This is what bleach does to my hair. (Photos)

[Coriander]

I've posted this in Manda's "If Only (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=35641)" thread here on the Mane board, and also in my blog. It was suggested that I start a new thread for this subject because three people have had the same result, and we wanted to throw this out there for anyone who has thought about using straight bleach on their hair.

I had one hair rat, which I split into two separate bowls. To one bowl I added regular hydrogen peroxide and to the other, straight Clorox bleach as the OP had done. I allowed these to sit for 20 minutes, again as the OP had.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4164&pictureid=53512
Before adding any kind of chemical

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4164&pictureid=53511
This is just a few minutes into the 20 minutes. Note the bubbling reaction on the right.

I went back to check after 15 more minute (20 total) and this is what I found...
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4164&pictureid=53510

I did not remove the hair from the bowl. There was simply nothing left.

(For anyone interested, here is what the peroxide did. The "after" is on the right, within the red lines.)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4164&pictureid=53507

I know a lot of people have lovely results putting straight bleach on their hair, but please be careful.

If you have photos of your own experiments, please feel free to post them here!

[Amara]

All I have to say about that is

:run:

[Maddy25]

AH! that is creepy @_@ I have colour stripped my hair and bleached it to blonde but never using actual straight bleach...Good thing!

[rchorr]

Wow. Straight bleach is NOT recommended! :silly:

RCHORR'

[GlassEyes]

@_@ That is terrifying.

[SimplyViki]

And I'll just add - it's worse for your hair than Liquid Plumbr! I did the same experiment, and also a hairball in a bowl of Liquid Plumbr. The bleach dissolved the hair completely in 25 minutes, while the Liquid Plumbr still hasn't fully dissolved (it has partially dissolved, but there's still distinguishable hair strands in the clump, and it's still hair colored) and it's been over 20 hours by now.
:bigeyes:
Scary stuff.

[Lactrodectus]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-1222894/Goodbye-grey--The-revolutionary-new-treatment-promises-turn-fading-hair-original-colour.html

This article mentions a couple of things, including a dye made from something that is supposed not to damage hair and claims to actually improve its condition.

[ericthegreat]

:agape: What kind of bleach was that, 1,000volume?!!!!!!!

[eresh]

Are you sure it wasn't an invisibility potion?

[above_rubies]

:scared::scared::scared::scared::scared:

[SimplyViki]

:agape: What kind of bleach was that, 1,000volume?!!!!!!!
Clorox bleach. Not hair bleach. :p

[Addy]

6% sodium hypochlorite.

Not the kind you want a hair dresser using!

[heatherdazy]

Clorox bleach is not the same as hair lightening "bleach"... they just happen to share a name!

[Coriander]

Exactly... they share a name. Which can be confusing for people who, as you can find all over the internet, express an interest in using Clorox on their head.

Scary! I can only imagine what that would do to your scalp.

[heatherdazy]

I can't imagine why they'd want to, considering all the hair colorants and lighters available otc these days.

[Madame J]

This reminds me of a science experiment I tried to do in middle school. My best friend had just gotten a large amount of hair cut off and had saved the hair, so I took some. My plan was to bleach some of it, examine the damage under a microscope, and see what hair products (hot oil, conditioner, etc.) made it look the best again, compared to virgin hair. I didn't think to consult my mom's hairdresser about actual hair bleach, and I had heard a bunch of horror stories about people using hydrogen peroxide from the drugstore and Clorox to dye their hair, so I tried those. HP did nothing, so I laid a carefully-prepared lock of hair into a cup of Clorox for ten or so minutes. When I got back, the hair was gone! I changed my science project after that -- I don't remember what I did instead.

[Shiva]

I went back to check after 15 more minute (20 total) and this is what I found...
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4164&pictureid=53510

I did not remove the hair from the bowl. There was simply nothing left.


Eeeeeek. That is scary.

:bigeyes:

I am soooo so so soooooo glad I never got involved in coloring my hair.

[RavennaNight]

Wow scary! :scared:

[heatherdazy]

Eeeeeek. That is scary.

:bigeyes:

I am soooo so so soooooo glad I never got involved in coloring my hair.
Clorox bleach is not haircolor or in haircolor. They are not the same.

[Shiva]

Clorox bleach is not haircolor or in haircolor. They are not the same.

Oh, I see... See how much I know about this stuff?

Still, tho......

:bigeyes:

[clairenewcastle]

Certainly makes me stop and think about what I've put on my hair in the past. I realise it's not the same type of bleach but it's still worrying.

[Coriander]

While the Clorox isn't in regular hair coloring, there are many search-engine entries about using this sort of bleach. That is what worries me, and why I chose to start this thread at the suggestion of others. People who happen upon this forum may not know the difference.

:flower:

[longhairedfairy]

Ew! :scared: :shudder: That's freaky!

[Gumball]

Bubbly, dusty [non] goodness.

[angelthadiva]

Dang, makes me rethink using Liquid Plumber. Maybe we should switch to straight up bleach to get rid of these hair clogs! :thumbsup:

[MandaMom2Three]

Yes, my hair had decreased in substance significantly and if I'd left it any longer I know it would have dissolved!! Gald to know it's a different bleach than they use on hair, though my Dad's girlfriend's son just bleached his hair with this stuff :scared:

[Bellalalala]

Yes, the chemicals are very very different.

They have a similar effect in that they heavily oxidize substances and "bleach" out colour, which means "to remove colour" or "to make white."
The other effects they have are quite different though.

