Do a Bleach Wash on Your Hair
Did you color your hair, but it came out looking a little too funky? Or perhaps you just want a new look and think a bleached bombshell is what you're after? Either way, you will need to know how to bleach wash your hair. Bleach washing, also known as 'soap capping' or 'bleach bathing', is a gentler way to remove color from your hair. Scroll down to Step 1 to get started!
Contents
Steps
Making the Bleach Bath
- Do an allergy test. If this is your first time using bleach or doing a bleach test, you should perform an allergy test before covering your whole head in bleach (or else you might have a bad reaction.) Mix up a small amount of equal parts bleach and developer. Take a cotton swab, dip it in the bleach, and rub it on the inside of your elbow. If that area begins to itch, grow patchy, or take on a bright red color, then you are most likely allergic to the bleach and should not use it on your whole head. Monitor the area for 48 hours. If nothing happens then proceed with the bleaching.
- If your bleach and developer come with instructions on how to perform an allergy test, follow those instructions.
- Pour the shampoo you will be using into a mixing bowl. If possible, use a clarifying shampoo as this sort of shampoo will help you to gauge the strength of the bleach you are using. You should use the amount of shampoo you would normally use when washing your hair.
- You may want to add a tad bit more in case you need to add a bit more bleach to your hair.
- Most shampoos are fine to use but do not use a toning shampoo.
- Mix 1oz of bleach and 1oz developer in a second bowl. There are many different types of bleach - cream, oil, liquid, or powder - but it really doesn't matter what kind you use. They all do the same thing in the end.
- Using a 30 or 40 developer can break or snap re-treated hair, so use with caution!
- Pour everything into one bowl and mix thoroughly. The shampoo--if a clear clarifying one--should turn a sky blue color after mixing with the bleach.
- Add conditioner. This step is optional, but recommended to keep hair healthy. However, do not add conditioner if you are planning on dyeing your hair directly after bleaching it.
Using the Bleach Bath
- Wet your hair with cool water. It is easier to bleach hair when it is damp but not dripping. Run your hair under a cool stream of water (be it in the shower or sink). Once your whole head is wet, towel dry it so that it is damp rather than soaking wet (ie. there should not be water dripping in rivulets off of your head).
- You can also let your hair air dry for several minutes in combination with towel drying it. Just remember that it is important that your hair is damp.
- Put an old towel around your shoulders. Bleach has a tendency to remove the color from everything (not just your hair but clothing too) so it's important to bleach-proof your work area. Wrap an old towel (one you don't mind discoloring) around your shoulders. To be safe, you may want to wear an old shirt you don't care about as well. Put your latex or rubber gloves on so that the bleach doesn't irritate your skin.
- Apply the bleach wash to your damp hair. You will need to wear latex or rubber gloves for this step. When applying the bleach wash, start at the bottom (or tips) of your hair and work your way up to the roots. Once you have reached the roots, rub the rest of the bleach bath into your hair just like you would rub normal shampoo into your hair while showering.
- It's okay to apply the mix only to certain spots on your hair (like where the color didn't work out like you wanted it to.)
- Clip your hair up while the bleach processes. Once your hair is clipped up with plastic clips, you can either put a shower cap over it, or leave it exposed to the air. The shower cap will make the bleach process more quickly, and will also ensure that the bleach doesn't drip everywhere.
- Scrape off a bit of bleach. Do this every few minutes to keep an eye on how much your hair is lightening. It is important to keep an eye on your bleaching hair or else you may end up with a more intense platinum that the one you were hoping for.
- For already bleached hair, you may only need 7 - 10 minutes.
- For removing a dark dye, you may want to process it longer than 10-15 minutes, though it should only be 30 minutes maximum.
- If you do decide to use 30 or 40 vol - for extra lift or speed - don't let it process longer than 7-10 minutes (depending on your hair color and condition).
- Wash out the solution. Once you have reached the color you were hoping to achieve, its time to wash the bleach out. If you are planning on dyeing your hair after this bleaching process, do not use conditioner while you wash your hair out (some conditioners keep dye from getting absorbed into the hair.) If you are not planning on dyeing your hair, use a deep conditioner to bring some life back to your bleached hair. Wash your hair out as thoroughly as you can.
- If you're trying to remove hair dye, your hair should look orange or yellowish.
- If you're trying to remove a toner, it should leave the hair yellow.
Tips
- If your hair already has split or frizzy ends, apply leave-in conditioner or spritz with a mix of water and conditioner to help limit further damage from bleach washing.
- Be sure to wear latex gloves when applying and rinsing out bleach.
- It is not always necessary to wait a full 24 hours before colouring. Some brands of colour actually have conditioning benefits.
- If you were using it to strip a dark hair color, wait a day and then recolor.
- If you were using it to fix a toner, wait a day and then re-tone.
Warnings
- Before applying bleach, do a test patch. Doing so will help determine if you're allergic to peroxide, ammonia, or resorption. If you are allergic and apply the wash anyway, you could have a dangerous reaction.
Things You'll Need
- 10 vol. or 20 vol. Developer
- Any Shampoo (non-toning)
- Conditioner (Optional)
- Deep Conditioner
- Hair Bleach (blue or violet)
- Latex Gloves
- Non-metal mixing utensil
- Shower cap (Optional)
- Two metal-free mixing bowls
