How Long Should You Leave Bleach in Your Hair?

 How long should you leave bleach in your hair? For best results, you should wait at least 15 minutes to wash it out, but some people are satisfied with washing it out after 5 minutes.

How Long Should You Leave Bleach in Your Hair?

There’s a misconception that bleach will work better the longer you leave it on. Wrong!

The maximum amount of time recommended for leaving bleach in your hair is 30 minutes. This is so you don’t damage your hair with long-term use.

Some people think that bleach lasts longer on your hair if you leave it for a few hours, but this is not true. This can lead to serious damage including brittle strands and an orange hue in the end result!

Only thirty minutes of bleaching time should be used at most- anything more than that risks too much improper chemical processing that will ruin all those beautiful locks we’ve worked hard (and paid good money) for!

If you leave bleach on your hair too long, you will permanently damage your locks and can even lose hair in the process. If you don’t leave it on long enough, you won’t achieve the lift you want and may get uneven, patchy results.

The trick is using 20 volume developer in your bleach mixture because it doesn’t take long to process and isn’t as damaging for hair as higher-volume developers. It’s the mildest option for lift (instead of depositing color, like a 10 volume developer does).

• Blonde hair: Process 10-20 minutes
• Fine hair: Process 10-15 minutes
• Medium hair: Process 15-20 minutes
• Dark hair: Process 15-30 minutes
• Coarse hair: Process 15-30 minutes

The finer your hair is, the less time it will take to process and lighten up to 2 color levels. You may find that your hair is fully lightened after 10 minutes of processing time with 20 volume developer if you have very fine (or blonde) hair.

The coarser your hair is, the more time it will take to lighten with 20 volume developer. You should start checking it at the 15 minute mark if you have medium or coarse hair. It may take up to 30 minutes to process fully if your hair is very coarse (or dark).

Why Does Bleach Need to be Left in your Hair?

Bleach is a common hair dye that has been used for centuries. It is a chemical compound that breaks down melanin, the pigment in your hair that determines its color.

Bleach can be used to lighten hair, but this process should not be left in the hair for too long. Otherwise, it can cause damage to the hair and scalp.

It’s a strong chemical that can break down the protein in hair. When it does this, it lightens your hair over time.

As the protein breaks down, the strands become lighter and paler until they get all of the colour out of their core.

In order to bleach your hair properly, you need to know what type of bleach to buy and how you should be applying bleach to your hair.

You also need to know how long you should leave it in for so that you don’t damage your hair too much while still getting a good result.

Bleach needs to be left in your hair for a few minutes before you wash it out with shampoo and water. If you leave it in longer than that, you run the risk of damaging your hair and scalp.

The process of bleaching can leave the hair dry and brittle, which is why you need to leave it in for at least 24 hours before washing it out.

What happens if you leave bleach on too long?

While bleaching your hair can be really fun, it can also go very wrong if you’re not careful. You could end up with a colour that isn’t what you wanted or even worse, damage your locks in the process.

This means leaving bleach in for too long – which can make your hair type become brittle and break easily – as well as not leaving enough time between treatments (which makes the colour uneven).

Can I leave bleach in my hair for 2 hours?

There’s no point leaving bleach mixture in for any longer than 30-40 minutes as it will eventually stop working and stop lifting your colour.

This means all it’s doing after 40 minutes is frying your hair!

We really recommend doing a strand test before using bleach because there are so many variables at play when bleaching your hair or someone else’s. You could have thicker or thinner strands, even the temperature of the water used, and what percentage of developer you’re using all affect timing.

How long do I leave bleach in brown or black hair?

Dark hair colours like black and brown can be really hard to bleach.

You may need to up the strength of the bleach or trying lightening your hair a few times to get the result you want.

You can use the maximum time for your chosen bleach. So up to 30 minutes. But bear in mind you may need to do a couple of bleaching treatments.

Always do a strand test so you know what’s in store and what colour your hair will lift to each time.

How long should you leave bleach on your roots?

Do you ever find yourself wondering how long should you leave bleach on your roots?

Well, the time that the bleach needs to stay on the hair is going to depend upon a few factors: firstly, if your hair is dark or light and secondly, if your hair has been dyed before.

If your hair is naturally light or you have virgin hair (hair that has never been dyed) then there’s no need for as much bleach as someone with light coloured or blonde locks so maybe only 5-10 minutes would be enough.

Whereas those of us with darker locks will have more of a wait on our hands. Remember that roots are naturally darker than the rest of our hair. And the grown out root look like blonde hair with dark roots is so on-trend right now.

