Bleaching your hair roots can be a fantastic way of keeping your hair color looking fresh and fantastic. It can be done at anytime between ideally two and six weeks So is great to be able to have a quick freshen up for any occasion.
How to Bleach Your Hair Roots
Color Level
When you are bleaching your hair roots you need to consider the color level of your roots and what level you would like to be. Hair is industry-standard a level of one to ten. One is black and 10 being white blonde.
Once you have decided what level of color your hair naturally is you need to decide what level of color you wish to achieve. Depending on how many levels of color we need to lift with the bleach will depend on which hydrogen peroxide level to use.
If you wish to only lift your hair one level 3% peroxide (10 vol) will be adequate. For example, you are a natural level 6 and you wish to get to a natural level 7.
If you wish to lift your hair two to three levels 6% peroxide will be adequate for example if you are naturally a level 6 and you wish to become a level 8 to 9.
If you wish to achieve more than three levels of left you may need to use 9% peroxide(30 vol developer) For example if you are naturally a level 6 and wish to get to a level 10.
However, using 9% peroxide definitely comes with risks using 9% peroxide should not be done outside of a salon because it includes the risks of damaging and blistering the scalp. It is always advisable to do a strand and skin test before applying on scalp bleach in an inconspicuous area 24 hours before application ideally behind the ear at the back.
Helpful hint: It is always advisable to use the same brand of bleach and peroxide as they are designed to work together to give the best outcome.
It is likely using different brands of peroxide and bleach will work. Because the actives are the same, but they may have different supporting products within the bleach and peroxide designed to work together. this is why using the same brand is likely to give the best outcome.
Bleaching Hair Roots
When you have decided what your natural color is then decide what color level you wish to achieve, which bleach and peroxide level you need. The next step is to work out your application technique.
Bleach starts working very quickly and to get an even application, it is important to work out where you need to start and where you need to finish and apply quickly and accurately.
Firstly divide the hair into four quarters. secondly, have a look at the natural hair in the first and second quarter at the front and the third and fourth quarter at the back.
When looking at these sections you need to assess if there is a small amount of difference in the color or more than one level difference between the natural color.
There are times when the first two quarters can be vastly different from the last two quarters like in the event of being very grey at the front and not so at the back.
Pro tip: For scalp bleaching, it is best if the mix of bleach powder and peroxide resembles the consistency of toothpaste.
Generally, the best rule of thumb is to start taking even sections half a centimeter apart straight across sections three and four and apply to both the up and down sections of the divided hair to ensure thorough coverage. A missed or dark spot stands out a mile in blonde hair.
Application of the bleach is very important. It is paramount for the results to be even for the bleach to be applied quickly and evenly.
When you’re applying the bleach you do not want to overlap any more than around two to three millimeters onto the old color or you potentially could jellify (turn your hair to gummy) the hair and it break off, although you do need to overlap the 2/3 mm or you will end up with a very obvious color band.
Ideally, you should always have someone else apply root bleach for you-preferably a hairdresser. If the first 2 sections are vastly different from the back 2 sections you can allow a couple of minute break between doing the back sections and the front sections to allow the whole head to be developed at the same time.
Processing Time
The amount of processing time that is required will totally depend on the number of levels of lift that you wish to achieve. If it is only one level it may be as little as 10 to 15 minutes if it is up to four levels it may require the full processing time of 50 minutes.
It is even possible that sometimes one application of bleach is not enough. In those instances of uneven bleached hair, the second application of 20 Vol only is advised. it would be unadvisable to add a second application of 20 Vol over the initial application of 30 Vol however if 20 vol was used initially another application of 20 Volt can be safely applied over the top of the initial application.
As a general rule of thumb when I look at a scalp bleach application to decide if it has been processed enough or not – I generally would be looking for it to appear to be one shade lighter than the desired color.
With this in mind, you can always tone the hair a little darker but if you have not lifted it enough you will not be able to achieve the desired results. Better to be on the safe side.
It’s now time to shampoo off on scalp bleach. If you are applying toner do so following one shampoo and a towel dry.
Apply Fix If Needed
Congratulations! You have now successfully done on scalp bleach. At this point in time, your underlying reflection of your natural hair is revealed and more often than not it is a varying shade from dark to pale yellow depending on the level in which your result is that you desired.
It is now time to apply your chosen hair toner to neutralize any remaining unwanted yellow tones.
Please note: During bleach application, some people feel nothing, some people feel itching or tingling. They are fine. If you feel stinging or burning please remove bleach instantly.
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