Can I dye my hair after bleaching on the same day? If you are in a rush or don’t like to wait for the new look, it is a fair question to ask! Here’s the answer!
Going from one hair color to another is always exciting, whether it’s full-on platinum or slight shade shifting. All it takes is to bleach and then dye your strands as professionally as possible. That sounds simple, yet there are some potential risks if you’re not doing it correctly.
Whether you’re going to a salon or taking matters into your hands, one of the primary considerations is the timing between bleaching and dyeing. People always come to us and ask: Can I dye my hair after bleaching it on the same day? If yes, is there any risk of doing so? And how to do it the right way?
Is It Ok To Bleach And Dye Hair On The Same Day?
Can I Dye My Hair After Bleaching?
It is possible, yet not advisable, to bleach and dye your hair on the same day. Both chemical procedures are not forgiving for your strand’s health, especially if used on the same day. It is recommended to allow a short break for your mane between lightening and coloring it.
What Are The Risks If You Bleach And Dye Hair On The Same Day?
It is no secret that bleaching wreaks havoc on the hair, no matter how healthy your strands are. It is because bleaching raises the outer hair cuticle to enable the bleaching molecules to penetrate the strands.
This causes your hair to be more susceptible to dryness, fizzy, and breakage. In addition, the process also breaks down the natural fatty acids of the shaft, which results in weaker strands.
Dye also has the exact mechanism: It lifts the hair cuticle while breaking down the natural hair pigment to let the color in. Hence, it further leads to breakage, dryness, and even hair loss.
That means combining the two procedures on the same day is too much for your hair to deal with. The result is that you might end up with straw-like, dry, fragile hair and even face hair loss.
In addition, while bleaching already leaves your cuticle open to let the color penetrate quickly, it will also fade just as fast. Therefore, the ultimate advice is that you should give your mane some downtime before coloring it.
How Long Should You Wait To Dye Hair After Bleaching?
How damaged is your hair after bleaching?
It pays to evaluate how healthy your strands are after breaching them before moving forwards
For example, going from a dark brunette to platinum is quite dramatic and highly destructive, even with a healthy, highly hydrated head. Thus, forcing your bleached hair to go through another chemical process may wreak havoc on it.
- If your strands do not change much after bleaching: they are still easy to detangle by your fingers and not frizzy, brittle, or coarse, then wait for 2-3 days before applying the hair dye. This amount of time will let the cuticles close to shield your strands from damage and ensure that the dyeing process will go as effectively as possible.
- Bleaching might cause noticeable changes to your hair health. Your bleached hair can become dry, brittle and you can’t comb it easily without shedding some strands, or there are more split ends than before. In such a case, you had better wait for 4-6 weeks before dyeing it (especially if you’re using color with a developer).
Damaged Bleached Hair
What’s the kind of dye being used?
Different dyes will have different impacts on the hair shafts, so they also determine how long you should wait.
Temporary dyes form a coat outside of the shaft instead of soaking in like permanent dyes. It means that they are not as damaging, so you can safely use them a few days after bleaching your hair.
This type of dye is the safest choice if you want to color your strands immediately after lightening them. However, there are some things you need to bear in mind while using temporary colors on the same day with bleaching.
Since there’s not much time in between, your cuticles are likely not to close completely. Therefore, the color can penetrate the shaft, which requires you to bleach your temporary dye again afterward.
Demi-permanent and permanent colors with a developer are the toughest for the hair. Their main difference is the volume of the developer.
The lower the volume, the more powerful the developer can lighten the strands, which is more destructive.
Demi-permanent dyes are often formulated with a lower volume, so they’re less harmful. You can proceed to use them 2-3 days after bleaching.
The most impactful and damaging are permanent colors, and we recommend applying them on your freshly bleached hair after a month following the beach. If you notice your strands are too weak, it pays to wait for another 2 to 4 weeks to dye them.
How To Bleach And Dye Your Hair On The Same Day At Home?
