- To protect your hair while bleaching, prepare your hair for the process. One week before bleaching your hair, apply deep moisturizing masks for 30 minutes every 48 hours.
- Add OLAPLEX OR WELLAPLEX to the bleach. You can also replace it with other elements, and I’ll tell you about them later.
- Don’t use a developer of more than 30 volumes.
- Don’t leave the bleach on for more than 20 minutes, even if you haven’t reached the desired blonde color.
- If you need to bleach your hair again, wait for four weeks.
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If you’re looking for ways to protect your hair during bleaching, it’s because you’re aware that it’s a very aggressive chemical process for the hair.
That’s correct. It’s so aggressive that it could burn hair in only 20 minutes.
Do you know what “burn” means?
It means that your hair will be impossible to recover, even if you apply moisturizing masks daily.
It’s hard to recover hair damaged by dyeing or heat styling. But in the case of hair burned by bleaching, the only solution is to ask a professional to remove the most damaged parts and apply treatments to recover the rest of the hair.
Those treatments can be costly.
You’re still on time to prevent hair destruction.
So, the first step is to prepare it.
Yes, your hair will run a marathon, and you must prepare it to reach the goal. It’s almost like an athlete getting ready for a competition. Let me give you an example.
Suppose that you’re a pro swimmer, and you’ll go to an endurance competition. You know great swimmers will surround you, but your mind is focused on winning.
Before the big day, you train to improve your times and style.
The day has finally arrived! You dive into the water and start swimming, as you’ve never swum before. You’re very attentive to your heart rate, your arms, and your legs being synchronized.
All your effort was worth it because you have won the medal. After the joy and celebration, what will you do?
Obviously, you’ll rest for a while and take care of your muscles so as not to suffer any injury.
Why am I telling you this?
Because just as you prepared your body to face the competition, you must prepare your hair to face the bleaching process.
You have to go through at least three parts:
- Before bleaching.
- During bleaching.
- After bleaching.
If you keep these three instances in mind, you’ll shield your hair against the damage of the chemical processes.
Shall we get started?
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Start prepping your hair a week before bleaching to protect it
Why a week earlier?
Because your hair will undergo a chemical process that will strip it of moisture and nutrients.
Therefore, you’ll need to give it enough nutrients and hydration before.
This way, your hair will get to the bleaching day with an extra dose of moisture and nutrients.
So, set the day on the calendar regardless of whether you bleach your hair in a salon or at home.
Seven days before, apply deep moisturizing masks every 48 hours and leave them on for twenty to thirty minutes.
The products you use should be deep moisturizing or repair masks because they contain more nutrients for extra moisture before bleaching.
Masks “for damaged hair” or “for chemically treated hair” will give you the best results.
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Finally, 48 hours before bleaching, apply a mask, rinse, and avoid washing or applying any product on your hair.
Your scalp’s natural oils will protect your roots and skin from irritation.
Seven days later, it’ll be time to bleach your hair and protect it as well.
Add some elements to the bleach for a gentle process
I’m guessing that if you’re looking for ways to protect your hair during bleaching, you’ve decided to do the process at home.
If you know how much it costs to bleach your hair at the salon and your budget allows it, make sure they work with OLAPLEX or WELLAPLEX.
Why?
Bleaching lifts the outer cuticle of the hair and damages the bonds of the outermost layers. Hair is made up of three types of bonds: hydrogen, disulfide, and salt.
Bleaching breaks these bonds.
Both OLAPLEX and WELLAPLEX are designed with a bond rebuilding technology that prevents hair breakage during bleaching.
If you’ll bleach your hair at home, you could try to get OLAPLEX or WELLAPLEX, although it may be difficult because they’re professional products.
There are also other products similar to OLAPLEX that will give you the same results.
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So, can you add something to the bleach that helps protect your hair more from aggression?
Sure. Don’t forget that before OLAPLEX, we hairdressers had our own tricks to keep our clients’ hair from breaking during bleaching.
Do you want to know what tricks I still use when a client can’t afford the OLAPLEX treatment?
- You can add 3 cubic centimeters of keratin mask to your mixture.
- Alternatively, add 10 or 15 drops of anti-breakage serum.
- You could also try 20 drops of coconut oil.
- If you have castor oil, add just 2 to 5 drops.
These ingredients [su_highlightbackground=”#ffb5e8″] will strengthen your hair from the core without preventing the bleach from working properly.[/su_highlight] Choose one of them, and add it to the bleach.
Don’t overdo the amount. I’m giving you information I got after a lot of practice and experience.
Shall we continue with the tips?
Don’t leave the bleach on for more than twenty minutes, and don’t use a developer of more than 30 volumes
Once again, I trust your mind. If you’re here, it’s because you want to avoid damage. Therefore, don’t be tempted by developers when preparing the bleach.
You must use a 30-volume developer. Not 40 or 50.With a 30-volume developer, you’ll strip your hair of the darker pigments.
Don’t be fooled by the “trials” you see on social media. They don’t show what happens afterward.
And they aren’t professional. That’s why most of the videos you’ll see on YouTube will start with the Youtuber’s smiling face saying “that’s her experience, and she’s not a professional colorist.”
Why do you think they give you that warning?
Instead, here’s a professional telling you that a 30-volume developer is enough to bleach your hair.
This brings me to another tip.
Leave the bleach on the hair for a maximum of 20 minutes.
Not 30 or 35.
After twenty minutes, the chemical reaction stops lightening your hair. However, the residues of the chemicals continue to act and break your hair.That’s why, once you finish applying the mixture, you shouldn’t leave it on for more than 20 minutes. Then, rinse properly.
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If you didn’t reach the blonde you wanted, you’ll have to bleach your hair again.
You won’t be able to do this the next day or ten days later. Instead, you must wait for at least four weeks to bleach your hair again.
In the meantime, you must nourish and moisturize it.
I’m not going to cheat you. These pro tips will help protect your hair from serious damage during bleaching.
Remember that your hair will obviously be drier and weaker after bleaching. After all, it has gone through a chemical process.
If you follow these tips, the damage will be lighter and it’ll recover more quickly.
How? That’s what I’ll talk about next.
How to repair hair after bleaching
I’ll sum it up in a few very basic, but very effective tips.
- Use shampoo and conditioners with keratin to repair cuticles that have broken during the process.
- Apply a deep hydration mask once a week, and leave it on for 30 minutes.
- You can also use natural oils such as coconut, flax, or argan.
- Don’t abuse the hair dryer or flat iron, and avoid exposing your hair to the sun for several hours without protection.
Conclusions
You must prepare your hair a week before bleaching by applying moisturizing masks every 48 hours.
During bleaching, respect three tips: don’t use a developer of more than 30 volumes, don’t leave the bleach on for more than 20 minutes, and don’t bleach your hair twice on a row on the same day.
