- As soon as you finish bleaching your hair, you need to assess it before applying a hair dye or toner. In a few moments, I’ll tell you a simple method to check if your hair will resist a new chemical process such as coloring or toning.
- If you reach the bleach level you were looking for and your hair shows no signs of damage, you can apply a hair dye.
- Instead, if you didn’t reach the level you were looking for, you can’t bleach your hair again. However, you can apply a toner to achieve an even color free of yellowish or orange undertones.
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Right after bleaching your hair, the first thing you’ll need to do is TAKE A BREATH AND STOP.
Yes, I know you can’t wait to show off your new hair color but remember something essential.
You just bleached your hair.
It means that it has changed its color, but it wasn’t magically. It was because chemicals penetrated deep into the hair core to remove the natural pigments.
And you don’t do that with a magic formula. You do it with a chemical reaction.
When that happens, the hair suffers. Some may suffer more than others but believe me when I tell you that all hairs change after bleaching.
So, my answer to your question regarding the first thing you need to do after bleaching your hair is blunt.
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The first thing to do when you’ve just bleached your hair is to assess its health
For stylists, it’s very easy to distinguish healthy from seriously damaged hair after bleaching.
But for you, it can be a little more complicated. It’s not just a matter of your hair being “a little drier after bleaching.”
You can’t see some hair damage with the naked eye.
So, how do you know if your hair is damaged after bleaching?
By performing a simple test for which you only need three things:
- A glass.
- Water
- A hair, the longer the better. Pick some of the hair that’s probably left on the brush after detangling your bleached hair.
Have you got everything?
Let’s proceed.
- Fill the glass with water.
- Now, throw your hair into the glass and observe.
- If your hair floats to the surface or floats halfway down the glass, you can apply a hair dye.
- If your hair sinks to the bottom of the glass, you shouldn’t use a hair dye, but you can tone your hair to even out the color if you haven’t reached the required level.
- What you shouldn’t do is bleach your hair again. If you do, you run the risk of burning it, literally.
If your hair isn’t damaged right after bleaching, and if you have reached the desired bleach level, you can apply a hair dye
You can choose a semi-permanent or permanent hair dye.
The truth is that since hair coloring kits appeared, coloring hair at home is no longer a mystery.
These kits are something like the “Mc Donalds happy box” because they have everything you need.
However, it never hurts to follow a few tips:
If you’re going to do it at home, you can follow this list of essential tips:
- Make sure you removed all the bleach. If in doubt, rinse your hair again and rinse it thoroughly.
- Dry your hair before applying the hair dye.
- In the coloring kit, you’ll find the developer to mix with the hair dye. Don’t play with fire, and don’t invent strange formulas. The 20-volume developer in the kit will be more than enough.
- If you choose to color your hair with a semi-permanent hair dye, don’t use a developer because it’s not necessary for those hair dyes.
- Once you color your hair, don’t wash it for at least 72 hours.
At this point, you already have a new color in your hair because you were able to apply a hair dye right after bleaching.
Still, don’t relax yet because your hair needs moisture.
You have several options for moisturizing treatments, such as Elvive Total Repair 5 moisturizing masks or Olaplex shampoo and conditioner.
You can also opt for natural products such as coconut oil for lengths and ends or apply an aloe vera mask with natural aloe vera gel.
You’ll need to maintain a nourishing routine for at least three weeks to fully recover your hair.
If you haven’t reached the bleach level you needed, you can apply a toner right after bleaching your hair
At this point, your hair won’t resist a new bleaching process because the bleach powder may end up breaking your hair. If that happens, you’ll lose hair.
You won’t lose one or two hairs. Not even ten. You’ll lose strands of your hair.
What you can do is apply a toner to neutralize the orange or yellowish undertones from the bleach.
The neutralization chart is based on the chromatic circle where each color has an opposite one:
- Blue neutralizes orange
- Violet neutralizes yellow
- Green neutralizes red
While the toner is a professional tool, several brands launched these hair dyes for home use such as Wella Color Charm.
Yes, I said hair dye because the toner is a permanent hair dye that is applied with a 20-volume developer. However, its pigmentation disappears after three weeks.
So, after those three weeks, you can bleach your hair again to look for the lightness you need.
- If your hair is orange, you should choose the ashy colors, i.e. Wella T18.
- If you notice that your hair is yellowish, use Wella T10.
- And if you notice that your hair is reddish, you can opt for Wella T14 or T28.
An extra tip?
Follow the manufacturer’s directions. If you overdo the toner exposure times, your hair color can change completely. I can assure you that you won’t like going through life with green hair if that’s not what you were looking for.
Also, during those three weeks, use moisturizing products on your hair. They’ll prepare it to face a new bleaching session with health.
Conclusions
The first thing to do right after bleaching your hair is to make sure it shows no signs of extreme damage.
If your hair is healthy, you can apply a hair dye or a toner according to your bleach level.
