What is a bleach bath for hair and how to do it?
So my hair is just a few shades darker than I wanted, but it’s the right tone I’m looking for. I’ve been reading about something called a bleach bath, and I’ve been hearing good things, so I wanted to try it. I have a couple of boxes of an at-home highlighting kit, can I use that as the bleach and mix it with shampoo? Or do I need to go and buy the actual bleach and developer?
For a modern woman, it’s crucial to have a possibility to change her style on the fly while retaining what she liked about her past looks. What if you want your tresses a little lighter but aren’t sure about whether to dye them or not? Do a bleach bath for hair – it fits the bill perfectly.
What Is a Bleach Bath for Hair?
A bleach wash for hair is a mix of peroxide and bleach powder, to which an equal quantity of shampoo is added. Put simply, it is a somewhat altered and gentler way to lighten your hair. Such a method is particularly useful when you don’t require a full bleach and only need to achieve a specific shade.
Bleach bath hair instead of the regular bleaching process:
– The main differences arise from the fact that shampoo is added to the bleach mixture, it is applied to wet hair, and it is generally mixed up with a lower volume of peroxide.
– Leads to a more dilute preparation of bleach that is far gentler on your hair.
– Applying the preparation to wet hair means that it is much quicker to apply it to the whole head, and the results are very even all over.
– Can be used to remove stubborn traces of color that haven’t washed out yet. In this case, because the bleach is diluted and isn’t in contact with the hair for very long, very little damage occurs compared to a regular bleach process. @malihaihenacho
How to Do a Bleach Bath for Hair?
The bleach bath hair recipe is quite simple: use one or two developer parts to one bleach powder part, unless the manufacturer specifies a different ratio. After that, add an equal amount of shampoo to this mixture.
Keep in mind that the ratio of bleach bath hair ingredients depends on your hair goals: adding more shampoo will dilute the bleach, which means softer lightening, whereas adding less will leave it quite concentrated and, thus, strip off a couple more tones from your hair. You also should double the mixture amount if you have long strands and halve it if your hair is short.
The developing time can vary individually, based on your hair color, texture, and condition, but anyway, it shouldn’t exceed 45 minutes.
Bleach baths differ from a common bleach process in a range of ways, and every hairdresser has their own way of doing it. The key alterations originate from the fact that the bleach mixture is diluted with a shampoo; it is applied to wet hair, and it is normally blended with a lower volume of peroxide.
Here is our tutorial on how to bleach-wash hair:
– Dry your locks with a towel and start spreading the mixture over the hair, using gloves. Begin at the ends and work it up but don’t apply it to the scalp.
– Comb your tresses with a wide-tooth comb, clip them up, and cover with a shower cap or cling wrap.
– The next stage is developing: watch your hair carefully and do a check every 5 minutes. You can scrape a little bleach off your strands to see the color.
– Finally, when the desired color is achieved or 45 minutes exceed, rinse your locks.
Why do you use shampoo and not conditioner?
The shampoo is mainly to dilute the mixture. But the reason you use shampoo not conditioner is because shampoo is designed to remove build-up on hair already, so aids with the colour removal (especially if you use a very stripping shampoo like Head & Shoulders, etc). Whereas conditioner is designed to close the hair shaft and coat it to give it “slip” and make it feel and look soft and shiny, so it doesn’t add any benefit and may have a (very slight) detrimental effect. @hellyeah.hair
Bleach Bath on Black Hair and Other Hair Shades
If your mane is black, you should be ready that it’s the most difficult for bleaching. A single procedure will not provide the desired effect. You should repeatedly bleach-bath to lighten the hair significantly throughout a couple of weeks.
But if you aim to go just a few tones higher, you can bleach bath your hair to remove the color. As black color is the hardest to get rid of, you should apply a clarifying shampoo on the dark hair first. Use it to somewhat lighten your locks and remove any buildup.
It’s also important to understand the mechanism of a bleach bath. There is an underlying pigment in every hair color, and you need some understanding of what shade you will most likely end up with after bleaching. For example, a bleach bath on red or brown hair may turn it orange. Getting an orange shade is a common complaint upon applying a bleach wash for the first time. However, it may also result from a specific buildup of minerals on your tresses.
In order to fix this bug and get rid of orange hair, you may use a toner or a toning shampoo – the first option is for those who have yellow tones rather than orange ones, and the second is vice versa. Still, there is a way to tackle the problem with a bleach bath: you can repeat the procedure in two weeks and enjoy smoky blonde locks. To that end, use a 30 volume developer and an ash/platinum blonde hair dye, and follow the previous instructions.
Using a bleach bath for brassy hair may not be such a good idea though, as bleaching itself is a harsh chemical process. However, you could try and do a bleach bath with coconut oil to soften the effect. Just add a few drops of the oil to a shampoo or conditioner before blending it with bleach.
Bleach Bath Hair Before and After
To sum up, the bleach wash hair results are the following:
1) On average, one hair wash with a bleach bath makes your tresses one shade lighter. To reach a stronger effect, you should repeat the procedure several times or thicken the bleach bath.
2) Remember that bleaching is a chemical process, so don’t abuse it. The best frequency is once a month.
Bleach Bath Hair Pros and Cons
Bleach itself is an aggressive substance, but does a bleach bath damage your hair? Actually, opting for bleach bathing would be a good substitute for full-scale dyeing, as it doesn’t damage fragile and thin locks. Such a bath is almost absolutely safe for all types of hair. However, the general recommendations are to avoid doing it very often.
How Many Levels Does a Bleach Bath Lift? Normally, it’s one hair wash per one shade.
Can I Dye My Hair after a Bleach Bath? Yes. The hair cuticles can easily be sealed by coloring them. During bleach bathing, they are lifted so that the pigments could be removed from the hair fiber. The best way to close them is to apply a dye.
Have you ever tried a bleach bath for hair at home or together with your hair colorist at a hair salon? If you want to share your experience, comment in the section below!
Featured Image: wayhomestudio – www.freepik.com
