You’ve been considering getting your hair dyed, but you’re worried about the harm it might cause to your hair.
Bleaching can harm your curly hair; that is common knowledge. But carrying out the procedure properly and taking the correct precautions will limit damage while still giving you that style and killer curls.
Why is bleaching bad for curly hair?
Curly hair is prone to dryness because it isn’t naturally textured, so it’s harder for the scalp’s natural oils or sebum to travel down the hair shaft from root to ends when the cuticle shape isn’t straight.
By weakening the hair strands, bleaching causes split ends, frizz, and hair breakage. The texture and integrity of your hair are altered by bleaching due to the hair cuticle’s expansion and protein structure changes.
Bleaching is an immediate process that dissolves the hair’s natural pigmentation causing damage to your curls and reducing their strength and elasticity.
With bleaching, patience is necessary; you shouldn’t rush the procedure because the slower the process the lesser the damage.
Preparatory Steps to take before Bleaching your curls
Because the cuticle is not straight in curly hair, moisture is lost. Keep your locks hydrated before beginning the bleaching procedure. Doing so would negate the damage done to the curls.
Use a Sulphate-free shampoo or cleansing conditioner in your wash routine
Sulfates in shampoos assist in removing oil and dirt from the hair. The only drawback is that they do their work so well that they remove all the moisture and hair oils that the hair needs to keep healthy. This moisture loss results in frizziness.
Keeping your hair moisturized to lessen the effects of bleaching by switching to a sulfate-free shampoo would favor your hair because removing the ingredients that strip your hair of moisture makes your locks begin to feel and look hydrated and defined.
A cleansing conditioner( co-wash) possesses the cleansing effect of a shampoo and the moisturizing effect of a conditioner. Most curlies prefer this over shampoo. Both work either way.
Apply Leave-in conditioner
A leave-in conditioner doesn’t require rinsing and can hydrate and maintain the health of your hair all day. Do you want to ensure your hair stays moisturized? Apply leave-in conditioner after shampooing.
If your hair is damaged or dehydrated, a deep conditioner may be used in place of a leave-in conditioner.
Conditioners are fantastic for mending split ends, preventing hair damage and detangling hair, reducing friction, minimizing frizz, and enhancing hair health.
Detangling your Hair
Use a wide-tooth comb to delicately detangle conditioned hair and smooth out the knots without causing hair breakage.
To avoid disrupting curl patterns and enabling frizz, don’t try to comb out curls after they begin to dry.
Use Oils
Because oil molecules are small enough to pass through the outer cuticle and can replenish protective oil in the hair, oils help keep the hair moisturized and act as a barrier against hair breakage and damage.
Make sure to keep your hair oiled and leave it in for bleaching.
If your hair has been damaged from frequent exposure to heat, you might want to try out a hot oil treatment and see how it works before bleaching.
How to apply a hot oil treatment
Select the oil type you want to use for this procedure. These popular choices include coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, and almond oil. Consider using less fatty oil if your scalp or hair is oily. Jojoba and almond are excellent options because they are absorbed quickly.
In a bowl that can go in the microwave, heat 3 to 6 tablespoons of the oil for 10 seconds.
Apply the oil evenly throughout your hair after it has warmed, then massage it into your scalp. Massaging the scalp improves blood circulation which promotes hair growth. You should cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it in for 20 minutes.
Followed with a thorough rinse. You might want to repeat this process every few days.
Steps to Bleaching Curly Hair
Getting your hair ready for this chemical treatment is crucial to reduce damage and produce better-looking results.
You shouldn’t use all that product at once; rather, bleaching your hair should be a multi-day process to avoid damaging your hair.
These steps would make the bleaching process a breeze, ensure minimal hair damage and produce healthy-looking curls.
Let’s jump right to it, shall we?
Step 1: Sectioning
Divide your hair into sections and hold each section with a band to keep the sections together and your hair looking neat.
Sectioning is when you square off your head into a chess board arrangement.
Step 2: Put in your Gloves
Never bleach without hand protection. Even with all the effort put into preparing the hair for the process, the color contains chemicals that are not in the slightest bit kind to the skin and the hair.
Step 3: Mix in a Fresh Batch
To acquire an accurate measurement, pour the bleach powder into a bowl and weigh it on a scale. Most of the time, hair damage arises from using a higher product concentration.
Add the developer to the bowl, and mix till you get that pancake-like consistency. The recommended bleach powder to developer ratio is one to one and a half or one to two and a half.
Step 4: Use a Protein Treatment
Add a protein treatment to the mixture, and stir. Olaplex is great; super expensive though. The protein gives your hair strength, structure, and hardness by forming new internal bonds that make your hair rigid. It also fills these pores with a new site for water to bind and helps with moisture regulation.
Step 5: Apply the Mixture
Take note of the sensitive areas of your hair before applying. Apply the mixture to the sections focusing solely on the hair strands.
Step 6: Leave the Bleach in for 15 minutes
Depending on the product description leave the dye in for 15 minutes or longer.
Step 7: Apply a Protein Treatment
If you’re using Olaplex, perform step two of the protein treatment to restore the bonds before shampooing. After thoroughly washing your hair, add a deep conditioner to moisten it.
Step 8: Repeat the Process
It may be necessary to repeat the bleaching procedure, using the product on both the roots and ends of the hair. Less harm would be done to the scalp and hair roots in this manner.
Step 9: Styling and aftercare
Apply a ton of deep or leave-in conditioner after giving it a good wash. Every so often, give yourself a hot oil treatment. Style your hair.
Conclusion
You can bleach your hair if you follow these methods and instructions, but it’s not recommended. Visit a hairstylist or colorist; they can do a strand test to determine the level of damage your hair can endure and the best course of action for you.
Bleaching calls for patience and carefulness to prevent damage to your hair and product spills on your skin or other delicate organs.
If you were to perform the bleaching process on your own, use caution and wear clothing you don’t care about.