Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing to bleach your hair
• Part 2 of 3: Bleaching brown hair
• Part 3 of 3: Caring for bleached hair
• Necessities
• Warnings

If you have the right supplies and take precautions, you can very easily bleach brown hair at home. Prepare yourself by purchasing the right supplies and conditioner, then testing a section of hair. After bleaching, add toner and conditioner to your hair to keep it looking beautiful.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing to bleach your hair

1. For thick or curly hair, use a deep conditioner a week before bleaching. Hair that is very thick or curly can break more quickly during or after bleaching. Choose a deep conditioner without sulfates and containing natural oils such as argan oil or coconut oil. Apply this conditioner to your hair every night for a week before bleaching it.
   • Apply the conditioner generously to dry hair, then comb it with a wide-tooth comb, leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water.
2. Choose the right bleaching powder for your hair. A set for bleaching your hair usually contains a sachet of bleaching powder and a bottle of developer solution. The strength of the bleach depends on the developer, but you can also choose from blue, purple or white bleaching powders. The main difference is that the white powder can give your hair a slightly golden hue, while the blue and purple powders tend to be a bit more neutral.
   • The white powders are often considered extra powerful, and are suitable if your hair is very dark brown, or if it has been dyed many times in the past.
3. Buy developer solutions that are suitable for your hair. Developer fluid comes in different strengths, denoted by volume 10 (3%), 20 (6%), 30 (9%), and 40 (12%), with 10 being the least strong type. Your hair will light up faster when the number is higher, and slower when the number is lower. If your hair is light brown, use number 20 developer. If your hair is medium to dark brown, use number 30.
   • If you are new to bleaching your hair, stick to volume 10 or 20 developer at home. If you feel like you need volume 30 or 40 to get the job done, you may want to go to the hairdresser to get your hair bleached.
4. Buy 2 sets of bleach if you have very thick or long hair (past your shoulders). If your hair is very thick or long, you will need more bleach to coat all the hair. Buy two sets with the same powder and developer.
   • You can buy the powder and liquid separately at some beauty supply stores. You can save costs by buying a large bottle of developer and 2 sachets of powder, instead of 2 separate sets.
5. Don't wash your hair before bleaching it. Bleach actually works best on slightly dirty or greasy hair. What it does at least 1-2 days before you bleach it. Also, don't put in any new products like gel or hairspray just before bleaching it, but if there's anything left in it from a few days earlier, that's okay.

Part 2 of 3: Bleaching brown hair

1. First, test a section of hair. Bleach will inevitably damage your hair a bit, and hair that has previously been chemically treated with relaxers or perms, for example, can be seriously damaged. Testing a strand tells you how long to leave the bleach in your hair, and whether your hair is healthy enough to bleach it. Take a section of hair about 1 cm wide that you can test the bleach on.
   • Mix a very small amount of powder and developer in a ratio of 1: 2 (1 part powder, 2 parts liquid) in a plastic dish. Apply the bleach to the section of hair with a brush and wait 5 minutes. Then wipe it off with an old towel and see how light your hair has become.
   • Apply some bleach again if your hair is not yet as light as you want. Keep wiping it off and checking your hair is the color you want every 5 minutes to determine how long you should leave the bleach on in total. Discard the leftover bleach when you are done with the test.
   • If the strand breaks or becomes elastic, it means your hair has been burned by the bleach. Do not bleach the rest of your hair if this happens.
2. Divide your hair into four parts and secure them with hair clips. Brush your hair well, parting from the center of your forehead to your neck. Secure the right side with a large plastic hair clip, and part the left side of your ear to the center part. Secure these two parts with clamps, take the clamp out of the right side and separate there in the same way.
   • Never use metal clips when bleaching your hair as the metal can react with the bleach and seriously damage your hair.
3. Mix the bleach and developer in a 1: 2 ratio. In most sets the quantities are already measured, but if you bought powder and liquid separately, you will need to mix 1 part powder with 2 parts liquid. An easy way to do this is to put the powder in a clear plastic container, then add developer until the level of the liquid is twice the level of the powder.
   • You can read the amount of bleach powder on the bag, and then measure twice the amount of developer into a measuring cup.
   • Most bleaching agents need to be mixed 1: 2, but check the packaging for instructions to be sure.
4. Cover your shoulders and put on gloves. Bleach can stain your clothes, especially in dark colors. To prevent bleach from getting on your clothes, you can put an old towel or hairdresser's cape over your shoulders. Secure it with a clip at your neck so that it stays in place.
   • Also avoid getting bleach on your hands as it can irritate the skin. Put on plastic or rubber gloves to protect your hands.
5. Spread the bleach on small strands at the back, 1 cm from your scalp. When the bleach is mixed well, put on gloves and remove 1 of the hair clips from the back of your hair. Using a brush, apply a part of it, starting 1 cm from your scalp, all the way to the ends.
   • Place the section upwards so that you can rub the bottom. Wrap the section into a loose curl and secure it with a small clip.
6. Apply this part quickly and secure all the strands with a clip. Keep rubbing strands into the first section of your hair, securing them with clips. Do this quickly as the bleach will start to work immediately. Then do the same on the other part at the back of your head, continuing with the front when the back is done.
   • When you are done with the last part in the front, the part you started with should be markedly lighter.
7. As a last resort, apply bleach to the roots of your hair, if you wish. If you are done applying bleach to most of your hair, you can also rub the 1 cm piece on your scalp that you left uncovered. If bleach gets on your scalp, it can sting, or at least itch, but in some cases it can burn badly.
   • Some people find it very unpleasant when bleach gets on their scalp. Try it first on a small tuft at the back where you started. If you don't like it, you can always choose to leave your roots unbleached.
8. Check your hair to make sure you haven't missed anything and apply some more bleach if necessary. Start at the part you started with and pull out the clips to see if it lightens evenly. If you still see brown strands, spread some more bleach there and secure the strand with a clip.
   • Use a full-length mirror and a handheld mirror to check the back of your head for missed spots.
9. Check the front of your hair every five minutes to see if it is light enough already. Brown hair turns orange first, then yellow, and finally blonde when bleached. If your hair was very dark brown, it will take longer to be truly blonde than medium or light brown hair.
   • After 20 to 40 minutes, you will notice that your hair does not lighten anymore. The bleach stops working after a certain amount of time, and you should have discovered how light your hair can become when you tested one strand.
   • If this happens, your hair may not be able to lighten now. You have to rinse out the bleach and determine how to proceed if the color is not what you wanted.
   • Read in the instructions that came with your set what the maximum processing time is. Most products should not work for longer than 45 minutes.
10. Rinse the bleach immediately if you see your hair breaking. If you detach a section of hair and see pieces breaking off, rinse your hair immediately. Remove the clips and put your head under a lukewarm tap to rinse out the bleach.
    • Hopefully this will not happen if you have tried the remedy on a pluck first. If it does happen, you may need to get professional help to improve the color if it didn't work out properly, and to evenly trim chipped strands of hair.
11. Rinse your hair well and add shampoo and conditioner. If your hair is as light as you want, rinse it well with lukewarm water. Wash your hair with a moisturizing shampoo and moisturizing conditioner to condition it before rinsing it out with lukewarm water.
    • Beauty supply stores often also sell conditioner that is especially suitable for bleached or dyed hair. Buy a bottle of this good conditioner and use it right after bleaching for best results.

