Do you want to lighten your hair quickly, simply, and without damaging your hair?
The good news is that you can do it, mixing bleaching powder with your every-day shampoo to get a much gentler lightening process.
Of course, it also has its secrets to assure that you don’t damage your hair or injure your scalp.
When we talk about bleaching, surely you know that this process mixes two powerful chemicals, like developer and bleach.
A chemical explosion that if your hair isn’t in good enough conditions, you could end up, no exaggeration, bald. Its side effects are very destructive because it alters the internal structure of your hair and weakens it.
On the other hand, mixing your shampoo and the developer is a much gentler process because the chemicals are diluted with the shampoo.
I decided to use this mixture because I wanted to lighten my hair, but I found it was too fragile.
Before the summer, I had dyed my hair a chocolate color because blonde takes too much maintenance, and I didn’t want to be preoccupied with it during my vacations at the beach.
But the summer had passed, autumn had arrived, and my hair looked darker than I wanted.
I wanted to lighten it again, but I wasn’t in the conditions to handle another bleaching.
With boxed dyes, I also wouldn’t get the effect that I was looking for. Also, every time I used them, the color I got was completely different from the color that I wanted.
So, I decided to try the shampoo and lightener.
After all, this system is for those people that want:
- To get rid of the permanent dye in their hair
- Lighten their hair a tone
- Lighten fragile hair
If your goal is any of those three things that I mentioned above, then this mixture to lighten your hair is right for you, with less damage than going through a pure bleaching process.
That’s why I will tell you:
- How to prepare and apply the shampoo and developer mixture without risks
- Aftercare for after applying the mixture
- Homemade mask for lightened hair
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How to prepare the hair before applying the mixture
As a general rule, it is best to prepare your hair for at least fifteen days before applying the mixture.
Because, after all, even though it is a gentler process than bleaching, we shouldn’t forget that it uses chemicals.
Personally, two weeks before applying the mixture to my hair, I do a deeply nourishing treatment once a week.
It isn’t necessary to spend a fortune on commercial masks. If you have olive oil in your house, you can use it. Take two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and distribute it evenly over your hair.
Start from the middle and go to the ends, and finally the roots. Let it sit for an hour and rinse your hair with cold water. To rinse the oil residue out completely, wash your hair with a sulfate-free shampoo.
The day before lightening my hair, I did a coconut oil mask that I left in overnight.
The next day, I was ready to lighten my hair.
How to prepare the developer-shampoo mixture
To prepare this mixture, you will need:
- 10-volume developer
- Bleaching powder
- Your normal shampoo
- An old t-shirt
- Rubber gloves
- A plastic bowl
Step by step:
- Mix two tablespoons of bleaching powder and two tablespoons of peroxide in the plastic bowl. You should get a homogenous mixture.
The developer comes in different levels, which indicates the amount of peroxide. The higher the level, the more peroxide it contains.
I chose to use a 10-volume one because it is the least damaging to the hair.
- Add the shampoo to the mixture. You don’t have to go overboard with the quantity. Use the same amount that you use when you wash your hair.
I added two tablespoons of shampoo, and since my hair tends to try out, I added a tablespoon of conditioner.
- Before applying the bleaching mixture to your hair, do a test to see if you run the risk of having an allergic reaction.
It may sound same a bit exaggerated, but I can assure you it is not pleasant to feel like your scalp is on fire. It would also just be a few minutes, a few minutes, that will mark the difference between disaster and fortune.
To do this test, take a cotton swap and apply a bit of the mixture on the skin inside your elbow.
If the area turns red and you notice some itchiness, you may be allergic to the bleaching chemicals. So, stop yourself at this moment.
I waited patiently for three minutes, and Eureka! My skin didn’t show any symptoms of allergies. I could continue.
- Now, you should wet your hair as if you were washing it without using shampoo and dry it well with a towel.
- Remember that at this point you should have the old t-shirt on.
- With the gloves on and the help of the brush, start to apply the mixture.
- You should start in the middle and work towards the ends. In the end, do the roots since they bleach faster.
- When you have finished applying the shampoo-bleaching mixture evenly, cover your hair with a shower cap.
- Now, it’s time to wait. But don’t wait passively. You should check it every five minutes to see the effects of the bleach mixture on your hair until you get the results you want.
The mixture can sit in your hair depending on if you have bleached it before and what your natural color is.
If you have bleached it before, don’t let the bleaching shampoo sit for more than 10 minutes.
If your hair is dark, you can let it sit for up to 30 minutes, but not a minute more. Don’t forget that we are trying to gently bleach our hair, not damage it.
Now, if you are using a higher-volume developer, like thirty, for example, remember that the bleaching shampoo will act faster, so watch your hair and don’t go over 15 minutes.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Once the time has passed, you can rinse. I recommend that you do it with warm water to get all the mixture residue.
You must rinse out all the products because it will continue working on the hair cuticles if you don’t.
Finally, use a gentle shampoo and conditioner to finish washing.
How to repair lightened hair
When I finished lightening my hair, I’m not going to lie, I had gotten the color that I wanted. However, the texture of my hair had changed. I noticed that it was dryer and rougher.
And it what was expected. After all, I had used chemicals to bleach it, just in a gentler mixture.
Of course, it will always depend on each hair structure, but the dryer and thicker the hair, the more attention you should give it.
After lightening, use conditioner every day and a deep mask at least once a week to protect and hydrate your hair.
You should also avoid washing your hair every day and using a hairdryer on your hair because remember that the bleaching, even though it was gentle, gets rid of the moisture in your hair. That’s why aftercare consists of moisturizing your hair.
You can use the following at-home mask to strengthen and moisturize your hair.
Moisturizing mask for lightened hair
Ingredients:
- A plastic bowl
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ cup of coconut oil
Process:
- Melt ½ a cup of coconut oil in a double boiler
- Once it is oft, take it off the fire and mix it in a plastic bowl, adding a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Apply generously over all your hair, and be sure to cover the ends.
- Wrap your hair in a shower cap and let it sit for about an hour.
- Finally, wash with shampoo and rinse well with cold water.
I’m happy to have lightened my hair without needing to put it through total bleaching.
After the intense aftercare, it feels much softer and healthier, and also, I can show off the color that I wanted.
