Going BLONDE for the summer!!

[floraflowerpowe]

I agree with Rapunzel_to_be. I've made the same mistake by wanting to try the pastel trend and ended up with almost platinum hair full of damage. My hair was so damaged that some parts of it turned slimy and I had to cut a lot of it. It has taken forever to get my hair relatively healthy again and I'm still dealing with growing out damage. No more bleach for me, ever.

[meteor]

Thanks for all the info!!! Yes I've read about Olaplex but also heard that you can't buy it unless you're a hairdresser? I know that step 3 is purchasable online, but I've heard the first two steps are really good but only available through hair salon treatments ! I might try it though (step 3) !!

Oops , sorry, I didn't realize that you are bleaching on your own, without hairdresser's help. You are courageous! So how did it go? I really hope your hair is holding up well!

You only need to lift with bleach to the level you want... there probably will be brassiness... so try to resist the temptation to bleach it out. Instead, use a toner - yes, it's quite drying, but bleach is worse. Plus, using purple shampoos/conditioners every time brassiness is coming back will be helpful.

I just wanted to add that if your hair feels at all gummy or stretchy as you are washing it or if you see any broken hairs at all, get a strong hydrolyzed protein filler/treatment (e.g. Aphogee 2-Step).
And prior to washing (do try stretching washes if you can ), regular pre-poo oiling is very good practice for chemically processed hair.
As for the rest: avoiding all damage, sleeping on silky materials, putting hair up or keeping it otherwise contained, protecting it with hats/scarves, not overwashing and not overbrushing it, etc... are all important. Treat hair like "antique lace", as we say around the LHC - and this saying is probably even more important for processed hair.

Best of luck! And keep us posted how it goes.

I haven't applied straight bleach to my hair in ages, but I did do a "bleach wash" a few years back to lighten my hair after a disastrous dye job, so I have a few tips I can recommend that worked really well for me and also a few that really didn't. Before I even attempted the bleach wash, I did a few deep conditioning treatments in preparation. My hair wasn't dry by any means and it certainly wasn't brittle and lacking protein, but I threw in as much moisture and protein as I could just to be on the safe side. Also, as much as I didn't like the though, I had to accept that there would be some damage because honestly, you can't use a product like bleach without causing some sort of harm to your hair.

Now, when it comes to caring for your hair after bleaching, you need to do the following: reduce washes, limit heat, add moisture/protein, and most importantly, treat it like it's glass. Because of how drying bleach can be, reducing how frequently you wash your hair will help your natural oils repair and nourish your hair and scalp. Same goes for limiting heat. There's no faster way of guaranteeing split ends and breakage than introducing a flat iron to freshly bleached hair - trust me, I've seen it happen and it really is not pretty! When you do need to wash, use a moisturizing treatment if your hair feels dry or a protein treatment if it's starting to feel brittle and break more easily. And lastly, be gentle with it. When I say "treat it like glass", I really mean that. Bleached hair is incredibly easy to snap, split, break, you name it, so as long as you're being gentle and taking care of it, you shouldn't have an issue.

Depending on how light you're wanting to go with your hair, you'll possibly have more damage to contend with, so if you're wanting a bleach blonde look, I'd recommend waiting a while between each bleaching just to see how your hair does. I wouldn't recommend bleaching it once, drying it, then reapplying to lighten it anymore - your hair will definitely fry that way! Best of luck and hopefully everything works out for you!

^ This is excellent advice.

Also, I really agree with Rapunzel_to_be and floraflowerpowe that bleach is very rough on hair, especially if you want to grow it out long and strong and fuss-free. Generally, damage-free alternatives like wigs, extensions for highlights or even temporary hair chalk are pretty good and underrated... though of course they aren't always as satisfying.

[Alien Girl]

I had balayage done to my hair a year ago, and to be honest I really regret it because all the hair strands that are bleached are so so so so damaged : I did also use heat on my hair so this also contributed in the damage of course, and if you do not heat style then your damage will hopefully not be as much as mine.

I never did a pre bleach oiling thing though, but I did however take really good care of my hair with oiling regularly. And now I've been heat free for two months, and although my overall hair is so much healthier, the remaining bleached hair is still very fragile.

So in my experience if you want to grow your hair really long or keep it long, I would stay away from bleaching it..

Don't mean to sound all negative and rain on your parade, but I thought I'd share my experience incase it could help you out somehow :

You should've tried to pre-bleach oiling! My hair honestly feels like it's just been dyed, not bleached. The coconut oil helped SO MUCH, especially with the application process. The bleach went on smoothly and it was really easy to saturate my hair.

I agree with Rapunzel_to_be. I've made the same mistake by wanting to try the pastel trend and ended up with almost platinum hair full of damage. My hair was so damaged that some parts of it turned slimy and I had to cut a lot of it. It has taken forever to get my hair relatively healthy again and I'm still dealing with growing out damage. No more bleach for me, ever.

Aw, that sucks! That happened to me 3 years ago, my hair was spaghetti.

Oops , sorry, I didn't realize that you are bleaching on your own, without hairdresser's help. You are courageous! So how did it go? I really hope your hair is holding up well!

You only need to lift with bleach to the level you want... there probably will be brassiness... so try to resist the temptation to bleach it out. Instead, use a toner - yes, it's quite drying, but bleach is worse. Plus, using purple shampoos/conditioners every time brassiness is coming back will be helpful.

I just wanted to add that if your hair feels at all gummy or stretchy as you are washing it or if you see any broken hairs at all, get a strong hydrolyzed protein filler/treatment (e.g. Aphogee 2-Step).
And prior to washing (do try stretching washes if you can ), regular pre-poo oiling is very good practice for chemically processed hair.
As for the rest: avoiding all damage, sleeping on silky materials, putting hair up or keeping it otherwise contained, protecting it with hats/scarves, not overwashing and not overbrushing it, etc... are all important. Treat hair like "antique lace", as we say around the LHC - and this saying is probably even more important for processed hair.

Best of luck! And keep us posted how it goes.



^ This is excellent advice.

Also, I really agree with Rapunzel_to_be and floraflowerpowe that bleach is very rough on hair, especially if you want to grow it out long and strong and fuss-free. Generally, damage-free alternatives like wigs, extensions for highlights or even temporary hair chalk are pretty good and underrated... though of course they aren't always as satisfying. )

My hair feels pretty much the same LOL =P My hair naturally feels rough after shampooing, it didn't feel stretchy or gummy at all (it did 3 years ago when I bleached too much T_T!)
The coconut oil saved my hair pretty much! I used a toner and that was the stinkiest part... I was squinting the whole time.. >.<
Haha yep I'll be super gentle with my hair from now on !! ^_^ I will eventually make it into a caramel blonde with brown/black roots for an ombre effect so I won't have to bleach anymore!

[meteor]

^ Yay! Congratulations, Alien Girl! Sounds like you did an excellent job there!

[Alien Girl]

^ Yay! Congratulations, Alien Girl! Sounds like you did an excellent job there!

Thank you!!!! <3

[restless]

It looks beautiful Well done!

[Alien Girl]

It looks beautiful Well done!

Thank you very much !!!

[meteor]

I just saw your updated OP and pictures. The results are awesome! Yay! Congratulations!
Going blonde and keeping hair's integrity is no easy task. You are really, really good at this!

[Alien Girl]

I just saw your updated OP and pictures. The results are awesome! Yay! Congratulations!
Going blonde and keeping hair's integrity is no easy task. You are really, really good at this!

Aww thank you !!! What a sweet compliment <3 I think my past horrible nightmare with bleach has taught me well

[elsieivy]

It looks great! Good job!