- If your hair is a natural black, i.e. you have never dyed it, you should leave the bleach on for a maximum of 20 minutes.
- Now if you have dyed black hair, you should leave the bleach on for a maximum of thirty minutes. Because black hair dye contains very resistant pigments that are difficult to remove.
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How long does it take to bleach black hair?
Now you know how long you should leave bleach on your black hair. Take into account whether your hair is a natural black or dyed black.
But pay special attention, because I just talked about maximum times.
What do I mean by that?
I mean that once you apply the bleach on your black hair and the 20 to 30 minutes have passed, you should rinse the bleach out.
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t reached your desired color.
You should never exceed these times.
- You should leave bleach on natural black hair for a maximum of 20 minutes and on dyed black hair for a maximum of 30 minutes.
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Because if you leave it on longer you could burn your hair. And if you burn your hair, you can cause breakage from the root.
Do you know what root breakage means?
It means that your hair will start to fall out in clumps. And it won’t be small amounts of hair, either.
Bleaching is a very aggressive chemical process, which can IRREVERSIBLY damage your hair.
And in case you don’t know what the word irreversible means, I’ll tell you in other words: there’s no return.
So, after leaving the bleach on your black hair for 20 or 30 minutes, if you don’t reach the desired color, you will have to bleach your hair again. And to do so, you will have to wait at least three weeks.
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But before you bleach your black hair, let me give you a recommendation: perform the strand test.
This is a test that’s done in all professional salons and it will do two things for you:
- First, you’ll know if your hair will withstand bleaching.
- Second, you’ll confirm what color your hair will reach in the time you let the bleaching mixture work.
It’s really worth doing the strand test before bleaching all of your black hair. And I’ll tell you how to do it later.
Now let’s move on to the first question.
How long to leave bleach on natural black hair and on dyed black hair
You should leave bleach on natural black hair for a maximum of 20 minutes.
Why?
Because virgin hair, which has never been bleached or dyed, is very sensitive to chemical processes.
Therefore, it’s likely you’ll quickly see results once you apply the bleaching mixture to your black hair.
The maximum exposure time is 20 minutes. But after five or ten minutes, if you reach the color you want, you can remove the bleach by rinsing your hair with cold water.
Remember, what you shouldn’t do is leave it for more than twenty minutes.
Now if you’ve dyed your hair black, you can leave the bleach in for a maximum of 30 minutes. Black dye contains pigments that are very resistant and difficult to remove.
And you should also be realistic. With just one bleach, you won’t be able to go from black to blonde hair.
You will need several bleachings. Between each one, wait at least three weeks.
Remember my initial promise? That’s right, I’ll teach you how to do the strand test.
How to do the strand test before bleaching black hair
- Comb through all your hair and gather it into a bun, leaving only a 3cm wide strand, preferably from the back.
- Prepare enough bleach mixture just to cover that strand. If there is bleach left over, you should discard it, because after 40 minutes it deteriorates. If you use it, you can ruin your hair.
- Apply the mixture to the strand, taking special care not to stain the rest of your hair.
- Let the bleach work. Remember, if your hair is dyed, the maximum time is 30 minutes. If your hair is a natural black, the maximum time is 20 minutes.
- Rinse the strand and wait for it to dry naturally.
Once the strand is dry, it’s time for the observation part.
- If you can comb the strip of hair and not lose any hairs , you can bleach all your hair.
- If the strand is rough, if you can’t comb it, and if several different colors appear in it , don’t bleach your hair. It won’t withstand the chemical reaction. In this case, go to a salon so a professional can bleach your black hair without damaging it.
After bleaching all your black hair, what if you still haven’t achieved the color you wanted? You should bleach your hair again. But remember to wait three weeks and apply intensive moisturizing treatments during the wait.
After bleaching your hair, if you reach the color you wanted but some reddish tones appear, you can use a green toning shampoo twice a week to eliminate them. And if some orange tones appear, you can use a blue shampoo.
Conclusion
You should leave bleach to act on dyed black hair for a maximum of thirty minutes, and on natural black hair for a maximum of twenty minutes. If you exceed these times, you will irreversibly damage your hair.
