Going BLONDE for the summer!!

[Alien Girl]

****UPDATE!!! SUCCESS!!!! ***** Scroll to bottom of post for pics :)

Earlier last month I decided I wanted to try out two streaks in my hair... and I did that this morning BUT! It didn't turn out as I liked (I used a Splat dye kit) and might just go completely blonde. I want to do an ombre so my roots are still dark and I won't have to re-dye much :rolleyes:
EDIT: Oops I meant to say that I want to do an ombre once the roots grow out, as I think the process would be way easier to do reversed LOL

I still want to grow my hair long and keep it as healthy as possible.

I've read a few tricks to keep hair protected while bleaching and one of them was to put coconut oil in the hair and let it soak for a few hours/overnight before bleaching. I'll be doing that probably tonight!

I know I'll probably be stuck with orange blonde for a while, since I'm asian, but I've always wanted to try out an ombre and I'm pretty experienced with bleach and hair coloring :p

Do you lady have any tips regarding bleaching and keeping hair protected?

I'll post pictures and update the thread once I've done the deed ;)!!!

Crossing my fingers it doesn't turn out too bad HAHA :pray:



-


***UPDATE***
The deed has been done!
I pre-soaked my hair in [a ton of] coconut oil for about 2 hours, bleached my ends and length with 30vol + bleach + red/gold color cancelling additive.
Then I bleached my roots and any missed darker patches with 10vol+bleach.
Then I toned with another packet of red/gold color cancelling additive.
Here is everything I used and my results!!
http://i.imgur.com/2ytWlfp.jpg

My hair was a tiny bit damp still so it looks darker in the back. The lighter strip is from where I had my streak. It doesn't feel damaged, so I COULD bleach all over once more with 10vol to achieve the lightness of that streak all around, but I'll probably wait to do that (if I do.)
http://i.imgur.com/fekDyU1.jpg


Damp braid. My hair has random layers due to a bad experience with thinning shears LOL. As you can see, there is no breakage or hay consistency. My hair naturally never gets split ends but has a coarse-ish texture.
http://i.imgur.com/Za6uZdt.jpg



Overall, I HIGHLY recommend using coconut oil before coloring hair. It's like magic... I'm so surprised by my results. Eventually I plan on MAYBE lightening the length once more, then making my roots a gradient so that I can keep growing my hair and develop an ombre effect.
Thanks for reading!

[meteor]

Definitely that coconut oil soak pre-bleach is somewhat protective, and you need to be pretty heavy-handed with the oil. :D

Also, use some hydrolyzed protein treatments (always followed by moisturizing treatments, with humectans and occlusives) around your bleaching session: Aphogee 2-step and Joico K-Pak are very good reconstructors but there are many others on the market, of course. If you are a DIY kind of person, gelatin treatments could be useful, too: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html

Overall, bleached hair tends to respond well to hydrolyzed proteins, penetrating oils, silicones, ceramides - luckily, those are usually star ingredients in conditioners/masks for damaged/chemically processed hair.

Also, you might want to research products that are designed to limit damage during chemical processing, e.g. Olaplex. I have no experience with it, but there are some LHC-ers that reported very good results with it: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=124721.

[Alien Girl]

Definitely that coconut oil soak pre-bleach is somewhat protective, and you need to be pretty heavy-handed with the oil. :D

Also, use some hydrolyzed protein treatments (always followed by moisturizing treatments, with humectans and occlusives) around your bleaching session: Aphogee 2-step and Joico K-Pak are very good reconstructors but there are many others on the market, of course. If you are a DIY kind of person, gelatin treatments could be useful, too: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html

Overall, bleached hair tends to respond well to hydrolyzed proteins, penetrating oils, silicones, ceramides - luckily, those are usually star ingredients in conditioners/masks for damaged/chemically processed hair.

Also, you might want to research products that are designed to limit damage during chemical processing, e.g. Olaplex. I have no experience with it, but there are some LHC-ers that reported very good results with it: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=124721.

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) !!

[Alien Girl]

Update: Have had coconut oil in my hair for a little over an hour. Will keep it for another hour and a half then bleach. Will keep updating and will put up pics later!

[pastina]

if you bleached yesterday, you really should wait a month before bleaching again.

[endlessly]

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!

[Alien Girl]

if you bleached yesterday, you really should wait a month before bleaching again.

I only bleached 2 streaks :)

[Alien Girl]

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!I haven't shampooed my hair in over 3 days :) Well I did a light diluted shampoo this morning bc it was extremely grubby after not washing for so long. My hair is very moisturized and the oil sitting in it right now feels really nice too :D

The big mistake I made when I had pastel hair (bleached white base) was shampooing too often... But now I hardly shampoo and usually it's with diluted shampoo. I don't use heat on my hair so that's good :D

And yep, I've had really damaged bleached hair before that pretty much broke apart if I pulled it too hard. -_-

Thanks!! I'll keep this updated !!

