Anyone with naturally black hair who wants to make the change to a lighter hair color may have some reservations when it comes to bleaching. Everyone knows that bleach can be damaging, even when applied with care by professional colorists. But you can take comfort in knowing that people have been bleaching their hair for years with no problem. Learn how you can bleach black hair at home so that you can have control over your hair color – even between salon appointments.
Perform the Strand Test
Before you bleach your entire head, pick out a few strands of hair and apply bleach to it, following the instructions. Then take note of the effect: did your hair become dry and brittle? Did it break off? If so, you may want to consider putting off bleaching for some time. Use this time to focus on hydrating and strengthening your hair before next attempting to bleach it again.
Ensure Bleach Is Applied Evenly
If your hair has passed the strand test, it’s time to apply bleach to the rest of your head. Always ensure that bleach has been applied evenly through the length of your hair to avoid having two different shades of hair on your head. The heat that comes from your scalp will often make your roots process faster than the ends of your hair. For anyone attempting to bleach their hair at home, it is usually recommended that you leave your roots for last.
Watch Out for A White Blond Color
Don’t get too caught up with the process of bleaching that you forget to pay attention to the state of your hair. If you notice that your hair has turned a white blond color, quickly rinse off the bleach with warm water. If not, wait till your hair reaches its desired color. You may want to set a timer for every 10 minutes to ensure that you don’t forget to pay attention to the changes in your hair.
Wait A Suitable Interval in Between Bleaching
Often, black hair will require two to four rounds of bleaching in order to achieve your desired color. It’s recommended not to start the second round too soon for fear of causing more damage to your hair than necessary. Salons usually advise an interval of at 1-2 weeks before your next appointment. If you are doing it at home, it is never a good idea to bleach your hair twice in the same day.
Apply Toners for Your Desired Color
Depending on your desired hair color, you may have to apply a toner to your hair after bleaching. After bleaching naturally black hair, it can appear a little too warm-toned. Apply a toner in a cool shade to neutralize it. Toners are applied in the exact same way you would apply bleach and should be done before applying the exact shade of your desired hair color. That way, you are ensuring your desired color shows up as well as it possibly can when you put it on. If the toner is still not removing the brassy color from your hair, you can use a quick-fix short cut and use a product called Instafix. This product can hide orange or yellow tones without further damage and buy you time until you can bleach and lift the color again.
Touch Up Your Roots
The thing about going blonde when you have naturally black hair is having to touch up your roots every few weeks or months. Not to worry, this is a relatively quick and fuss-free experience when you use Rootflage’s blonde root touch up powder! This will soften the look of dark roots and act like a base bump or root lift. When trying to choose the right shade you can email them a photo of your hair and they will help you choose the right color for you.