Peroxide is heavily oxidizing, but it is completely biodegradable. It isn't used in cleaning fluids because it is far too expensive to produce and sell in mass quantities.

[RancheroTheBee]

When I was twelve, my friend and I decided it would be cool to bleach my hair. With bleach. Before I was right about to POUR IT ONTO MY HEAD, she says to me, "Maybe we should clip off some of your hair and test it on that, in case it turns out a funny color like last time." Thank God I listened to her.

[Naters]

that really is scary!

[vdhendrix]

holy crap, people use straight bleach on thier hair??? :shocked: i mean i wonder what that could do to your scalp, :brainbleach: couldnt i cause permanent hair loos maybe?

[vdhendrix]

holy crap, people use straight bleach on thier hair??? :shocked: i mean i wonder what that could do to your scalp, :brainbleach: couldnt i cause permanent hair loos maybe?


lol i meant "couldnt it cause permanent hair lose"

[vdhendrix]

lol i just went and dug 2" of hair i just trimmed off out of the my bathroom trash can so i can try this

[ericthegreat]

Being a young hairstylist myself, I have been told all the horror stories about people who thought they could save money from going to the salon by using laundry bleach to lighten their hair. In almost ALL CASES, the person suffered from severe chemical scalp burns in addition to having all or most of their hair MELTED OFF.

Seriously folks(now I know I don't even need to warn any of you LHCers), don't be that cheap. If you won't go to a salon to get it done then at least go to a beauty supply store and pick yourself up a $10 to $20 hair lightening kit. Or go to Duane Reade or Rite Aid and pick up an $8 box of haircolor.

[Toadstool]

As far as I know household bleach is formulated to dissolve hair because thath's one of the ways it unblocks drains...

[SimplyViki]

As far as I know household bleach is formulated to dissolve hair because thath's one of the ways it unblocks drains...
Well, sounds like it works! :D But I'd never heard of using it for that before, this has been a useful experiment for me. I'd always assumed you had to buy actual Drano or Liquid Plumbr for clogged drains, but it turns out straight bleach works a lot faster!

[ademtce]

Being a young hairstylist myself, I have been told all the horror stories about people who thought they could save money from going to the salon by using laundry bleach to lighten their hair. In almost ALL CASES, the person suffered from severe chemical scalp burns in addition to having all or most of their hair MELTED OFF.

Seriously folks(now I know I don't even need to warn any of you LHCers), don't be that cheap. If you won't go to a salon to get it done then at least go to a beauty supply store and pick yourself up a $10 to $20 hair lightening kit. Or go to Duane Reade or Rite Aid and pick up an $8 box of haircolor.


even then though, boxes of color just don't cut it. if you really wanna get a good hold on your knowledge for color read KillerStrands (killerstrands.blogspot.com/) from beginning to end.



holy crap, people use straight bleach on thier hair??? :shocked: i mean i wonder what that could do to your scalp, :brainbleach: couldnt i cause permanent hair loos maybe?

yes it could, if the bleach destroys the follicle.

[DarkChocolate]

I have never heard of anyone using straight Clorox bleach on their hair. :agape:

I always thought when people were talking about bleaching their hair they meant using peroxide:)

[Heidi_234]

yes it could, if the bleach destroys the follicle.
Well if it did, I suppose it would long ago tweaked and made to permanently get rid of body hair like laser treatments and such.

Andway, Coriander - SCARY :scared:
I'm actually happy that it's not a widely-known thing, otherwise everybody will know that it only take to dip a person's hair in a glass of bleach while s/he sleeps in order melt it to non-existence :scared:

[SimplyViki]

Hmm... interesting. Or terrifying. I just found an e-how article: How to Bleach Hair with Clorox Bleach (http://www.ehow.com/how_5082551_bleach-hair-clorox-bleach.html).

Anyone feel like experimenting? :silly:

[natt i nord]

Anyone feel like experimenting? :silly:

Always the one who's asking, right? :silly:

[SimplyViki]

Always the one who's asking, right? :silly:
Oh, shh. You'll scare away any volunteers! :p

[suicides_eve]

That is the COOLEST experiment i have seen in a long time!! bravo!

[Coriander]

Hmm... interesting. Or terrifying. I just found an e-how article: How to Bleach Hair with Clorox Bleach (http://www.ehow.com/how_5082551_bleach-hair-clorox-bleach.html).

Anyone feel like experimenting? :silly:

Absolutely not. :D

What scares me, too, is that someone might think, "Hey, if the recipe calls for this much, maybe if I increase that it'll work better." Yikes.

[Medievalmaniac]

At least now we know not to waste our time buying Liquid Plumber for our drain clogs...we should clearly just pour bleach down there! :O

[Gothic Lolita]

wow, one of the coolst and scariest experiments I've seen in a long time! Thanks for sharing.


now I'm wondering where I could put my hairballs in to see what happens *wanders around the house to find scary stuff*

[Bellalalala]

Well if it did, I suppose it would long ago tweaked and made to permanently get rid of body hair like laser treatments and such.


Not exactly.
It could damage the follicles permanently through scarring, the same way any significant burn can permanently damage hair follicles.
I don't think there's much potential for harnessing the power of severe burns as a hair-removal technique. :rolleyes:

[Speckla]

I have never heard of anyone using straight Clorox bleach on their hair. :agape:

I always thought when people were talking about bleaching their hair they meant using peroxide:)

I used straight bleach on my hair when I was 14. I was trying to get the back very, very blonde. I remember seeing a style of dark on top and blonde in the back. All it did was make my hair feel like straw for weeks and weeks. I didn't know the difference back then.