How to bleach dark brown or black hair without it turning orange?
#1 Plan the day you are going to bleach
#2 Think of bleaching as an investment
#3 Prepare the materials you need for bleaching dark hair in advanced
#7 Rinse your hair once the bleaching time is over
(If you don’t want to read all the details, you can jump right to the step you wish clicking on it)
After midnight, my cell phone range, and on the line was the desperate voice of my friend Camila making noises that were far from understandable.
After a few minutes and after using my meditation experience, I managed to understand the reason behind her desperation.
She had decided to dye her dark hair, and it ended up orange.
- “Orange!, Orange!- she yelled, and I wasn’t able to anything to calm her down.
Like in any of these situations, I ran to the aid of my friend. When I arrived at her apartment, her face, almost disfigured from crying, shook me to my bones.
Her hair was rolled up in a towel, and her body was shaking.
I made her some tea after one of those friend-hug sessions that can do miracles. In this case, the miracle was waiting. But after some time, three cups of lime tea and three or four cartons of tissues, Camila told me what happened.
If you are thinking about bleaching your dark hair to pass over to the blonde team, you should not stop reading this post.
Because it will help you avoid Camila’s same desperation.
You will be able to get rid of the dark tone of your hair without running the risk of it ending up orange.
Finally, after many hours of research, we were able to find with Camila an effective way to bleach dark hair so that it didn’t end up orange.
Before anything, I invite you to get to know all the secrets about the pigmentation of dark hair and why it turns orange when bleached.
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Why does dark hair turn red or orange when bleached?
Before we get into this topic, it’s essential to know that each person has the hair color that they have. Will may ask why it is important to know this.
Well, basically, the answer is that if you know about the morphology and composition of your hair, you will be better prepared to foresee how your dark hair color can change when bleached.
The cells that produce melanin, melanocytes are located at the base of the hair follicle and are responsible for the pigmentation of the cells that produce keratin, called keratinocytes.
In hair, we can find just as much pheomelanin, red-yellow pigment, as eumelanin, brown-black pigment.
The concentrated amount of each of these pigments will determine the hair color of each and every one of us.
If you have a higher concentration of eumelanin, your hair will have darker tones while, on the other hand, if you have a higher concentration of pheomelanin, your hair will have more blonde tones.
Now you know why your hair is black.
So, it’s important that you know that bleaching will only make your hair two or three tones lighter, in the case of darker hair colors. If you want to go from black to blonde, the only possible way is by bleaching, that is to say, erasing the natural color from your hair.
How to bleach dark hair
My friend made many mistakes that made her dark hair go orange after bleaching.
Impatience, inexperience, and misinformation drove her to disaster. But just as he who fights isn’t dead, finally, she found a solution, and I’ll tell you about it at the end of the post.
Now, let’s go to our solution. Pay attention to this step by step to bleach your dark hair and end up with the color you want without it being orange.
1- Plan the day you are going to bleach
In any process, just as much bleaching as coloring, chemical products are used that attack your hair and even can damage it.
That’s why before bleaching your hair, I recommend moisturizing it.
By moisturizing your hair, you are protecting it from erosion by chemical hair products. Start ten days before by putting coconut oil on your hair. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use extra virgin olive oil.
The night before bleaching, you can leave the oil on your hair. Just put a shower cap over it, so you don’t stain your sheets.
2- Think of bleaching as an investment.
The health of your hair is in play here. Don’t skimp and buy products from well-known brands.
3- Prepare the materials you need for bleaching dark hair in advanced
For bleaching
dark hair, you will need:
- Bleach powder
- Hydrogen Peroxide, thirty volumes
- A pair of gloves
- Clips to hold back pieces of hair once you divide it up to bleach
- Plastic bowl
- A brush to apply the product.
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
4- Prepare the mixture
Carefully read the instructions for the bleach powder because the amount you need will always change depending on the length of your hair.
Here, I’ll give you the proportions you should have.
Always use two parts bleach powder to one part hydrogen peroxide.
If it’s possible, try to get the same brand of hydrogen peroxide and bleach powder.
5- Do a test on a small piece
From the beginning, I have insisted that you be patient. Testing on a small piece of hair will assure that by bleaching your dark hair, you will get the results that you are looking for.
Pick a chunk of hair and put on the mixture with the help of the brush. Cover the hair with the aluminum foil and check on it every fifteen minutes.
Once the chunk of hair gets to the color you want, rinse off the product and take note of how long it took. This is the time that you should let bleach work on your whole head.
Something very, very important: Never leave the mixture on for more than 45 minutes and always check it every 5 minutes.
6- Start bleaching
Now that you have the mixture and the exposure time, you are ready to start bleaching your dark hair.
Divide your hair up into sections so that it is easier to apply the product.
Always start with the pieces at the back of your head and work towards your forehead, that’s to say, work from back to front.
Once you have applied the mixture to your whole head, wrap your head in plastic. This will help elevate the temperature so that the product will penetrate better.
7- Rinse your hair once the bleaching time is over
Like we said before, , it is fundamental to pay attention to the time your hair is exposed to the bleaching mixture. Never leave it on for longer because this will only damage your hair.
It’s vital that you wash off all residue of the bleach mixture.
This is the best way to be sure your bleached, dark hair doesn’t end up carrot orange.
Conclusions
You are pure fire, but you don’t want that color for your hair.
That’s why it’s important to take all the necessary precautions so that your dark hair doesn’t transform into a furious orange.
It’s important to respect the time you expose your hair to the bleach mixture. Don’t get distracted by your cell phone or favorite episode of your series.
No matter what, do a test on a piece of hair. This will save you a lot of headache.
After bleaching, use shampoos without salt. There are many types and brands on the market, and surely, you will find one that fits in your budget.
Hydrate your hair with argan and coconut oils.
Avoid using a flat iron or hairdryer, at least for the first fifteen days.
Do you want to know how my friend solved her orange hair problem?
She and I made a deal.
We would calmly take things in so that we could get the result that she wanted, which of course, was blonde hair.
We went through the process step by step to prepare ourselves to bleach again to get the hair color that she wanted.
But this time, we used 20 volume hydrogen peroxide because her hair had already been bleached once, and I didn’t want to put it through more assault.
Unlike the first time, we did a test on a chunk of hair, we moisturized the hair for ten days before bleaching it again, and we check the hair every 10 minutes.
Finally, we got the result that she wanted.
But if you are patient and care for your air, you won’t go through those unpleasant moments like Camila did.
Do you still have doubts about bleaching your dark hair?
Did you bleach your hair, and it ended up orange?