[Alien Girl]

Currently have the bleach on the ends and length! The oil has definitely helped the process of putting the bleach on. I remember 3 years ago when I did it on dry hair, it was very hard and crunchy and not as spread-able :(

[Rapunzel_to_be]

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 :)

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

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! :D And keep us posted how it goes. :flower:


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. :D

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. :D


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

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! :D And keep us posted how it goes. :flower:



^ This is excellent advice. :D

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! :joy: Sounds like you did an excellent job there! :happydance:

[Alien Girl]

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

Thank you!!!! :) <3

[restless]

It looks beautiful :) Well done!

[Alien Girl]

It looks beautiful :) Well done!

Thank you very much :D !!!

[meteor]

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

[Alien Girl]

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

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

[elsieivy]

It looks great! Good job!

[Rapunzel_to_be]

It looks beautiful! <3 Btw just in case I will ever highlight, when you pre oil, how do you do it ? I mean you apply the oil before and then rinse it out with water ? Or leave it in and then apply bleach on top ?

[Alien Girl]

It looks great! Good job!
Thank you :D!


It looks beautiful! <3 Btw just in case I will ever highlight, when you pre oil, how do you do it ? I mean you apply the oil before and then rinse it out with water ? Or leave it in and then apply bleach on top ?

Thank you :) !! I warmed up coconut oil then SATURATE THE HECK out of my hair. You want to completely coat every strand! Then you let it soak preferably overnight and then bleach DIRECTLY onto the oil! Don't rinse it out! :D

[ghost]

Your hair looks beautiful! Heavy oiling before bleaching makes a huge difference, almost as much as proper after care.
I wish I had known this stuff when I went blonde several years ago...I wound up with gummy hair but gained some extra length from how much elasticity I lose o_O Not exactly how I want to grow my hair!
Now I treat my dyed-black hair similarly to how you do your bleached hair, and it's much happier.

[Rapunzel_to_be]

Thank you :D!



Thank you :) !! I warmed up coconut oil then SATURATE THE HECK out of my hair. You want to completely coat every strand! Then you let it soak preferably overnight and then bleach DIRECTLY onto the oil! Don't rinse it out! :D

OOh ok thank you so much, great tip!! :D I will make sure to recommend this to anyone I know who wants to bleach their hair! :)

[meteor]

OOh ok thank you so much, great tip!! :D I will make sure to recommend this to anyone I know who wants to bleach their hair! :)

Oh yes, bleaching over coconut oil is the best way to do it. :agree: I really, really wish more colorists new about this. ;) Because last time I went to a salon (ages ago), I was too embarrassed to show up with coconut oil all over my hair and explain... but really, it should be common practice.

By the way, Alien Girl, does coconut oil make you increase the processing time a bit or does it reduce the overall lift for your hair at all? (Kind of how Olaplex does) Or does the bleach eat straight through the oil for you the same way as if it does on clean hair?

Also, could you please share the differences between what you do now vs. what you used to do (when, you mentioned, the bleach experience wasn't good)? This stuff is very useful! :D Thanks a lot! :flowers:

[Alien Girl]

Oh yes, bleaching over coconut oil is the best way to do it. :agree: I really, really wish more colorists new about this. ;) Because last time I went to a salon (ages ago), I was too embarrassed to show up with coconut oil all over my hair and explain... but really, it should be common practice.

By the way, Alien Girl, does coconut oil make you increase the processing time a bit or does it reduce the overall lift for your hair at all? (Kind of how Olaplex does) Or does the bleach eat straight through the oil for you the same way as if it does on clean hair?

Also, could you please share the differences between what you do now vs. what you used to do (when, you mentioned, the bleach experience wasn't good)? This stuff is very useful! :D Thanks a lot! :flowers:
The oil didn't affect the processing in any way :) I think that happens with Olaplex because they add it directly to the bleach and actually dilutes it. The oil helped the application process SO much, but didn't do anything other than protect my hair and make things easy.


Your hair looks beautiful! Heavy oiling before bleaching makes a huge difference, almost as much as proper after care.
I wish I had known this stuff when I went blonde several years ago...I wound up with gummy hair but gained some extra length from how much elasticity I lose o_O Not exactly how I want to grow my hair!
Now I treat my dyed-black hair similarly to how you do your bleached hair, and it's much happier.
Thank you!! :D Haha yeah I had a horrible experience with bleach in 2012 and know that feeling -_- !