Hi everyone! While I loved the look that I achieved with natural hair dye and no bleach (See my post: How to dye dark hair naturally), I decided to try bleaching my hair at home using commercial hair products, in order to achieve a deeper red. I had a lot of apprehension about bleaching locs, as it always poses a high risk of damage. The first time I got my hair dyed at a salon, I damaged my locs and some of them even broke! (See my post: Hair colouring disaster? The time I dyed my locks blue and purple). Therefore, it was imperative that I learnt how to bleach and dye locs without damage. This post will explain exactly how I did that.
Product requirements:
- I bought a high-end bleaching powder. Yes, it was expensive but there were so many reviews from people explaining how they damaged their hair with cheap bleach. Therefore, I wasn’t going to chance it and decided to invest in one that was proven to be of high quality.
- I also decided not to use a developer, and just use normal hydrogen peroxide. The higher the volume of developer you use, the more damage your hair sustains. Most developers range from volume 20 to volume 40, and thus will give you a lighter colour faster. However, regular hydrogen peroxide (used as an antiseptic) is usually volume 3, and can still activate the bleaching powder. Though, it is important to note that I was able to use such a mild formula because most of my hair hadn’t been bleached before. This formula was not as effective on the already bleached parts of my hair, but since they were already pretty light from the last time I bleached my locs, it didn’t matter.
Products used (from Amazon):
Wella Blondor Multi Blonde Powder Lightener
Hydrogen Peroxide Antiseptic Solution 16 Oz
Adore Semi-Permanent Haircolor 071 Intense Red
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
What I did:
I performed several strand tests using varying times, in order to gauge how long I needed to bleach my locs for. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t leave it on longer than it would take to achieve my colour. I chose 6 locs, with half of them having lighter ends than the others. Parts of my hair are slightly different shades due to my previous dying experience, so I wanted to make sure I had a representative sample. I left the bleach on 2 locs (1 with a lighter-coloured tip) for 5, 15 and 20 minutes each. I had already tested the bleach at 10 minutes the day before.
Remember, when bleaching locs, to massage the bleach into the loc to ensure maximum penetration!
So after strand testing the bleach, I applied the dye to all the strands to see the varying colours.
After that, I realized that I liked the 15 minute look the best. It was light enough to show the colour but not too light that the tips of my locks were too bright. Plus, I wanted to cause as little damage as possible. I also made sure not to bleach or dye my roots, leaving about 2-3 inches untouched, in order to eliminate the risk of damaging the entire loc.
After-care:
Moisturize! Moisturize! Moisturize! This is a crucial step, as bleaching locs can dry them out and cause them to break off. I made sure to use a moisture treatment immediately after dying my locks. Then I applied a little of the conditioner mixed with water and let it air dry. In the days following, I moisturized my hair everyday using our Rose water Reviatlizing Spray, making sure to pay special attention to the lock shaft.
I did a moisture treatment the second time that I washed my hair (3 weeks later). The third time I washed it, I used a protein treatment (6 weeks later). All this time, I continued to moisturize the shaft of each loc every day.
What I would do differently:
I would section out my hair beforehand instead of creating sections as I bleached. This will save some time. The back was bleached for about 5 minutes longer than the front because it took so much time to apply the mixture. This led to the dye not coming through as much at the front. However, it did create a slight ombre effect that I actually liked, so there is a bright side to everything.
Related posts:
How to lighten hair naturally – does hydrogen peroxide and baking soda really work?
How to lighten hair naturally: does lemon really work?
How to dye hair naturally: red ochre (iron oxide)
Until next time!
~Jay
Meine locks waren blond,aber unterschiedlich, denn ich habe xtensions.Da die unterschiedlich aus sahen und ich nicht wußte das ich die blondieren kann, habe ich sie knallig lila gefärbt.
Ich hab mich sehr geärgert, das man sie hätte blondieren können,da ich sie liebend gern weiß gehabt hätte.
Kann ich sie jetzt trotzdem nochmal blondieren, wobei ich mir denke,das es mit einem mal nicht getan ist. Was meinst Du?
Ich bedanke mich im Vorfeld für deine Antwort.
Liebe Grüße
Hi! Sorry I don’t speak German so forgive me if the meaning of your question got lost in translation. Yes you can bleach your locks again but I’d wait at least 2 months before you attempt so that you don’t damage your locks and also in order to give the purple time to fade out. If you read my post “Hair colouring disaster” I dyed my hair then bleached it and my hair was damaged beyond belief. Don’t make this same mistake!
Hope this helps!