Bleaching your hair
Step 1: Applying coconut oil the night before bleaching
You should apply coconut oil on the strands before bleaching to minimize the damages of bleaching agents. This preemptive method gives the strands a layer of protection against harsh bleaching chemicals.
Applying Coconut Oil
Step 2: Get all necessary items in one place
Some essentials for the bleaching:
- Bleaching products
- Pots
- Hand gloves
- Head gloves
- Combs
After having all the items you need, change to your old clothes and start bleaching.
Step 3: Section the hair
Divide your tresses into manageable parts so you can apply the product more evenly later.
Step 4: Create a mixture of bleach powder and developer
Mix your chosen powder and developer in a pot. When it comes to developers, don’t skimp on your money.
A good developer goes a long way to minimize your hair damage, especially when you’re dyeing and bleaching on the same day.
Step 5: Apply the mixture to your tresses
Start at the roots first and go down to the top. Use a high comb to brush while applying at the same time. Do use too much of a product, as you can always touch up later if needed.
Applying The Mixture From Roots
Let the bleach sit on your hair for around 30 to 45 minutes. It’s best to set a timer as going beyond 45 minutes can change your hair color.
Step 6: Rinse the bleach
Wash your head with shampoo and use a deep condition afterward to remove all the chemicals altogether.
Dyeing Your Hair
Step 1: Blow dry the hair
Before dyeing, make sure your strands are completely dried with a hairdryer.
Step 2: Apply the color
Always apply on the roots first cause they might absorb more colors than the tips. Then, continue from the middle of the section towards the tips.
Applying The Color
Then, brush the hair with a wide-tooth comb to evenly spread the color throughout your head. Wait for 8 minutes for the color to work its way to the shaft before brushing your hair once again. Using the comb also makes sure that your strands won’t form lumps together.
Step 3: Rinse your hair
Wash your hair with shampoo to rinse away the chemicals.
Useful Tips For Hair Care While Bleaching And Dyeing
Before and during bleaching and dyeing
- If you want to make sure the chosen dye is your dream color, conduct a small strand test. Apply the dye onto a small, secluded section to see how it performs.
- Ask a friend for assistance while bleaching and dyeing. You don’t want to end up with missing spots or uneven color results.
- Timing is crucial when it comes to bleaching. Leaving it too long can cause irreversible damage to your strands. Different hair color and texture requires different duration for optimal bleaching. Typically, we recommend leaving the bleach on blonde hair for 15 to 20 minutes, dark hair for 30 minutes.
In terms of hair texture, you should let the bleach sit on fine hair for no longer than 15 minutes since the thin cuticle takes less time to open.
The bleach can be left on for 30 minutes for coarse hair because the thicker cuticles are tougher to deal with.
After bleaching and dyeing
- After dyeing, avoid washing your hair often, as the color will fade faster with more regular shampooing.
- It’s best to use shampoos and conditioners specifically made for colored hair as they help you preserve your color for longer.
- Always shampoo with cool water since hot water will cause the cuticles to open and let the color vanish sooner.
- To keep your hair healthy and hydrated, apply a hair mask weekly.
- Sunlight is not a good friend for your bleached and colored hair, so stay away from the sun as much as you can.
- Because your hair was exposed to significant chemical exposure, it is weaker than before. Do not brush your strands when they are still wet or damp since wet hair is more vulnerable to breakage and shedding.
- Use a soft microfiber towel to dry your hair to reduce the risk of damage and frizzing to your tresses.
Conclusion
We hope that all you need is to answer the question, “Can I dye my hair after bleaching it on the same day?”.
It’s possible to dye your tresses right after bleaching, yet there are some potential risks to it. For example, you might need to bleach it later even if you use a non-permanent dye, or there’s a high chance that the color does not work the way you expected.
So, if it is not an absolute must, you should examine your hair conditions before and after bleaching and then give your strands a break accordingly. This way, you can minimize hair damage and let the dye and bleach work to their full potential.
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