Bleaching Hair

Tips for Lightening Hair with Bleach

This page offers advice on bleaching hair. You'll find information on mixing, application, and processing times when using bleach.

Using bleach for lightening hair is more risky than most hair coloring processes. But with that risk comes great reward.

Bleaching hair effectively strips what appears to be our "natural" hair color, exposing the underlying pigment lurking beneath the surface.

Depending on how dark your hair is naturally, your underlying pigment could range from rusty orange to pale yellow.

More on underlying pigments and the chemistry of hair color.

Removing those pigments allows for a true neutral, ash or platinum blonde. If you want to lighten hair more than 3 or 4 shades, eliminate brassy blondes, or achieve a very bright punk hair color, bleach is the most effective product.

Hair Bleaching Processes

Bleached Blonde Hair Color

Here are examples of and instructions for the most common uses for bleach. Read the rest of this page for product advice and directions for mixing and storing your product.

Mixing and Storing Hair Bleach

PREPARE YOUR HAIR
For best results (and to avoid common color mishaps), make sure your hair is ready for the color.

Minerals from water, chlorine from swimming pools, and build-up from styling products can all impede the haircolor formula's ability to do it's thing.

Use Joico K-Pak Chelating Shampoo before coloring to help eliminate these impurities.

Bleach comes in powder form and hydrogen peroxide is added to activate the lightening process. If you get a bleach/highlighting kit from the drugstore, the developer that comes with it will likely be 20 Volume peroxide.

Add the peroxide to the powder bleach a little at a time, stirring and squishing the lumps out. Your kit may have instructions for measurements. If in doubt, mix the bleach to a thick gravy consistency. Not so thin that it runs off the brush when you hold it above the bowl.

If it's too runny, add more powder. If bleach is mixed to a thick consistency it tends to dry out faster and not be as effective.

Close your bleach powder up tight for storage. Air causes the powder to oxidate and lose its effectiveness. Double protection inside a plastic bag, then inside a plastic tub is a good idea to keep it fresh and ready for action.

Products and Tools for Bleaching Hair


This bleach kit comes with 30 Volume peroxide. It's not for on-scalp bleaching but is great for special effects!	Soft 'N Style The Hair Colorists Tool Kit This kit contains all the tools you'll need for bleaching hair. You may want to grab an extra bowl, also available at Folica.com so you don't have to wash the bleach bowl to mix your toner.