So you don’t want to get your roots bleached platinum blonde or white-blonde as it just won’t look natural!

What Should You Do If You Left Bleach In Your Hair For Too Long?

• The first thing you should do is rinse your hair clean to remove the bleach entirely and let it air-dry.
• Avoid using shampoo as it might exacerbate the damage.
• It is a good idea to apply coconut oil as a protective coating to strengthen the hair and prevent breakage.
• Use a leave-in conditioner to nourish and repair the strands.
• You can also deep condition your hair to minimize the damage caused by leaving the bleach in your hair for too long.

Now, lets check out the best way to take care of your hair after bleaching it.

Best Ways To Take Care Of Your Hair Post-Bleaching

Weekly Oil Treatments: Use coconut oil, olive oil, argan oil, or almond oil to repair and nourish your bleached hair.

Regular Deep Conditioning: Use hair masks once or twice a week to protect your bleached hair. You can use protein-based homemade masks with hydrating ingredients like avocado, eggs, yogurt, and banana.

Protect Your Hair From The Sun: Avoid exposing your hair to the sun for too long. You can cover your head with a cap, hat, or scarf when stepping out to protect your hair. Use hairspray with sunscreen to fight against the harsh UV rays and their damaging effects.

Avoid Heat Styling: Limit the use of styling tools or blowdryers that use high temperatures and cause heat damage.

Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Chemicals from hair dyes or chlorine from the swimming pool can damage bleached hair. So, dont color your hair too often, and always remember to wear a swim cap before stepping into the pool.

Follow A Healthy Diet: Eating a protein-rich diet will help in keeping your bleached hair healthy. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables nourish your hair. You can even take multivitamins and supplements, such as biotin and collagen, to nourish your hair internally.

Listed below are some common mistakes that you need to avoid when bleaching your hair.

How long should I wait between bleaching sessions?

The longer you can wait before bleaching your hair again, the better your hair will fare. But you can bleach your hair again after about 2 weeks without causing too much damage.

Don’t bleach again so soon if your hair feels or looks damaged after the first bleaching session – wait a month or two to give your strands time to heal.

What kind of bleach should I use?

There are four main types of bleaching agents:

Peroxide – This is the strongest option since it contains 10% or more hydrogen peroxide. Over time, the hydrogen peroxide will lift the color of your hair without damaging it too much. It’s perfect for bleaching dark hair to light blonde.

Hydrogen Peroxide Solution – This option is only 3% hydrogen peroxide so it’s not quite as strong as its more concentrated sibling. However, it still works really well and isn’t harmful to your hair either. Peroxides are used most often by professionals instead of at-home users because they need a stronger solution to work with their clients’ very dark hair.

Bleach Powder Mix – Bleach powder contains 10% ammonium bromate or hydrogen peroxide mixed into a powder form that can be easily applied to hair before being distributed evenly throughout strands of hair. Mixing powder bleach is one of the cheapest ways of bleaching your hair at home.

Liquid / Creme Developer – This type comes in a solution that you must mix with either peroxide or developer cream before applying it to your hair. You can also use creme developer on its own if you are already light blonde but want lighter hair without too much damage. However, this will not work on dark hair because it does not contain enough hydrogen peroxide for the job, so make sure you check how dark your natural colour is before considering this route.

Each of these types has different concentrations which means some are stronger than others and require different lengths of time to achieve your desired shade.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Bleaching Your Hair At Home

• Not reading the instructions carefully.
• Leaving the bleach on for too long.
• Skipping the strand test.
• Rebleaching the hair or bleaching it too often.
• Not using a toner to get rid of the brassy tones.
• Using the wrong toner.
• Using the wrong volume of developer.
• Not following it up with deep conditioning.
• Using a shampoo to wash off the bleach. It’s important to remove residual product to stop the lifting process. Rinsing may not be enough. You may skip the shampoo after a certain toners which are designed to bring the pH back to normal.
• Using hot water to remove the bleach.
• Bleaching damaged or chemically-processed or colored hair.
• Bleaching the hair unevenly.

It is always best to get your hair bleached by a professional. If you wish to try it at home, you must take some precautions. To begin with, do not leave the bleach in your hair for more than 30 minutes. It is critical to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use the proper toner and developer to achieve the intended results. Finally, because bleaching your hair leaves it weaker and prone to breaking, a focused hair care routine and a good diet are required. To avoid any errors, keep everything said above in mind!

Does bleach stick better to clean or dirty hair?

