- If your hair is in good condition after bleaching, you can straighten it with a straightener two or three days afterward. It’s essential to use a heat protectant before straightening.
- If you can’t detangle your hair, if it breaks when wet, or if it goes frizzy after bleaching, you can straighten it with a straightener two weeks afterward.
- If you want to apply a professional straightening treatment after bleaching, I recommend you wait at least two weeks. In the meantime, apply deep repair treatments.
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If you want to straighten your hair after bleaching by using either a straightener or a professional treatment such as keratin, for example, first check your hair’s condition and health.
Because that will affect how long you should wait to straighten it after applying bleach.
What you want to use to straighten your hair will also affect the time you must wait.
Straightening with a straightener isn’t the same as straightening with a professional treatment. Some professional treatments involve using keratin, a blow dryer, and passing a straightener several times through each section of hair at very high temperatures.
So, first things first.
What’s the condition of your hair after bleaching?
Take a good look at your hair.
- Does your hair break off when you comb it?
- Can you untangle it when it’s wet?
- When it’s dry, is it stiff and dull?
- Is it rough to the touch?
- Does it go frizzy?
If you answered yes to any of these questions , your hair was likely badly damaged by bleaching. It won’t withstand the heat from a straightener or professional straightening.
Therefore, before straightening, you should start with an intensive repair routine. And in the meantime, you can try other ways to straighten hair without heat.
If your hair doesn’t show any of these signs, you can safely straighten it. And here’s how soon you can straighten your hair after you bleach it.
How long to wait to straighten your hair after bleaching it
Remember that we’re talking about hair that’s in good condition after bleaching. What does “in good condition” mean?
It means that the only problem you notice in your hair is dry ends. It’s not brittle or frizzy.
- Therefore, if your bleached hair only has dry ends , you can straighten it two or three days after bleaching. Remember, you must use a heat protectant before straightening. You should also regulate the temperature of the straightener.
- If your bleached hair is dry and frizzy , I recommend waiting at least two weeks to straighten it.
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And during those two weeks, apply intensive repair treatments with keratin masks and natural oils. You should also wash your hair with shampoos and conditioners for damaged hair.
If you straighten hair damaged from bleaching, you will only ruin it with the heat.
Don’t forget that during the bleaching process, your hair cuticles open. And it takes 48-72 hours for them to close. If you pass the straightener through your bleached hair while the cuticles are still open, the only thing you’ll achieve is burning your hair. And that is irreversible.
Once you’ve repaired your hair for two weeks, you can straighten it. Apply a heat protectant to prevent the moisture in your hair from evaporating, and regulate the straightener’s temperature.
After bleaching, you must wait two weeks to apply a permanent straightener
I’ll be even more specific.
- If your hair is healthy after bleaching, wait two weeks to apply a permanent straightener.
- If your hair is damaged after bleaching , wait four weeks to apply a permanent straightener.
Permanent straightening is ideal if you don’t want to be fighting frizz for six months. However, the high temperatures you need can wreak havoc on bleached hair.
The liquid used for straightening contains a chemical that comes from formaldehyde. It’s dangerous to your health and your hair. If you apply this liquid to bleached hair, your hair will begin to break and fall out in clumps.
In addition, permanent straightening is a treatment you need to seal using a straightener at very high temperatures.
I suggest you evaluate your hair’s health with a professional before applying permanent straightening, especially if your bleached hair is damaged. The hairdresser will likely tell you to wait at least four weeks for the straightening. They’ll also suggest deep hydration treatments with masks or repairing treatments, such as OLAPLEX 3.
Conclusion
If you’ve bleached your hair, you must make sure it’s in a condition to straighten. Because during the bleaching process, your hair lost vitamins, nutrients, proteins, moisture, and thickness. And the high temperatures of straighteners can ruin it.
