Before jumping into bleaching yourself, take stock of what you’re up against. Your starting point is really important. As Hair Stylists we typically consider the following basic principles;

• Natural Colour: What is your natural hair colour? Is it light, dark or is some of your hair dark and some of it a mix of other grown out colours? If your hair is naturally light, you’re already at an advantage (assuming it’s all natural hair and not coloured). Lifting lighter hair to blonde or platinum is easier and less damaging than lifting darker hair. However, even naturally light hair can have underlying warm tones that need to be neutralised with the right toner.
• Dark Hair: Going from dark brown or black to very light blonde is a much more complex process and one which frustratingly is going to be process-driven rather than something achievable overnight with the likely outcome orange. When lightening the key is that it’s a balance of desired colour and integrity of hair. In theory you can achieve any colour you want, however if your hair breaks, that becomes irreversible so the most vital component of desired colour and integrity is ‘integrity’. Bleach can be left on for ‘up to one hour’, however Stylists accept that the crucial word is ‘up to’ rather than ‘in every single case leave bleach on for one hour’. Some clients need it, others don’t either because the level of lift isn’t needed or simply health of hair is more important.
• Colour History: If you’ve previously coloured your hair, especially with box dyes, the lightening process is much trickier and in reality, whilst we wouldn’t ever necessarily suggest doing yourself, in this instance the likelihood of a successful outcome if doing yourself is further diminished. Hair that’s been dyed black or dark brown over and over again will prove more than challenging to lighten. The likelihood is a very uneven colour. This is because bleach when applied to a variety of colours will lift at different rates and the starting point is different. At its very core, bleach is a fairly unsophisticated product. The sophistication comes from your Stylist who uses this sparingly. For example if you apply bleach to end of hair heavily saturated in colour and bleach on virgin hair, the virgin hair will lighten much more quickly and achieve a much lighter colour than the ends in this scenario.
• Hair Health: If your hair is already damaged, dry, or brittle, we would strongly advise seeking support from a professional Hairdresser.