WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF BLEACHING ON THE HAIR

When bleached, highlighted or balayed, hair has undergone techniques involving chemicals that will most likely damage it. Coating your hair in treatments to repair the effects of discoloration and protect them from daily damage (vents, pollution, UV rays, etc.) is a must.

For the best results, you’ll need to choose hair care products specifically for blonde hair. They will help blonde hair keep their shine for longer.

Discover our professional tips from our hair colorists. Experts in playing with hair’s color and texture, they provide their top tips to make hair look truly beautiful.

If you have been bleaching your hair yourself, be sure to protect your scalp and skin (face and neck in particular). Since bleaching products are very aggressive, don’t apply them to your roots, and leave a few millimeters of natural hair instead. This will avoid contact with the scalp and the possibility of burning.

Bleaching is essential if you’re aiming for a lighter hair color than your natural color: such as brown to blonde for example.

This step allows you to start with a neutral base and then apply a coloring agent to achieve the desired hair color.

What does hair that has been bleached look like?

Healthy hair — hair fibers are perfectly intact

For healthy hair, the protective hydrolipid film is intact and ensures hair is strong and soft. The keratin scales are perfectly positioned, smooth and tight. Hair is strong and silky, it looks visibly healthy. It shines.

Bleached hair — damaged hair fiber

Bleaching hair is an aggressive process for the hair fiber, deeply them and making them more fragile: 

• The hydrolipidic film is highly impaired,
• The scales are largely open (basic medium pH11),
• Melanin is completely destroyed.

Why is hair very damaged after bleaching?

Bleached hair undergoes an oxidation chemical reaction that permanently changes its integrity and reduces its resistance.

With the penetration of aggressive agents (ammonia, oxygenated water) to the heart of the hair fibers, all hair’s natural properties are impacted:

• The mechanical properties are altered: the hair becomes fragile and easy to break.
• The surface properties are changed: hair becomes drier, more coarse, more difficult to detangle, and its porosity increases.

In short: after bleaching, hair needs some extra love and attention, it’s been through a lot of changes!

Why does bleached hair become sensitive?

When bleached, hair becomes sensitized. It can even become thinner, and the texture altered by bleaching.

Bleaching “ strips hair bare ” and weakens it against different daily aggressions such as blow drying, straightening, styling with curling iron, sun exposure or even the wrong type of hair product,

Already weakened by bleaching, hair continues to worsen: the integrity of the hydrolipidic film is damaged, the hair fiber isn’t protected against dehydration and dryness, which continues to make hair more fragile.

As a result, bleached hair needs even more care than natural hair, to repair damage caused by bleaching. To help hair restore itself, hair needs external moisturizing, nourishing and protective active ingredients through natural, rich and targeted hair care. To combat this, hair care and treatments should be used to help restore and maintain hair’s strength and shine. 

Why does colored blonde hair become dull?

Immediately after bleaching, balayage or highlights, hair is protected. Its very smooth scales maximize the light-reflecting power, giving hair a lustrous sheen.

But over time, this effect disappears and hair’s scales open up. Bleached and dyed blonde hair tends to age poorly: it’s one of the most difficult colors to maintain, given it tends to oxidize more quickly in the air, meaning it’s duller or has a green tinge. Blonde hair also requires more protection against UV rays, salt and chlorine, which can alter its color.

When hair cuticle scales lift due to everyday aggressors, hair’s shine disappears and the blonde becomes duller.

To maintain bright blonde and beautiful hair, regular bleaching to avoid the ‘” roots ' effect and frequent use of specific care is needed.