Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 5: Preparing for bleaching
• Part 2 of 5: Applying the bleach
• Part 3 of 5: Wait and rinse
• Part 4 of 5: Finishing the process
• Part 5 of 5: Bleach again
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Now you may still be a raven black brunette, but you want to be reborn as a chic blonde. There are all kinds of products available to give you those sought after blonde locks. It's always good to follow the manufacturer's instructions, but there are also some general steps you can follow throughout the process.

To step

Part 1 of 5: Preparing for bleaching

1. Consider taking a test. You can pull some hair out of your brush and test how your hair will be when you bleach it. If you test it first, you will not be faced with any surprises!
2. Wash your hair for a few days before you want to bleach it. Do not use styling products that leave a film on your hair. By letting the natural fats sit in your hair you protect your scalp and your hair.
3. Make your hair greasy. The night before bleaching, coat your hair with coconut oil and let it sit all night. This prevents damage to your hair and scalp.
4. Gather all the things you need to bleach it, get some old towels, and ventilate the room well. Once you start, you need to work quickly to avoid burning, so make sure you have everything on hand.
5. Prepare yourself: Brush your hair. Put on safety glasses and gloves! Secure the glasses with tape to protect your eyes.
   • Note: Wear a button-up shirt or something wide-necked so you can rinse your hair without getting the bleach on your clothes.

Part 2 of 5: Applying the bleach

1. Divide your hair into quarters. Spread a layer of petroleum jelly or other greasy cream along your hairline, on and behind your ears, and down your neck. This protects your skin from the bleach.
2. Pour 60-90 ml developer cream into a plastic mixing bowl. Add 60 grams of bleaching powder (or 1 scoop of developer cream and 1 scoop of bleaching powder) and open the windows. Keep in mind that your hair will be lighter by several shades if you use a 30 or 40% developer cream. But the risk of burning your scalp is greater.
3. Start at the back and apply the bleach with a brush. DO NOT start at the roots as your roots will be lighter than your ends.
   • You can put a layer of aluminum foil under one section of your hair, spread the bleach on it, and wrap the hair in the foil. Make sure it is special foil from a barber shop and not from the supermarket, as it can damage your hair.
4. Apply the bleach all over your head. First stay about 3 cm away from the roots. Once everything has been applied, apply the bleach to your roots as well, but be careful not to over massage it into your scalp.
   • Do not try to apply the bleach directly to your scalp. That can burn and hurt. If it burns badly you can get burns from the chemicals. Then rinse it off immediately.
5. Adjust the process for darker areas if you wish. You may want to apply bleach earlier in some areas where your hair is a little darker. If your roots are much darker than the rest of your hair, if it has been bleached before, for example, then bleach it for 15 to 30 minutes longer than the rest of your hair. If the roots are lighter than the rest, then the tips will be bleached first.

Part 3 of 5: Wait and rinse

1. Cover your hair. Cover your hair with a shower cap, aluminum foil, or plastic bag. Make sure it doesn't cover your face, but your hair all over. Tie or tape it at your neck and keep all your hair underneath.
   • If you want lighter hair, use aluminum foil instead of plastic.
   • If you are using a plastic bag with a print, make sure the printed side is NOT touching your hair as this could get the ink on your hair.
2. Let it sit for 40 minutes from the time you start applying. Check your timer. Leaving it on for longer will not lighten it, it will only damage your hair more.
   • Check the color from time to time. If it is pale yellow, rinse the bleach. Never let it sit for more than an hour. If it turned out no further because then it can break off.
   • If it hasn't turned pale yellow yet, rinse it out anyway, apply a color rinse and wait a month before bleaching it again (see Another Bleach below).
3. Rinse the bleach from your hair when it is light enough. Wash it with a pH neutral shampoo. That stops the chemical reactions that have taken place on your head.
   • You must wash the bleach out completely or you will damage your hair. After a while, it won't bleach any further, but the bleach will only damage your hair. If you bleach it too long, your hair can turn into a bunch of straw and break off. When in doubt, rinse it out.
   • Use a shampoo and conditioner that are especially suitable for bleached hair so that the yellow glow goes out and your hair becomes white and platinum blonde. A silver shampoo works well. There are purple hues in there, and as you know purple balances yellow making it white.

Part 4 of 5: Finishing the process

1. Apply a color rinse or paint if desired. If your hair has turned pale yellow, you can use a color rinse or dye. Color rinse is a temporary hair dye that can counteract the unwanted yellow glow from bleaching.
   • For natural platinum blonde, you can dye it with a natural bleaching powder and a mild developer cream, because your hair is already bleached. Leave it on for 25 minutes.
   • For silver-platinum blonde, use platinum blonde powder with a mild developer cream and leave it on for 25 minutes as well.
   • For yellowish-white, just leave it like that after bleaching. Use a lot of silver shampoo, or use paint that is roughly the same shade.
   • For white-blond or white, use a white-blond color rinse that you leave on for 25 minutes. A color rinse is semi-permanent and the color will fade, so you can apply another color rinse after a week.
2. Nurture, nurture, nurture. Make sure your hair can recover well with keratin treatments and other conditioners. Use a deep conditioner at least once a week.
3. Use a protein treatment to strengthen your hair. Bleaching weakens your hair, so adding proteins will make it stronger and less likely to break. Take your time as it needs to be absorbed for a few hours and it takes half an hour to wash it out.

Part 5 of 5: Bleach again

1. Repeat the entire bleaching process after a month if you want your hair to be even lighter. Follow the same process: wash it with a pH neutral shampoo, apply color rinse if desired, then condition it well with conditioners.
2. After 40 minutes, wash your hair out (depending on the color rinse) and apply a conditioner.
3. Be very careful with the whole process. Never bleach your hair for more than an hour and wait a month before doing it again. Otherwise, your hair will be damaged, dull and frizzy. If you are not careful you will get scabs on your head that can eventually lead to bald patches. Take extra care of your hair in between. Have patience.
4. Let your blonde locks dance. Take good care of your hair, because bleaching is a tough process. Use conditioner often and take a protein treatment every now and then to prevent breakage.

Tips

• Care, care for, care for and care for your hair.
• Buy a darker hair dye, or a dye in the shade of your natural hair color. Then, if it fails, you can paint it in your own color again. Wait 24 hours before dyeing again after bleaching.
• Buy a blonde hair serum.

Warnings

• Use never an iron spoon or metal mixing bowl!
• Don't bleach your hair with bleach. Buy the bleach from a barber shop or drug store.
• Never let the bleach sit for longer than an hour! Otherwise, you will burn your scalp and ruin your hair!
• Bleaching too often will damage your hair.
• If you burn your scalp you can get bald spots!
• If your own hair is slightly red, it may turn orange from bleaching.
• If you've inhaled the fumes from the bleach and feel dizzy, call the doctor.
• Don't let the bleach get on your skin or clothes!
• Put on gloves!
• Hair that has never been dyed before is the easiest to work with.
• Do not get it in your eyes.

Necessities

• Coconut oil
• A loose-fitting camisole
• Latex or plastic gloves
• Old towels
• Vaseline
• Bleaching powder
• Shampoo and conditioner for bleached hair
• Developing cream
• Paint brush
• Color rinse / paint
• Protective glasses
• Plastic or glass dish (no metal!)
• Something to cover your hair with
• Protein treatment
• Foil