Do you want to lighten your hair but don’t want to use pure bleach as it just tears your hair a new arsehole?
Well, perhaps consider slowly lightening your hair by making a gentle bleach shampoo at home! Bleach shampoo can be easily made and prepared without any professional help.
First!!! Do a Quick Allergy Test
But before deciding to have this new look, you must take an allergy test to determine whether you’re good to go or not.
If you are someone who has never used bleach before, performing a bleach test is of utmost necessity before you apply bleach all over your head. Prepare a mix by blending the developer and bleach in small quantities (both components should be equal in quantity). Using a cotton swab apply the mix on your elbow’s inside. If the area becomes patchy, turns red or if you feel any sort of itchiness in that part of your body, you are most likely allergic to bleach. Individuals, who are allergic to bleach, should always avoid using it.
How to Make Bleach Shampoo
Ideally, you should use a high quality clarifying shampoo for this recipe. That’s because clarifying shampoos are good at gauging the potency of the bleach you use. And you want the mixture to be as gentle as possible!
We recommend the following Clarifying Shampoos:
- Davines Solu Clarifying Shampoo
- Christophe Robin Clarifying Shampoo with Camomile and Cornflower
- L’Oreal Professionnel Instant Clear Shampoo
- Joico K-Pak Clarifying Shampoo
1. Fill a large mixing bowl with shampoo.
Begin by filling a large mixing bowl with enough shampoo. The amount of shampoo you will need for this recipe is equal to the amount you normally need for shampooing your hair. If you have plans of covering your hair with some more bleach, make sure you also increase the quantity of shampoo.
2. Prepare the bleach/developer mix.
In a smaller bowl, prepare a mix by blending 1 oz each of a developer and bleach (the bleach you pick might be available in form of powder, liquid, cream, or oil). You will get developers in various volumes. We would advise you to pick a medium one.
3. Add the bleach/developer mix into the shampoo.
Then stir thoroughly to allow the ingredients to blend well with each other. If you have picked a clarifying shampoo, the shampoo would quickly take the colour of the bleach.
You can also add some conditioner to the mix as that helps in keeping hair healthy. However, it’s an optional step. You should avoid using conditioner if you have plans of getting your hair dyed immediately after getting them bleached.
Application of bleach shampoo
Ideally, you should apply the bleach shampoo onto your hair when it’s damp, but isn’t dripping. Allow water to run over your head. Once your head gets properly drenched, cover it with a towel. Remove the towel after 10 minutes and your hair should be ready for undergoing the process. Here, it must be noted that if you are more comfortable with the idea of applying bleach shampoo on dry hair, you should stick to that process. Below are the steps of application:
Step 1: Cover your shoulder with an old piece of cloth or towel.
It would be good if you can wear an old t-shirt during application. Also, don’t forget to put on a pair of rubber or latex gloves for keeping your hands protected. If you don’t have gloves, apply the shampoo onto your hair using a brush.
Step 2: Start applying the shampoo from your hair tips and finish at the hair roots.
Cover all your hair like this. If there’s any shampoo mix left in the bowl, rub it onto your hair in the same way you rub any regular shampoo.
Step 3: Clip your hair nicely using plastic clips to allow the bleach to settle well onto your hair.
Secure your clipped hair further using a shower cap.
Step 4: Spray a little bit of water onto your hair in every 5 to 6 minutes.
This will also allow you to see whether your hair has become light enough or not. Usually, if your hair is already bleached, you will no longer need to keep the mix on your hair for more than 10 minutes. When you are trying to remove a dark hair dye, you may need to keep the bleach on your hair for more than 15 minutes, but don’t make the duration to be above 30 minutes.
Step 5: Once you see your hair get the desired colour, or you get to 30 Minutes – Remove
Don’t hesitate to use enough water as it’s mandatory that your hair becomes absolutely free of the bleaching mix.
If you hair isn’t light enough – give it a few weeks of good treatments before trying again!
