FROM DARK TO THE LIGHT SIDE: THE PROCESS OF LIGHTENING YOUR HAIR 'Part 1'

Every Stylist you speak to will tell you the process of removing colour/lightening hair is their most hated, yet most loved service that we have to offer. Simply because (I am sorry to every Hairstylist who’s ego this may bruise)
WE ARE NOT MIRACLE WORKERS
I am going to try my hardest to explain the process in the least technical hairdresser mumbo jumbo way i possibly can, however It is important I feel to explain this subject in more depth so you achieve a greater understanding. As this is the most common challenge we are facing daily in salon.

So here goes nothing-
The process of lightening and lifting hair colour is a chemical process, which can be executed in a few different techniques depending on the result you are striving for and the history of your hair. This can be for example highlights, balayage, all over bleach or a deep colour cleansing (colour removal). 

Bleaching and highlighting your Hair
Anytime you wish to lighten your hair you will need to use a bleaching agent.
You have probably heard that bleaching/lightening your hair can damage it.
This is true — bleaching agents are hard on your strands. They can make your hair dry, brittle, frizzy-looking and prone to breakage. However, by taking the proper steps, it is possible to keep your hair healthy, hydrated and looking its best if you do decide to start the process.

In fact, Did you know?
Bleaching even has some advantages:
The process plumps your individual hair shafts, often making your hair appear thicker and fuller.

How ‘Bleaching’ Works
Bleach strips the pigment (colour) from your hair shaft through the process of oxidation. It is impossible and I’ll say this louder for those in the back IMPOSSIBLE to make your hair a lighter shade without the help of a bleaching (or oxidising) agent.

Hydrogen peroxide and ammonia are the most commonly used bleaching agents. They are often mixed together, because when used separately, they are unstable and very slow in lightening the hair.
Guys please do not be fooled by manufacturers who use ‘peroxide-free’ labels as a way to promote their products as ‘hair-friendly’.
Although these mixtures do not contain peroxide, they will contain another oxidising agent, which can be just as damaging to your strands.

There is a lot of ‘excuse my French’ Bullshit marketing tactics surrounding the hair industry and this I feel is where a lot of Client to Stylist and vice versa, miscommunication and false hopes stem from.


Lightening removes pigment, whether it be natural or artificial.
We are trying to remove the hair of all colour to achieve our desired result ashy, golden, pearl, cream whatever your heart desires. These tones can only be achieved by using an artificial tone to eliminate/counteract, neutralize that warmth.
When removing the hair of its colour pigments the natural undertone shows , if you have darker hair you will experience ALL the undertone stages, stoked right?.

To counteract these undertones toners are used. For red we use green base, for orange we use blue base and for yellow we use violet base.
Basic colour theory!
Colour theory isn’t all that important for a client to know because you should only be allowing a professional to lighten your hair, but it sure does help in understanding the process so I’ll go more into depth on colour theory and toning in ‘part two’ released next week.

In Summary- First we lighten the hair (remove colour pigment)

Then we tone (add desired colour pigments)

Why Does Bleaching Damage Your Hair?
Bleaching raises your hair’s outer cuticle to allow the bleaching agent to fully penetrate.
Repeated bleaching can permanently raise your cuticle, which allows rapid and continuous loss of moisture from your strands.
Damage from bleaching includes:

Dry Hair

Brittle Hair

Hair that is prone to breakage

Hair that is prone to split ends

Bleached hair is also more porous, and therefore more vulnerable to other chemical and non-chemical hazards. These include everything from heat-styling with blow-dryers and tongs, to the effects of sun, rain and wind.
While all bleaching agents have a damaging effect on your hair’s protein structure, this is intensified each time the process is undertaken.
In other words- the more often you bleach or highlight your hair, the more damaged it will be.

Going lighter takes time and money so if you are short on those I would not suggest this journey for you 

THE HISTORY
The history of your hair is basically all those dye jobs you have had done from the root to the the ends of your hair.
If you have a short pixie crop, then lucky you, as your hair is around 3-4 months old, and will most likely lift to the colour you desire. If you haven’t pumped it full of hair dye that is.
For those of you who have a little longer hair, or "down to the small of your back" long hair, then those 6 years of past dye jobs become quite relevant in making the plan for your blonde ambitions. 
Game changing hey?

The easiest hair to dye of course is virgin hair and majority of virgin hair will lift easily, although keep in mind some types of hair will take a little longer, like thick, dark hair.
If you have dyed your hair with permanent hair colour like a black, dark brown or red, you absolutely have to remember that these colours WILL make an appearance in your hair lightening process.

All colours from different brands respond differently under bleaching and colour processes, and therefore if you plan to embark on this journey and a journey it is, it is best to be patient for
YOU WILL NOT
achieve your hair goal on the same day you walk into the salon.
For example, if your hair is coloured with permanent black hair dye and your goal is to be ice blonde, you first have to accept that it could take a few months even years to reach the end result and secondly that it simply may not be possible for your hair to reach that colour.
Oh, and also that your hair condition will be changed dramatically and will undoubtedly at some point in this process become dry and damaged. Therefore, aftercare is really important.

In summary- The history of your hair will determine how much lift (if any) you can achieve.
Until the lightener is applied it is hard to determine how many levels of lift can be achieved in one sitting.


‘I DON’T KNOW WHO NEEDS TO HEAR THIS, BUT EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON PLANET EARTH LIFTS WARM’

“I throw a lot of warmth”
“my hair goes brassy”
“I just don’t want to see any yellow/orange/red!”

Boy oh boy if I had a dollar for every time I have heard these phrases in salon.
Well, I’ll put it this way I wouldn’t be sitting here writing blogs.

Anytime you go lighter you WILL see warmth.
The reason behind this is whenever we are lightening our hair depending on what level we start with we expose our NATURAL undertone exposing red, orange or yellow.
No, stop!
Do not even think it!
”you’re not the exception to this rule”

· If you are naturally dark your undertone is red.

· If you are naturally light brown to dark blonde your undertone is orange.

· If you are light blonde your natural undertone is yellow.

Undertones are the colours you have to go through before getting to a ‘pale yellow’ colour.
Now not everyone can achieve this level of lightness.
Only a small percentage of people can get to white without a toner or without damaging their hair.
The condition, texture and elasticity of your hair plus home haircare products used will determine whether you can achieve a healthy, lighter colour. Some people have hair that is so fragile they cannot lighten it at all without breakage.

Wondering how the celebrities achieve such vast changes?
More levels of lift can be achieved if you are willing to spend the day in the salon, pay the money and are using the correct home haircare.
Essentially its two to three colour appointments in one so look at paying double to triple or even more of what you would in just one hair appointment as a rough guide plus treatments and home haircare.

TIPS
"It is always best to get an intensive repairing hair treatment in the salon after bleaching your hair and opt to have Olaplex added to the bleach mixture so that less damaged is caused.
In the following months you need to put proteins back into the hair to help improve the hair's condition. Proteins are essential to rebuilding the structure of the hair and using protein-enriched products can reduce hair breakages up to 75%. Buy a specific mask for dry, damaged, over-processed hair”

Next week I will continue talking more about the lightening process, Olaplex, Heat banding and why a custom re booking schedule is so important.

With Love Morgan Drew