Bleach is strong enough and does not need something else to stick. That said, expert hair professionals suggest that you use bleach on hair that hasn’t been washed for 2-3 days. When you wash your hair, some natural oils are removed – and immediately bleaching after that would expose your hair to worse damage. Unwashed hair will have sebum from the scalp to protect your hair from bleach to an extent.

Is it better to bleach your hair wet or dry?

Bleaching your hair when wet is safer as the water will help dilute the bleach to an extent, keeping it from entering your hair cortex and reducing the frizz and brittleness. This would result in a light and subtle bleaching effect. If you want the bleach to lift more color to achieve a stronger bleached effect, your hair needs to be dry. However, remember that this would also mean that your hair will be exposed to more damage.

Do you bleach your roots first or the ends?

It is advised to bleach the mid-shaft and ends first and leave the roots for later. The hair at the roots, because of body heat from the scalp, lift quicker. Therefore, the roots take less time to bleach than the rest of the hair. Keeping it any longer than 20-25 minutes could damage the roots.

How long after bleaching can I use purple shampoo?

Hair experts advise you to wait for at least 3 days before using purple shampoo on your bleached hair.

Is it okay to bleach hair with dry shampoo?

No. Both dry shampoo and bleach contain harsh chemicals that are not good for your hair. Applying them to your hair simultaneously will lead to double the damage. Make sure you do not have any other chemicals on your hair when it is getting bleached.

When you bleach your hair, does it turn orange?

If your natural hair color is darker, bleaching your hair can turn it orange. This happens when the bleaching process fails to break down the darker pigments in your hair.

How long do you leave the bleach on black hair?

Bleaching black hair takes longer. Even if you want to completely bleach your hair white, do not leave bleach in your hair longer than 30-45 minutes. Your black hair will not bleach into white in one session of 45 minutes. You will probably need to go for 2-3 sittings over a month with a break of 2-3 weeks between each session.

How to (Safely) Bleach Your Hair At Home

The Prep

“As far as bathroom set up goes, I always like to treat mine as a little ritual space,” says Perkins. “I’d recommend putting down some parchment paper and laying everything you need out, so once you begin the process, you don’t have to go searching around for things. Think of it like mise en place [for cooking ingredients], but for your hair.”

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Hair bleach of choice
• Old T-shirt
• Old towel
• Hair clips
• Shampoo

“Hair should almost always be somewhat clean and dry—meaning no dry shampoo, no styling products, and no excessive oils, although a little natural oil is fine,” says Perkins. Remember, bleach is notorious for ruining fabrics—so choose what you wear wisely. “Remove your bathroom rugs to ensure nothing drips. If any product does accidentally get on the floor just wipe it up to ensure no harm is done,” adds Tang. “Another good tip is to be sure you are in clothes that allow you to easily wash your hair.

Whether you are getting in the shower or having a friend help you rinse it, when that timer goes off, make you shampoo immediately,” he adds.

The Process

Section the hair into four quadrants in order to neatly apply product. You’ll also want to apply the bleach to smaller segments within each section to ensure you’re fully saturating the hair.

Then, apply bleach 1 inch away from the scalp, and work down the hair section. It’s important not to start at the scalp, as it processes quicker from body heat. Once the rest of the hair is done, go back and apply bleach to the roots.

Let bleach process between 20-45 minutes, depending on your hair color, desired results, and package directions. “I recommend reading the manufacturer directions on the back of the bottle to ensure you aren’t over-processing,” says Tang. When the timer goes off, shampoo immediately and thoroughly.

The Upkeep

One of the most important parts of lightening your hair, whether you do so at home or at a salon, is how you treat it after the fact. “Hair care is key, both pre and post color,” says Pearl, who recommends Hush & Hush’s DeeplyRooted hair supplement to keep hair healthy before and after a color service, as well as Redken Frizz Dismiss Leave-In Cream. Tang is also a fan of deep conditioning, and says that if a hair mask isn’t doing the trick on its own, “hit it with a blow dryer to ensure the hair cuticle is soaking up all the nutrients to rehydrate your hair.”

When you’re able to go to the salon again, Tang recommends asking your stylist for the #mydentity #myhero Collagen Treatment to help with hair elasticity, as well as an Olaplex treatment for strengthening.

Meanwhile, Perkins is a fan of glosses to keep color looking brand-new. “People often color their hair too frequently because they see it getting dull, when they don’t necessarily need a permanent colors,” says the expert colorist. “Glosses are a great way to freshen up your color without causing any damage.”