Let me start off by saying that I am in no way saying you shouldn’t bleach your hair. I just bleached mine less than two weeks ago. Two times actually… I know. Shame on me haha. But if you are going to do it, then it’s better that you do it right. Taking certain precautions and knowing what to do after you bleach is important to make sure you don’t completely fry your hair, because I don’t care what color you hair is… If your hair looks fried, it’s not going to look good no matter what. We want healthy hair!
Pre Bleach Options
There are couple different pre-bleach options. And these can be combined as you choose.
Go at least 24 hours without washing your hair before bleaching!
You should ALWAYS go at least a few hours without washing your hair before you do any kind of dying/bleaching. The natural oils of your hair will help it during the bleaching process, and shampooing strips the natural oils from your hair.
I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGLY recommend waiting least 24 hours after shampooing before you do any kind of dying, but this is especially important for bleaching. Please protect your hair!
Use Coconut Oil The Night Before
This a precaution that I personally decided not to take, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. Every case is different, so this may or may not be right for you. Basically the idea is that you before you go to bed you want to coat your hair from tips to root and cover it with a towel or shower cap. You leave the coconut oil in your hair overnight, and then bleach your hair the next day as usual (with the oil still in your hair!)
The idea behind the coconut oil bleaching method is that the oil seeps into your hair overnight and replicates the natural oils of your hair that build up when you don’t wash your hair. Many women have found that this method helps prevent their hair from having that awful dry bleached feeling.
The cons to using this method, and the reason why I chose not to do it has to do with how the coconut is a physical barrier for the bleach. This means that the bleach will be less effective, and since I have very dark hair, I figured that I needed all the help I can get. How much less effective? I’m not sure, which is why this decision is really up to you. If you decide not to go with this method, just know that there are things you can do to repair your hair after you bleach!
Post Bleach Recommendations
I say recommendations here instead of options because it’s really important that you do at least one or two of these things. Once you bleach your hair, your hair will be damaged, and we want to make it better as best we can.
Use toner!!
Clearly this isn’t the advice to help prevent damage to your hair, but you are going to want to tone your hair. Naturally when you lift dark colored hair, the result will be very brassy. I’d recommend using Wella’s T14 Pale Ash Blonde Toner. It’s awesome!
Don’t wash your hair everyday
Like I said before, washing your hair strips it of its natural oils, and since your hair is damaged and dry, you really don’t need to wash your hair every day. Doing so just makes sure that your hair is almost constantly stripped of it’s natural oils, and it will just feel dry.
In fact, they say (not even relating to having dyed/bleached hair) that we shouldn’t wash our hair everyday. With that in mind, I think that this is a really important tip to take into action.
Coconut or Olive Oil
Coconut and Olive oil are two oils that can actually penetrate your hair beyond the shaft to the inside of hair and restore moisture. I HIGHLY recommend trying one of these oils. I’ve found that this has made a huge difference in my hair. Actually, my hair feels quite soft since using my coconut oil.
What I do is very simple. I just massage the coconut oil in my hair from root to tip right before going to bed. I leave it in my hair all night long. You may choose to wrap your hair in a towel or a shower cap; these aren’t very viable options for me considering that I toss and turn all night long. Then in the morning, I just wash my hair really well to make sure I get all those oils out and voila!
I cannot say enough how great this method is!! Please give it a try!
Purple Shampoo and Conditioner
Purple Shampoo and Conditioner are specifically designed for hair that has been lifted and has the tendency to be brassy. Or in other words, if you’ve bleached or dyed your hair a lighter color, then this is the shampoo for you. Hair that has been lifted has the tendency to be brassy and requires routine toning (depends on your hair, for mine it’s once a month).
As toning is also a chemical process (although no where near as damaging as bleaching), anything that you can do to help minimize the amount of chemical processing on your hair will help. Purple shampoo helps tone your hair by using it on a regular basis. I would recommend using this stuff twice a week, but you may want to do your own research on that. (Check out my review on Joico’s Color Endure Violet Shampoo and Conditioner!)
Avoid Heat Styling
This is a pretty obvious one, and you may be rolling your eyes at it. Even by typing this I’m being a little hypocritical as I just blow dried my hair this morning! I just thought I’d throw this in here to note that any kind of heat styling, whether it be straightening or blow drying, is damaging to your hair. So if you can manage it, it’s best to keep the heat styling to a minimum.
Bleaching Alternatives?
If you’re looking for another option besides bleaching your hair, I really recommend the Blond Brilliance Kit Review. I used this a little over six months ago, and I was really impressed with the results! It’s not AS effective as bleaching, but that’s to be expected. You can check out my review here!
Good luck with bleaching your hair at home!
Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments or contact me. I’ll be more than happy to help!
