How to Stop Hair Breakage After Bleaching
- By Catherine Jordan
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Have you been dying your hair and noticed that it’s breaking off? If so, I have the perfect solution for you. We know how frustrating it can be to see your hair break after bleaching.
It’s not just about looking good but also feeling confident in yourself. That’s why we’re here to help. These products will stop your hair from breaking and keep it healthy and strong again. You’ll never have to worry about brittle or damaged locks ever again with this miracle treatment.
If you’re tired of dealing with breakage and split ends after bleaching your hair, then we have the perfect solution for you.
What is Bleach Damaged Hair?
Hair is considered “bleached” when it has been artificially lightened using oxidizing chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide or sodium hydroxide.
Bleached hair is very porous and therefore more prone to damage than undamaged hair because bleaching causes many internal chemical changes in your natural locks.
How to Identify Bleach Damaged Hair
- Loss Of Natural Shine
- Hair Tangles
- Brittle And Dry
- Flyaways
- Split Ends
Easiest Way to Fix Damaged Hair
- Use a shampoo and conditioner specifically made for bleached hair.
- Use heat protection spray daily, especially on your ends before using a hair tool.
- Trim split ends every 6-8 weeks to avoid further damage and breakage.
- Don’t use chlorine or salt water when swimming.
- Always apply a deep conditioning treatment at least once per week to keep the moisture in your hair.
- Wear protective styles like braids or loose wigs when you need to avoid heat styling for a long period (like during the cold winter months).
- Maintain a healthy diet and drink plenty of water to speed up the recovery process and maintain healthy hair, skin, and nails.
- Don’t pull your hair too tightly into a ponytail or other updo styles that can damage the root of your hair.
9 Easy Steps: Best Treatment for Damaged Hair
Step 1: Prepare Your Hair Before Bleaching
Use a clarifying shampoo to remove all of the oils, waxes, and dirt before bleaching your hair.
You can find clarifying shampoos at any local drugstore or beauty supply store.
Clarifying shampoo will also make your color stand out perfectly! You’ll be surprised by how much better your locks look after using this step.
Step 2: Bleach and Tone Your Hair
Use a mild peroxide dye and mix with the developer.
Since bleach is the lightning agent here, it will be at the top of the ingredient list on your box of hair dye. For example: 30 Volume Creme Developer + 6% Peroxide = Blonde Color. Please note that this does not apply to permanent hair dye. [1]
If you don’t have a box of hair dye, you can purchase a tub of bleach from the beauty supply store. Please note that this is VERY strong and should only be used if nothing else is available. If it’s your first time bleaching your locks, we do not recommend using this as it may cause damage to your hair.
Step 3: Apply Treatment to Hair
Apply a treatment or deep conditioner on your ends and throughout the shaft of your hair before bleaching it. This will help protect against breakage while dying.
You can also apply a leave-in oil, such as coconut oil or jojoba oil.
Only apply these products to the ends of your hair as this will help seal in the dye and keep it from seeping out.
Step 4: Protect Hair Using a Heat Protector
Drench your strands with a heat protection spray before using any type of heated tools, such as a blow dryer, curling iron, or flat iron. This will help prevent your hair from getting damaged and broken.
Read More: A Guide to Choose the Best Quiet Hair Dryers
Step 5: Use a Deep Treatment After Bleaching
After you’ve dyed your locks, use a deep conditioning treatment at least once per week to keep the moisture in your hair. You can mix avocado oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil with water (1:1 ratio) and apply it to your hair for 10-20 minutes while laying down and gently massaging it into your scalp.
Step 6: Trim Off Split Ends Every 6-8 Weeks
Split ends are the number one cause of breakage! You absolutely MUST trim them off once every 6-8 weeks if you’re trying to grow out bleached hair.
Step 7: Quit Heat Styling for Now
Days or weeks when you aren’t able to use heat styling tools should be spent in protective styles like braids, wigs, and ponytails.
However…you can skip this step if you dye your hair with a box color that has the same tone throughout the entire length of your locks–like the color you dyed your hair initially.
Step 8: Upgrade Your Beauty Routine
Replace your cotton bath towel with a microfiber Turkish towel. This will help keep the moisture in your hair while drying it after washing, rather than absorbing it out of your strands.
This is one of the most important steps for damaged hair because cotton towels hold moisture and continue to soak your hair as you dry yourself.
Step 9: Stop Using Heat Tools
If you must use heat tools, try using a diffuser on the lowest setting or switch to air drying.
Cotton products like bath towels and cotton bed sheets can be replaced with bamboo, silk, and satin alternatives. These materials are much less likely to cause frizz and split-ends.
Please Note
If your hair is still in good condition and you’d like to dye it a lighter tone, follow these steps instead.
– 1 box of bleach
– 6 % developer dye (low volume)
– 1 bottle of Olaplex No. 3 Bond Perfector or your favorite deep conditioner
Follow the same process above, but mix your bleach, dye, and conditioner in a mixing bowl instead of using the instructions on the box. Ensure that you apply this mixture ONLY to your new growth area or away from previously bleached areas to avoid over-processed hair!
Mixing the colors into one step will reduce the damage done by multiple bleaching sessions.
Conclusion
Don’t let hair breakage stop you from achieving your dream color. If it does, try these tips for preventing and fixing the problem.
If you’ve been using hair bleach for a while, your hair may be showing signs of breakage. You can stop this from happening by following the advice in our article and caring for your locks as they grow out.
The best way to avoid more damage is to cut back on bleaching or going darker with color treatments until your strands have time to recover.
Read all the tips we provided below if you want an easy-to-follow plan that will help you keep those tresses healthy.
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