do not like.
They can even do an after-colour treatment. A professional hair salon also offers an opportunity to do an after-colour bond builder treatment. This is a great way for you to avoid damage. These bond builder treatments are usually applied to the shampoo bowl and provide a strong burst in moisture and nourishment. Olaplex is a popular post-hair treatment that hairstylists use to repair hair bonds and prevent hair from breaking.

There are pros to bleaching your hair yourself
It is of course cheaper to do it yourself. A hair salon can charge anywhere from $ten0 to $200 for a bleach. This will depend on the length and thickness of your hair as well as the current hair colour. It’s more expensive but you get the best results. You’re more likely than not to leave the hair salon with the exact colour you desire and less damage due to the high-quality products they use.

Cons of bleaching hair at home
You are working with very intense chemicals. Bleach is an abrasive compound that must be handled carefully. Bleach has a high pH, ranging from 11-12 and the high pH can literally rip your hair off if you use it incorrectly. Processing can be confusing and complicated when come to processing of hair

Cons of bleaching hair at the hair salon
The stylist will be looking at your hair while you have it bleached. They also know what’s normal and unacceptable. For instance, that bleach can cause a discomfort on the scalp and the stylists will advise you accordingly. Those with double-processed blondes have to deal with a lot of discomfort about their hair colour.

Takeaway
You must be careful when bleaching your hair at-home. It is important to follow the instructions and use protective material. The most important thing is to not leave bleach on for too much time. You could end up with brittle hairs and irreversible damage. You can always talk to a professional if you have any questions about how to bleach your hair at-home.