5 Scary Truths About Bleaching Your Hair
By Charlotte Palermino
Having been a hair virgin until recently, here are the five things I learned from sticking my head into a vat of chemicals.
1. Your texture doesn't just slightly change-it becomes a strange beast.
Hair responds differently to bleach, but anytime you are open up the pores of your strands to let chemicals oxidize the color that's in there, you can be sure whatever texture you once had will be no more. Most commonly, fine hair becomes rough, dry, and thicker.
What they don't tell you? Bleached hair can also become straight, curly, frizzy, or insanely brittle and the texture can continue to change the more you wash it. Since bleaching rips your pores open, those holes can continue to leak out whatever is left every time you wash. So even if your natural curls are there the day of your bleach, they might be gone tomorrow, no matter how much Argan Oil you're using.
Related: 10 Tips for Longer, Thicker, Sexier Hair
2. Purple shampoo is not optional (and taking a shower with the stuff becomes a scene out of Breaking Bad).
If you have white-blonde hair, you need purple shampoo. Repeat: NEED IT. Your hair will turn brassy without it. On the flip side, when using purple shampoo, be incredibly careful and make sure it's completely rinsed out, because that shit stains towels like whoa, and can quickly turn hair lavender blue if any residue is left behind.
Use TIGI's Catwalk Fashionista Violet Shampoo and Conditioner to get rid of any brassy tones.
3. Bleach strips every last drop of moisture from your head, so, you're now part of the "high maintenance" club.
Remember when you forced every last drop of pigment on your head to become completely colorless? Turning that straw mop into human hair within an hour is nothing short of a miracle. Tack at least an extra half an hour to your getting-ready routine; otherwise, get used to being that person who always shows up late.
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4. Your makeup, and your wardrobe, are now useless.
Changing your hair color drastically alters your perceived complexion, and you might not match your wardrobe or any of your makeup. What was once a rosy and dewy countenance is now a washed-out puddle, and all that statement lipstick will suddenly clash with your face. On the bright side, black has never looked so chic.
Related: Find Out What Your Hair Color Says About You
5. Once you bleach, there is no going back.
Colorists will politely laugh in your face if you suggest dying your hair back to its natural color. The melanin you banished for those golden fairy locks? That color can never be fully added back. Bleaching keeps the pores on your strands wide open, so even when you do get close in color, each attempt at chocolate brown hair will wash down the drain the moment you step into the shower.
The only real way to get back to your natural color, is, obviously, growing it out. Vitamins and supplements like Viviscal can help, but other than praying to the hair gods for faster growing hair, you're SOL. And when in doubt, consult your colorist.
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