Bleach for Hair: The Ultimate Guide to Going Blonde!

What You Need To Know Before Bleaching Your Hair

Whether you’re doing it yourself or at a salon, there are some important things to consider before you bleach your locks. Here’s what you need to know before you get started: 

What Is Hair Bleach?

Hair bleach is a chemical product that, when activated by developer (hydrogen peroxide), lifts the natural pigments from your hair, leaving it lighter in color. Hair bleach can help you go full-on blonde, give more subtle highlights, or transition to a vivid color like bubblegum pink or neon green. 

Hair bleach comes in different forms including powders, creams, pastes, and liquids. The bleach that’s right for you depends on a variety of factors including your hair type and how light you want to go. 

You can bleach your hair by yourself at home or go to a salon to have a professional do it for you. Either way, it’s important to do your research so you know exactly what you’re getting into.

The Many Shades Of Blonde 

If you simply decide you want to be blonde without considering what shade of blonde you actually like before the process, you might be disappointed by the results. There are many levels of bleached hair and many different shades of blonde to choose from. 

There are warmer shades like caramel blonde, honey blonde, and golden blonde, as well as cooler shades like ash blonde, platinum blonde, and icy blonde. It’s worth doing some research on which shades you love so you know exactly what products can get you there, or what to tell the hairstylist when you’re in the salon chair. 

Choosing Your Blonde

Finding the perfect shade of blonde to complement your complexion and features can be difficult, but we have some general tips to help make that process a bit easier. 

It’s important to note that these tips are just suggestions. The right hair color for you is largely a matter of preference. You should feel free to explore and experiment

• If you have fair skin…cool-toned shades like ash and platinum blonde can gorgeously complement your fair complexion. Shades with golden or yellow undertones can also add warmth to your light skin and offer a naturally luminous look. 

• If you have dark skin…warm shades like caramel blonde, with its rich golden undertones, and honey blonde will complement your complexion and give a sun-kissed glow. 
• If you have olive skin… a buttercream blonde, which has a mix of both warm and blonde tones, looks natural and balances the warmth and coolness of olive skin. 

If you just read all of that and are still lost, not to worry. Do a quick google search of celebrities or public figures with skin tones and features similar to yours. Do you think their blonde suits them well? If so, use that color as your reference. 

Choosing To Go Blonde At A Salon

If the thought of bleaching hair yourself is daunting, going to a salon is a great option. If you choose to do so, here’s what you should keep in mind:

Go By Recommendation

Finding a salon you love and a hairstylist you trust will make this process a lot more comfortable. Ask your friends for recommendations, check out review sites, and look at social media accounts to see examples of your tentative stylists work. 

It’s important to find someone who’s experienced in coloring blonde hair specifically, as dying hair lighter tends to be a more complex process than going darker. It helps to find someone who’s up-to-date with the latest techniques and technology too. 

Have A Consultation

Whether you’re new to bleached hair or going back to blonde for the 10th time, a consultation with a stylist will always help you find clarity on what you’re looking for and provide more context into the process.  

Ask questions so you know what to expect. You might want to walk out of the salon with a perfect platinum á la Gwen Stefani, but if you’re walking in with jet black hair, that’s probably not realistic in just one session. You may actually find that going a few shades darker than your target blonde initially will help you gradually get to the bright, bleached blonde you crave without damaging your strands too much. Chatting with a stylist will give you all the answers you need to understand the hair lightening process and move forward with it comfortably.

Bleaching Hair At Home

If you’re wondering how to bleach hair at home, keep reading. While bleaching your locks at home is convenient, accessible, and more affordable than a salon treatment, it’s no easy feat. The process takes some patience, practice, and a whole lot of research. Luckily, we’ve done a lot of that research for you. 

Do A Strand Test First

Hair grows back, so your bleaching results are never permanent. That said, a bad bleach job could rough up your hair for weeks or months. And since the point of this process is to leave you with a hair color you love, a strand test is the best way to avoid any mishaps. 

Even if you know how to lighten hair and have done it multiple times before, it’s always worth a small strand test. 

Before you start applying bleach all over your head, you’ll want to test the product on a small strand of hair (about a quarter-inch thick) to see how your locks react and how light you can go.

Grab the strand, apply the mixture evenly from root to tip (avoid getting bleach on skin), wrap it in plastic or foil to aid the lightening process, and check the strand after the time indicated on the product packaging–this is usually 20-30 minutes. 

How do you know if the strand test is a success? If your hair has lightened but still feels normal and healthy, you’re good to go. If hair feels very brittle or dry, that’s a sign that the bleach damaged your hair. It’s best to skip the bleach altogether to save yourself from further breakage and possibly permanent damage to the hair shaft. 

If your hair became orange or you’re confused on how your strands took to the bleach, we recommend going to a professional to continue the process. 

Sourcing The Right Products

These days, bleaching hair at home is easier than ever. Not only are there a plethora of free resources online to help guide you through the process, but there are so many different products available online. 

You can’t bleach your hair without the proper tools. You’ll need…

• Gloves to protect your hands from the bleach, which is strong and can easily irritate your skin. 
• A mixing bowl to mix developer and bleach
• A shower cap to keep the bleach from drying out and help ensure even processing. 
• Old towels 
• Sectioning clips to section your hair into multiple parts. This ensures each chunk of hair is adequately bleached for an even result. 
• A hair dye brush to apply the bleach seamlessly.