Choosing the Best Hair Bleach

Hi Lydia,

There are a few kinds of allergies / hypersensitivity reactions where the first exposure doesn't necessarily trigger the allergy response and this then comes in a later exposure. There's no way to really be certain whether this is the case though. At least, not without allergy testing for the different ingredients in bleach.

Generally when allergies are suspected, or a product has never been used before, you can determine the presence of an allergy and choose not to use the product by applying a skin patch test first to gauge your reaction. You can generally find the directions for this test on most chemical treatments for hair, including dyes and bleach. Using this test, you may be able to determine whether it is the ammonia, or another ingredient within bleach that is causing your reaction, and then find a product that won't cause it.

Of course, if the reactions you've had in the past have been severe, including symptoms like hives, throat swelling, or blistering skin, it is certainly best not to risk provoking one intentionally, unless under medical guidance because a severe reaction to bleach, and particularly to permanent hair dyes, can cause anaphylaxis, or very rarely it may even cause a serious skin condition (SJS/TEN). Definitely err on the side of caution and consider seeing an allergist to discuss the sudden reaction. That will help you determine exactly what is going on and the specific ingredient you need to avoid so that you can take care of your hair safely and comfortably.

Hi Ayesha,

For ease of use and good results, I'd recommend Igora Vario or Wella Multi Blonde, using 20 vol as the developer. Any of the bleach powders listed here are effective on dark hair though and can usually take it to blonde in one process. Of course, depending on how long your hair is, some of that dye pigment from a year ago may still be present in the ends and this may result in decreased or increased lightening where the previous dye was.

Dyed hair is often more porous and can lighten quicker for this reason, and this is related to irreversible damage that occurs to the cuticle layer which lines the surface of the hair shaft. However, the opposite effect is also possible where dyed hair will lighten less effectively because the artificial pigment is more durable during bleaching compared to natural pigment. Which kind of reaction you will see depends a lot on how dark the dye was and how many times it had been applied. In any case, if you end up with tips that are a different level due to this, you can fix this fairly easily by selectively applying bleach to the darker areas to even it back out before you tone it blonde.

As for the actual process of bleaching, I have another article which should help you with this: https://bellatory.com/hair/How-to-bleach-hair

Of course, feel free to ask questions if you're still unsure about any part of this. A few key pointers: apply as quickly as you can and ensure you cover every section adequately. Slow or sparse application can result in patchiness of areas that are darker where you applied the bleach last. Also, whilst you can use up to 30 vol developer on-scalp with the Igora Vario, I'd recommend only using 20 vol developer. The higher developer volume will increase scalp irritation a lot and should be avoided for a first-time process. Even after that once you know how your scalp reacts, 20 vol is still better for use with products like the Vario or Multi Blonde because these bleach powders contain lift boosters and other enhancing ingredients.

Once you get it light enough, you can tone it to achieve a nice blonde, or apply bright colours like blue or purple straight away. With the colours, just be certain that they are dark enough to work on your hair, depending on how light you go with the blonde. Eg, a lilac shade will only take properly on hair that is closer to platinum. On a darker blonde base, most of the violet pigment is exhausted because it is neutralised by the strong yellow tones that are present. It ends up working more as a toner. Colours like blue can look green if too light because the lesser amount of blue tone mixes with the yellow tones to produce green rather than a dominant blue. You probably get the point by now. Strand testing with a small section can be a good way to test the dye without applying it all over if you're unsure at any point.

Hi Magda,

I wouldn't recommend risking it. 40 vol developer is generally never used on-scalp with any bleach because the resulting product is very irritating to the scalp and will also cause more damage to your hair compared to reaching the same amount of lift more slowly with a weaker developer. In combination with the lift boosters present in Igora Vario and other stronger professional brands, it's possible to actually blister your scalp or destroy your hair because the effect of whatever developer you use is greatly enhanced by the boosters. This is why most of these products recommend no higher than 20 vol on scalp.

Hi Dalal,

Apologies for the late reply. When the allergy occurred, were you using the same bleach product you had always been using? If not, it may be the case that you're allergic to something in the different product used. In this situation, you may be fine to continue using the old product that you don't react to, but it'd be best if you consulted your doctor first just to be on the safe side. Anaphylaxis is a possible reaction during an allergy and if that happens you can suffocate during the reaction.

