Perhaps you want a brand new hair color. Maybe you are bored with it or just want something different. So, you use a hair color remover, to strip your hair color. Then you decide you’d like to bleach it, but can you bleach it immediately after applying a hair color removal product or not?
Can Hair Stripped of Color Be Bleached?
You may be a bit impatient to proceed with bleaching your hair for a new hair color once you’ve removed the old color.
While it is possible to bleach hair once it has been stripped, hair care professionals recommend waiting at least seven days and preferably ten days after stripping color before bleaching.
Removing hair color or stripping hair dye uses chemicals to remove hair dye and change hair color. These chemical products are sulfur-based and will function regardless of how long your hair has been dyed, yet some pros say they tend to work better on hair that has been recently dyed.
Is Stripping Hair the Same as Bleaching Hair?
Stripping hair color and bleaching hair are two different processes that will remove the color from your hair. The difference lies in that the stripping process only works on dyed hair.
This is because when you apply a hair color remover to hair that has been dyed, the hair shafts will become more porous. This allows the hair dye to be removed or washed away more easily.
Bleaching can be used on natural or untreated hair as well as on dyed hair. If, for example, you have black hair and wish to dye it platinum blond, you will need to bleach it. The bleaching process will remove the hair’s melanin, and this is a permanent process.
Both stripping color and bleaching hair will damage hair shafts. Damage can be acute if you have very fine hair or fragile weak hair.
Even for the healthiest of hair, you should avoid attempting to apply both procedures one after the other. Doing both consecutively would severely damage your hair potentially causing it to break off and obligating you to trim off several inches.
After Stripping Your Hair, How Long Should You Wait to Bleach It?
Patience is a necessary virtue if you wish to bleach hair after stripping color from it. Bleaching your hair immediately after stripping color from it can have devastating consequences.
Both these chemical procedures are very harsh and will automatically remove moisture from hair shafts and your scalp and strip them of any natural oils.
You may feel pressured to bleach your hair because you prefer not to appear in public with an unwanted hair color due to stripping, but it will be worse if you lose your hair through chemical burns or breakage.
Hair care professionals prefer that you wait a minimum of seven to ten days after stripping hair color before bleaching. This will allow your hair a rest period that will aid in regaining moisture.
You can use this period to apply deep moisturizing treatments to nourish weakened hair. You can ask your hairdresser to apply a treatment specifically to repair your hair. Specialized treatments work to rebuild the structure of hair shafts and restore hair health.
You can also apply hair repair and hair hydration treatments at home if you prefer. During the rest period of seven to ten days, make it a point to apply treatments every two to three days.
Coconut oil is a natural restoration treatment that will not only strengthen hair but will restore the scalp’s health. Coconut oil applications will aid in preventing hair breakage if you plan on bleaching.
So, wait that week after stripping hair of hair color before bleaching, and use the time to moisturize and repair your hair.
Can I Dye My Hair after I’ve Stripped It?
Most hair-stripping products will clearly state that hair can be re-dyed after it has been stripped, so check the product you use for indications.
Some products may even allow you to re-dye the same day you strip it, although most haircare professionals will recommend against this.
Hair pros suggest that most previously dyed hair will be porous and damaged to some degree. Dyeing it immediately after stripping it risks making the situation worse.
You also may not achieve the hair color you want because the hair is extremely porous, so the new color may appear darker than what you’d hoped for.
Exceptionally porous hair will result in a more intense color, so if you must dye, you should consider selecting a product that is several shades lighter than the color you are looking for.
In any case, hair care pros seriously recommend that you wait several days to a week before dyeing anew. If you must dye immediately, opt for a temporary dye, or if you plan on returning to your natural color, opt for a semi-permanent dye.
If you can wait for at least seven days, your hair will have more of an opportunity to repair itself because the porosity will gradually diminish. After a week or longer, you can select to use permanent hair dye.
Can I Apply a Toner After Stripping My Hair?
While bleaching or dyeing hair after stripping it of color is never recommended, using a hair toner is. Color removers will not remove your natural hair’s melanin as bleaching will. They simply make your hair more porous so that dye can be removed.
When a color remover is applied, your hair may appear to be a brassier, more intense color than it would naturally appear. Applying a hair toner will eliminate the brassy appearance.
How Often Can I Strip My Hair Color?
You can strip your hair color as many as three times consecutively, however, hair color specialists recommend only doing so twice and evaluating the results before stripping your hair a third time as it may not prove to be necessary.
If you have been coloring your hair for years, one stripping may be insufficient because of color buildup.
Can Hair Color Remover Be Applied to Bleached Hair?
Hair color remover is specifically applied to remove hair dye and will not affect your natural hair structure. Bleach will penetrate the hair’s cortex to dissolve melanin or natural hair pigment.
Once the hair pigment has been dissolved by bleach, there is nothing for a hair color remover to remove, so there is no reason to use it.
You may also risk that the hair color remover leaves previously bleached hair an orange hue. If you dyed your hair after bleaching it, the hair remover will simply remove the dye color.
