- The answer is NO. The developer isn’t bleach. They aren’t the same thing.
- A developer is one of the two ingredients of bleach, which is the product used to bleach your hair bleach.
- The first is peroxide or developer, and the second is bleach powder or lightening powder. When you mix both ingredients, you get the bleaching mixture, misnamed bleach.
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The other day, I was asked this question: “Is developer bleach?”
I repeat again: the developer isn’t bleach. It’s not the same thing because the developer is one ingredient in bleach.
I’ll give you an example to clarify it.
Is flour a cake? No, of course, it’s not. To bake a cake, you need flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and some other ingredients.
Flour is only an ingredient to bake a cake.
The same goes for the developer.
The bleaching mixture includes a 30-volume developer and lightening powder.
- The developer opens your hair cuticles.
- The lightening powder removes all the color from the hair.
- Together, they form the bleaching mixture, which ultimately causes the chemical reaction that removes all the artificial and natural colors from the hair.
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That said, I imagine you’re planning to bleach your hair. This is where I want to stop.
If you don’t even know the difference between developer and bleach, why do you think you can bleach your hair on your own without risking your hair and scalp?
Do you really know what bleaching is, and why it’s one of the most aggressive chemical processes for your hair?
Let’s make a deal. Now you know that developer isn’t the same as bleach. Take five more minutes to read what I have to tell you before bleaching your hair on your own.
After those five minutes, you’ll be able to make a conscious decision. Deal?
Why you shouldn’t bleach your hair on your own
sIf you just learned about the difference between bleach and developer, you may not know much about coloring. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that.
I don’t understand economics, and that’s why I’m not in charge of the Ministry of Economy. I can barely organize my household finances.
But if you have no knowledge about coloring, you shouldn’t bleach your hair on your own.
Bleaching isn’t simply mixing a developer with bleaching powder, and applying the bleaching mixture to the hair.
If only it were that simple!
Bleaching is a chemical process that alters the INTERNAL structure of the hair by stripping it of color, moisture, and nutrients.
During the chemical process, the bleach temperature rises. It could burn both the hair and scalp. Yes, you can end up with serious scalp injuries.
You can even burn hair follicles , and compromise new hair growth.
Did you know all these things, and were you aware of them?
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Also, bleaching healthy hair isn’t the same as bleaching damaged or dry hair.
Do you know about your hair health? Simply by looking at it, can you determine if it will withstand bleaching?
For example, damaged hair has some of these characteristics:
- Frizz
- Stiffness
- It’s dull
- Feels straw-like
- You can’t comb it when it’s wet.
- It’s weak and may fall
If you recognize three or more of these characteristics in your hair, your hair won’t stand up to bleaching.
But I’ll tell you something else. Your hair won’t tolerate bleaching even if it’s professionally applied.
In other words, if one of my clients wants to bleach her hair, but it has any of those characteristics, I wouldn’t do the process unless she pays for products similar to OLAPLEX.
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Olaplex is a product for professional use that is added to the bleach to protect the hair. You must also have professional training to use it.
It’s distributed in salons and hairdressers are trained on the correct use of the product beforehand.
That said, if you have no coloring training, you shouldn’t bleach your hair safely.
A simple mistake could ruin your hair.
What could go wrong if you bleach your hair without professional training?
Many things.
- You could leave the bleach on longer than indicated, which is 20 minutes, and your hair could be damaged. Also, not all hair reacts the same. Some areas may need more time to bleach. This can only be determined by an experienced stylist.
- Alternatively, you could be allergic to the developer or bleaching powder, and don’t know it. When you apply bleach to your hair, you may have an allergic reaction.
- Also, if your hair can’t withstand the process and weakens, it could fall out in clumps.
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Of course, there are chances that nothing like that happens to you.
But in the end, you would be playing a dangerous game: Russian roulette.
Is it worth it?
We have made a deal, and I’ll honor it.
If you have come this far, you can make a responsible decision. I hope you can make that decision with your hair health in mind.
But most of all, I want you to make this decision considering that you didn’t know the difference between a developer and bleach.
These lines weren’t written for people with bleaching experience or colorimetry training.
These lines were written for those who don’t have the slightest idea about chemical processes on hair.
I hope you’re not thinking about making an amazing video for TIK TOK or YouTube about “how to bleach my hair like a real PRO”.
Otherwise, you’ll have to shoot a video about “how I bleached my hair like a real…”
The ellipses are yours to complete.
Conclusions
Now you know that a developer isn’t the same as bleach. The developer and the bleaching powder are the ingredients in bleach.
You also know that bleaching is one of the most aggressive chemical processes you can apply to your hair.
Will you risk doing it on your own considering that, up to five minutes ago, you didn’t know that a developer isn’t the same as bleach?
