Hair bleaching is one of the most damaging chemical processes out there, but sometimes it seems unavoidable when you need to get rid of a bad dye job, or you just want to lighten your naturally dark hair. Often, people go straight to the bleach option without exploring other methods that can be a lot more safer and more effective.
The first method I’m going to talk about is stripping the hair. This can be very damaging as well, but more often than not, you just need one application. When it comes to bleaching, dark hair can sometimes take two applications…So this method may save you some breakage. Stripping is a process in which the chemical strips off the most recent color that has been put in your hair, and brings it to the color it was beforehand. If you naturally have brown hair, and stripped it to get rid of black hair dye, then the majority of it would go back to brown. However, if you have chemically processed hair, you may end up with a more mixed result. I would say this method is more appropriate for those who have had minimal dye jobs done to their hair just to avoid a multi-toned result.
The second method I want to discuss, is highlighting. Many people assume highlights don’t provide dramatic results, but after a few applications over time, they can drastically lighten your hair color. It is best to wait a couple months between each application. If your hair is naturally dark brown, you may want to buy some caramel highlights, apply those, wait two months, and gradually choose lighter highlights with each application. You can easily go from dark brown to a dark blonde by using this method. It’s not as instantaneous as bleaching, but your hair will be thankful for sparing it the excess damage!
Last but not least, I would like to discuss a fairly easy lightening method that can be done at home. It’s quite obvious that if you have dark hair, applying blonde dye over it will not lift it much due to the fact that the hair dye does not have the same activators as bleach. However, if you choose the lightest blonde shade available, (Make sure it is not bleach) and you apply it once every month or two, you will notice your hair slowly transforming into a lighter color. This definitely won’t turn your hair platinum blonde, but it’s good for someone who wants subtle yet noticeable results. If you wish to get faster results with this method, you can use a 40 volume developer with the dye, but please beware that the higher level you go up, the more damaging it is. I would recommend staying within 20-30.
So there you have it, it is not always a must to bleach your hair in order to achieve a lighter tone! These tips will especially come in handy when summer time rolls around. Everyone seems to go blonde during the summer! Give yourself a few months to complete the process you choose, and by then you should have a nice, lighter hair color for the beach!