Part 3 of 3: Caring for bleached hair

1. Apply toner to remove a yellow glow from bleached hair. Sometimes you get an unwanted red, orange or yellow glow in your hair after bleaching. The darker your hair was before bleaching, the more likely you are to want to remove that glow afterward. Choose a toner with a green, blue or purple color to neutralize your hair color.
   • Most people put toner in their hair immediately after bleaching, because then your hair can absorb the toner optimally. However, you can also do it later. Follow the instructions on the toner package carefully to avoid neutralizing your hair too much, as it may turn gray or lilac.
   • Green toners neutralize a red glow. Blue toners neutralize orange, and purple toners neutralize yellow. If you are unsure which toner to use, ask a salesperson at a beauty supply store.
   • If you buy toner, use developer fluid number 10 or 20 for it, depending on the instructions on the package.
2. Wash your hair with a blonde shampoo. Some shampoos designed specifically for bleached hair already contain toner to give you a cooler, more neutral blonde color. You can find these shampoos at the drugstore.
   • Look for shampoo with a blue or purple color. These shampoos are specially made to get the orange or yellow glow from blonde, gray or white hair. The bottle tells you how often to use the shampoo and how long to leave it on.
   • Avoid shampoo with sulfates, as they will dry out your hair even more.
3. Use a fortifying conditioner daily. Since bleached hair is extra prone to damage, take good care of it with plenty of moisturizing products. Get a conditioner for colored or bleached hair, or that says it is moisturizing or moisturizing.
   • You can also apply a deep conditioner weekly to keep your hair healthy and hydrated.
4. Try a protein treatment or natural oil to treat brittle ends. Your ends may look dry or split after bleaching. You can use a protein treatment or a hair mask with argan or coconut oil to fix them. Smear the product into the ends, wrap a warm towel around it and leave it on for 30 minutes.
   • Do this once or twice a week until your points start to look better. You may need to get the tips cut if they are badly damaged.
5. Update your outgrowth every 4-6 weeks. The best way to keep your blonde hair beautiful is to update the roots every 4-6 weeks. Do not bleach your entire hair again or you will damage it too much. You can also reapply the bleach 1cm from your scalp if you don't want to get it on your skin.
   • To touch up your outgrowth, only prepare half the amount of bleach. Spread it on your roots, but be careful not to spread it on already bleached hair.

Necessities

• Packet of bleach with powder and developer
• Plastic mixing bowl
• Brush
• Comb
• 4 large plastic hair clips
• 10-30 small plastic hair clips
• Plastic or latex gloves
• Old towel
• Toner to remove a yellow glow
• Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner
• Protein treatment or natural oil

Warnings

• Always test the product on a tuft before bleaching your entire hair. If you don't, your hair or scalp may get burned, or you may end up with a color you don't like.