FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


1. Why do I have to bleach before coloring my hair?

If you are using a semi-permanent or temporary color and your natural hair color is not pale, blonde bleaching or decolorizing your natural hair color is the only way to achieve color intensity and depth. Semi-permanent and temporary hair colors only deposit pigment in the hair. They do not lift or lighten natural pigment.

2. Directions say I should do a strand test. Do I really have to?

If you are bleaching your hair for the first time, it is advisable to do a strand test, so you can determine the correct processing time to achieve the results you're looking for. A strand test will also show you how the hair is affected by the lightening process, so you can take steps to keep the porosity under control and what you may need to know about conditioning after the bleach and/or hair color.

3. How long should I keep the bleach in my hair before I can rinse it out?

The directions in the kit provided estimated times based on natural hair color. Doing the strand test will also help you to determine the timing needed to achieve the level of lightening desired.

The actual chemistry of bleaching, regardless of the volume of peroxide used, lasts for approximately 60 minutes after application. Once the reaction has achieved maximum lightening, the lightening will drop off dramatically and slow down to almost stopping. That's because the chemical reaction between the liquid peroxide and the powder bleach has been exhausted. The lightening may stop or slow down (becomes less visible) but the damage to the hair doesn't which results in extreme damage and breakage. Once processed to the desired degree of lightening, gently shampoo and towel blot hair to dry. If you want to use the White-Out toner, you can apply after you gently shampooed the hair in order to remove any remaining bleach mixture. If you are going to use a tint or a semi-permanent color, it is recommended that you lightly shampoo as well to make sure that you do not interfere with the processing of the tint or color.

4. Can I keep the bleach longer in my hair so it's really white?

It is not a good idea to leave a bleach mixture on the hair longer than 60 minutes at a time. Extended timing will result in the hair becoming extremely damaged but not necessarily becoming any lighter. If you are not achieving the color that you want, the best way to give it the appearance of being lighter is to use a toner after the bleach, which contains ingredients to help counter any residual yellow remaining in the hair. Typically, this type of toner uses a violet pigment to help neutralize unwanted warmth in the hair after bleaching. Or you can reapply a fresh mixture and start decolorizing the remaining pigment. You should be very careful not to over process the already bleached hair. Timing will be critical and test strands should be taken every 10 minutes to ensure it does not over process.

5. Do I really need to bleach my hair before adding color? What happens if I don't bleach?

To achieve semi-permanent or temporary color with the most depth and brightness you need to apply this type of color on the most decolorized hair possible. You need to remove as much natural pigment as possible if you want a hot pink or a true blue or any other shade of high intensity. If you do not decolorize your hair you will deposit pigment which will create a hue of color which is the result of combining the color with the natural pigments. The result would be very shiny hair with color enhancement but not necessarily color true to tone.

6. I have thick long hair, is one kit enough?

If you are highlighting, streaking or doing a balayage, one kit is probably sufficient. It depends on how many highlights, streaks or how much balayage you intend to do. If you are going to do a whole head bleach, you will need to purchase additional kits.

7. Does this work on black hair?

Yes, it will decolorize black hair if that is your hair color. If you are referring to ethnic black hair, and if the hair has been chemically relaxed or permed then you should not bleach this type of ethnic hair texture. You should use this as a rule of thumb when attempting to bleach any chemically challenged hair regardless of ethnicity.

8. How long do you have to wait to bleach your hair again?

You do not re-bleach the existing hair. You need to only do the regrowth. If you want to reapply the bleach mixture to get your hair progressively lighter you should be extremely careful not to over-process the second application. Make sure that you condition or use a reconstructor to maintain the hairs optimum condition. Be extremely cautious if you choose to re-bleach hair in even good condition.

You can retouch permanent hair color whenever you feel the need to provided you have enough regrowth to retouch. The same can be said of whole head bleaches. The caution here is to not overlap product on to the existing or already decolorized hair since it will break it at the prior point of bleaching. You should never reapply any reactive product (permanent hair color or bleach) from scalp to ends. You should only process the regrowth.

9. Can you put bleach over hair color?

Yes, bleach will decolorize any pigment, artificial or natural hair color except henna which is a natural plant color. You always need to use a decolorizing agent like bleach to help remove pre-existing hair color. However, the results of bleaching over hair color will not be the same as bleaching virgin hair. Any remaining natural and artificial pigment will be decolorized. Depending on the type of hair color you bleach over, permanent hair color can result in an orange/brassy gold stage. Semi-permanent color can be lifted easier but it may not remove 100% of the color.

10. How long do you keep bleach in your hair?

It is advisable to do a test strand and check the timing as you process the section. With darker natural pigment you might not see anything at 20 minutes, but it will begin to process rapidly after 30 and then usually up to 60 minutes after that the lightening is seriously diminished. At this point, it's better to remove the bleach by rinsing it off and reapplying a new mixture.

11. Is bleaching permanent?

Yes. Once you decolorize your hair it will not revert to the natural pigment. Only as the hair grows out will you see the natural pigment again.

12. I heard that bleaching will damage my hair?

Yes, bleaching your hair to decolorize it will change your hair's structure. Following some commonsense rules and directions will help to minimize it and the using sulfate-free shampoos, reparative conditioners, and reconstructers will help to modify this structural change. Also, several new semi-permanent hair colors contain ingredients which help to minimize the problems that the bleaching process does to hair. And the important thing to remember is that you do not re-bleach hair that has already been bleached. You only decolorize the regrowth.

13. Do you wash your hair with shampoo after bleaching it?

Yes, but you need to pay careful attention to the type of shampoo and conditioning products that you use on bleached or processed hair. Remember to make sure you remove the entire bleaching product from your hair and scalp. Any remaining product can irritate the skin and scalp and continue to damage the hair if not removed thoroughly. There are a lot of very good products specifically formulated for bleached, highlighted, and over-processed hair which will help to maintain the condition. We would always recommend a sulfate-free shampoo for bleached hair and appropriate conditioners and reconstructors. A leave-in conditioner is also a good idea to keep the hair looking healthy and shiny. Let's face it, if you've chosen to go through this process you will need to change up the regimen you used on your hair before you processed it. It's going to look spectacular, but you'll need to do some extra maintenance to keep it looking good.