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How to Bleach Hair Blonde

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Bleaching your hair blonde at home is a risky job; however, the right products and some patience is all you need to save you money from going to a salon.

Edit Steps

  1. 1
    Find a friend or relative to help.
  2. 2
    Use professional hair bleach. Do not use household bleaches or Clorox.
  3. 3
    Make sure you have not coloured/bleached your hair for at least 4 weeks, so that your hair doesn't get over-processed.
  4. 4
    Leave conditioner in your hair for at least 30 minutes the night before you decide to bleach.
  5. 5
    Depending on your hair colour, you will need to buy yourself a pair of gloves, a plastic bowl, and colour applicator brush, along with 'blonde powder bleach' and peroxide. Use volume 30 developer. Volume 40 can be used as well, but keep in mind it is extremely harsh and will cause severe damage to your hair.
  6. 6
    Bleach will work most effectively if the hair is completely dry and clean of products/hairspray.
  7. 7
    Mix the bleach and peroxide in the bowl.
  8. 8
    Section your hair starting from the back.
  9. 9
    Get a piece of foil and place it underneath the hair, use the applicator brush to spread the bleach on the hair. Leave it one centimetre from the roots. When done, fold the piece of foil and leave to set.
  10. 10
    Continue sectioning the hair, and applying bleach.
  11. 11
    When you have covered all the hair with bleach (apart from the roots), constantly open up the foil and check how the colour is processing.
  12. 12
    When the hair in the pieces of foil have gotten to a yellow stage, start applying the bleach to the roots. Simply 'painting it on'. It may seem a little messy at first, so make sure you do not get bleach on your skin or it may itch.
  13. 13
    When the roots have become white-blonde, and the hair in the foils have become white-blonde (usually takes 30-45 minutes at most) you can begin to remove the foil.
  14. 14
    Wash your hair under warm water with any sort of shampoo, as long as you massage the scalp well to remove all the bleach.
  15. 15
    You can apply blonde toner conditioner (or purple conditioner) so that all brassy and orange bits are neutralized; however, if you do not have this, you may need to apply more bleach the next day to the orange bits on your hair.
  16. 16
    Leave the conditioner in for at least 30 minutes, and then wash out, and let the hair dry naturally.
  17. 17
    Do not straighten or blow-dry your hair for at least 12 hours, to prevent breaking the hair.
  18. 18
    Apply serum or leave-in treatment to the hair.

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Edit Tips

  • To maintain the blonde colour, you will need to bleach your re-growth every 4-5 weeks.
  • Make sure you are using deep conditioning treatments frequently within the 4-5 weeks.
  • If you are not satisfied with the colour of your hair after the first attempt at bleaching it. Don't stress! Wait 24 hours, and bleach the bits that are orange, or the pieces of hair you missed, etc.
  • The worst thing to do is bleach your hair, then get freaked out by the result, and immediately dye the whole hair darker again. This will not only damage the hair, it will also over-process the hair and chunks may start to fall off your scalp.
  • If you still think the hair is brassy or not-right after the 2nd attempt of bleaching it, go down to your local hairdressing supplier store and get your hands on some professional toner.
  • If this still does not fix your hair, try making an appointment at a hairdressing salon.

Edit Warnings

  • Only ever bleach your hair after 24 hours of bleaching it previously. Failing to do so may result in hair falling out!
  • Bleach will stain clothes, and make your skin itch, so make sure to wear gloves and protective clothing.
  • If your scalp is sensitive or you have dandruff, please be advised to keep bleaching to a minimum.
  • Volume 40 developer is extremely strong and will more than likely severely damage and your hair. It could even cause it to fall out.

Edit Things You'll Need

  • Blonde powder bleach
  • 30 or 40 volume peroxide
  • Plastic bowl
  • Gloves
  • Applicator brush
  • Foil
  • Shampoo and conditioner

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Article Info

Last edited:
May 14, 2012 by Ttrimm

Categories:
Coloring Hair

Recent edits by: Sara2871, Kayla lee, Slenderman (see all)

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