Apart from that, it is possible to use a product and never experience a reaction, but then suddenly suffer an allergy to it, so even if you haven't used a new product, it's not impossible that you've ended up allergic to it. The immune system is constantly changing, so nothing is ever really set in stone here.

As for keeping your hair blonde at this point, you'd need to work out the specific ingredient in the bleach that caused the allergy before you can safely try to find something that won't cause the same reaction. If you work through using elimination, you should be able to at least narrow it down. Take the peroxide and ammonia as an example; if you're allergic to either of these components, you'll experience the same allergies whenever you use a permanent dye. If you don't react to permanent dye, these components are less likely to be the culprits. It could be anything as seemingly-irrelevant as a dye or fragrance in the product, in which case moving to a different product is fine as long as it doesn't contain the same allergen. If its the peroxide though, you won't be able to continue bleaching or dyeing your hair anymore without a reaction because the peroxide is crucial to how the products work. So basically, if you can narrow it down, perhaps with the help of your doctor, this will help you work out what you're allergic to exactly, as well as whether changing products will help.

Hi Hope,

As your hair is so dark and very long, are you really sure you want to do this? Pastel colours require you to bleach to a pale yellow and this can be very damaging. The fact that your hair is dyed dark also impacts the lightening and it will take more bleaching to get it as light as you could if your hair had never been dyed. There's also the chance of an uneven result whenever you lighten dyed hair; especially if it is long.

In any case, I'd recommend Wella Multi Blonde or Igora Vario when you need powerful lightening. Just don't mix it with anything stronger than 20 vol developer, and take the lightening slow over a few weeks to months to avoid excessive damage.

For the dye, you can use a permanent dye like Igora Royal's 9.5-18, which turns out like this: http://www.saciniboya.com/modules/catalog/products...

Or you could use a semi-permanent dye from a brand like Manic Panic or Directions.

Hi Jenny,

Igora is an excellent brand and Amazon doesn't face the same issues as Ebay because they're much more careful about who can sell certain things and have a good approval process for weeding out counterfeit products. It's one of the reasons the company has grown so well over the years.

For the best consistency, use the Igora bleach with Igora developer, but technically any developer brand is fine to use as it's all just peroxide solution in the end. Same-brand developer is better matched to be mixed with the brand's products, and more expensive brands generally add better conditioning agents and other nourishing ingredients to help keep the hair in better condition.

Hi Jenny,

Glad you like the articles. Is your darker hair natural or dyed? If it's natural, it will indeed look close to a yellow - gold colour when it reaches level 7. Dyed hair doesn't always react like this though as the artificial colour can continue to contribute red tones right down to a level 9 before it begins to finally look yellow.

However, even if it is dyed, your ombre is really helpful here because you can judge the level against it to gauge how close it is to the ombre and rinse when it's one level darker. If your hair is natural and has never been dyed, you're also highly likely to get enough lift from one process, but you may not reach a light enough colour when bleaching dyed hair. This does also depend on bleach brand though.

As for the toning, the colour you've chosen is fine, but Wella Koleston is better and you could use 8/1 in that line. Ash tones are designed slightly darker than level because they're used for toning. Toning doesn't 'remove' warmth, but rather, a particular colour is added, that in combination with the unwanted colour will cause it to look neutral because of the way light interacts with your hair. It's very similar to painting. This means that in order to neutralise a tone you don't want, you have to add more colour in.

Don't use the same toner on your lighter ombre though. Wella's ash shades have a blue base and you'll get a result that is greyish blue if you use an ash that is too strong. Use Illumina 9/03 or Koleston 9/03 on the ends to eliminate some of that yellow and produce a beige result like in the picture. You also won't need to leave this in for as long as the darker hair as it will tone quicker.

As for where to buy dye, choose beauty suppliers and wholesalers where possible; including online suppliers. Amazon is fine, but be wary of Ebay as there have been cases in the past where companies on Ebay have sold counterfeit Wella dye that is low quality and not the real brand. Killer Strands is also fine to purchase from.