Hair color is always one of the biggest changes we decide to make to our appearance. If you want a decent lightening of your hair but cannot or do not want to use the services of a hair stylist, you can easily do it at home Find out how!
How to Prepare My Hair for Lightening?
The basis for successful hair bleaching is to make sure your hair is in good condition. If your hair is dry or damaged, it’s better to hold off on bleaching and wait a few months. In the meantime, take care of your hair to restore its full health and shine. However, if your hair is fully healthy, follow these few rules and put them into practice before bleaching.
First of all, you must remember that your hair should be natural. If you’re new to perming or coloring, you should wait at least 3-4 months before bleaching your hair. Otherwise, you risk damaging your hair. You also need to take care of your hair regularly. 2 weeks before bleaching you should start using conditioners and deep conditioning masks. Try to avoid using heat (e.g. hair dryer) to style your hair.
What to prepare before bleaching my hair?
Successful bleaching of hair must be preceded by proper preparation. This includes making sure to use all the necessary products. What do you need?
Bleaching powder – it is definitely better to invest in a better quality powder if you don’t want to guarantee your hair a real disaster. Ideally, you should buy your bleaching powder from a hairdressing store;
oxidant – this is the peroxide liquid that activates the brightener. For this purpose, oxidized water is used. There are several concentrations of this product: 3%, 6%, 9% i 12%. The darker your hair or the more you want to lighten it, the stronger concentration you need. Keep in mind, however, that it can weigh down your hair;
brush;
hair clips;
latex gloves;
a glass or plastic bowl;
pH-restoring shampoo;
old towel and clothes;
moisturizing conditioner.
Bleaching your hair in 6 steps
Have you got everything prepared and are ready to lighten your hair? Here are 6 steps that will ensure you go through the process successfully. Before you begin, remember not to wash your hair 2-3 days before applying bleach!
Gloves and old clothes – by wearing old, unnecessary clothes and gloves, you’ll make sure you don’t damage your hands and body, and any discoloration on your clothes that was caused by the bleach won’t ruin valuable pieces of your closet.
Divide your hair – if you have long or very thick hair, it is imperative that you separate sections so that the top of your hair is separated. Then you can also successfully work with the back.
Prepare a mixture of powder and oxidant – it is important that the mixture for bleaching is prepared just before you plan to use it. Be sure to follow the instructions for this.
Apply the bleach to your hair – start with the strands at the back of your head and only then move on to the pinned up top hair. Once you have coated your hair with the brightener, wait for the time specified in the instructions. Important! Do not cover your hair as the brightener generates heat, which in combination with covering your head would end up damaging the strands.
Check your hair – depending on the strength of the brighteners, they should not be used on your hair longer than the time marked in the instructions. With weaker preparations (3% and 6%), the most common limit is 30-45 minutes. Whereas with stronger ones (9% and 12%) the maximum allowed is 15-25 minutes.
Wash and dry your hair – you can now successfully wash your hair. Remember to do this thoroughly to rinse out the bleach completely. If you don’t, this one will keep working and damaging your hair. Then balance the pH of your scalp with a balancing shampoo. Use a moisturizing and restorative conditioner before letting it dry.
