Understanding the levels of bleached hair is important. Natural hair has levels from 1-10, with 1 being the darkest shade of black and 10 the lightest blonde. Knowing these levels helps in the stages of lightening dark hair before dyeing.
Hair Lightening Process
When you bleach hair, it goes through different stages. The base level your hair sits at is categorized by levels 1-10. Bleached hair should follow the best practices to avoid damage. It’s important to understand how to achieve the desired shade safely.
What are Color Levels?
On a scale of one to ten, a developer acts as an oxidizing agent to help color penetrate the hair by opening the cuticle. Its strength formulation disperses existing color and lightens the level.
The Hair Colour Depth Chart
Level 1-3 (black to dark brown)
The darkest level of natural hair colors makes achieving a platinum blonde shade difficult. It requires multiple bleach sessions to avoid damaging the hair and reach the desired levels of lift. Understanding single drawn vs double drawn hair can also help in achieving the perfect look.
Level 4-6 (medium to light brown)
Compared to levels 1-3, it’s easier to bleach hair that’s medium to light brown. You may only require 1-2 bleach sessions to achieve your desired hair color.
Level 7-10 (light to platinum blonde)
Having light blonde hair as your natural tone makes it easy to achieve platinum blonde colors. You’ll likely only need one bleaching session.
How long does it take to get to your desired bleached level?
How long it takes to reach your desired bleached level depends on factors like your natural hair color and condition.
Natural Hair Level
As discussed, your natural hair’s starting point is predictive of how many bleaches you will need to achieve the desired levels of lift. Dark brown or black hair needs more bleaching sessions to avoid excessively damaging the cuticles. Understanding semi vs permanent hair color is also crucial in this process.
Bleach Strength
Bleaching agents you are using can impact how many times and how long you bleach your hair. Stronger bleach gives faster results but can significantly damage your cuticle. It’s recommended to see a specialist to avoid breakage. Additionally, understanding how to know if you have wavy hair is important in the bleaching process.
Hair Condition
Healthy hair bleaches more easily and effectively than damaged or previously dyed hair.
Technique
The technique used in the bleaching process can determine how long and how many bleach sessions it takes to get to the desired color.
Factors Affecting Bleaching Colour Levels
As discussed, your natural hair level, the bleaching agents, the condition of your hair before you dye it, and the techniques used can affect how well your hair reacts to bleach. Another consideration is the toner you use to achieve the platinum blonde look and the types of hair damage you may encounter.
Tips for Bleached Hair: Do’s and Don’ts
To maintain your ideal color and keep your hair as healthy as possible, follow several do’s and don’ts to achieve the best results.
Do’s:
Sulphate-free Shampoo or Drying Products
Sulfates can strip your hair of its natural oils and moisture, making it prone to breakage or damage. Opting for sulfate-free shampoo and hair care products without drying alcohols can protect your hair. Additionally, using a sulfate-free toning shampoo or conditioner can help rid unwanted brassy or yellow tones.
Deep Conditioning
Using a hair mask once a week helps seal in moisture and acts as a protective barrier against damage. A mask designed for blonde hair helps maintain white tones.
Protective Styling
When styling your hair, dry it on the cool air setting or consider air drying to reduce how much heat your hair is exposed to.
Regular Trims
Regular trims help remove split ends and keep your bleached hair from splitting up the hair shaft.
Use a Heat Protectant
When styling your hair, using a heat protectant adds an extra layer of protection against heat damage and creates a barrier against moisture loss.
Cold Water Rinse
Wash your hair with cold water to seal the hair cuticle, preventing color fading and heat damage.
Gentle Detangling
Bleach hair achieves its color by stripping the hair cuticle of pigments and keratin proteins, making it prone to breakage. Use a wide-tooth comb or fingers to gently detangle your hair.
Don’t’s:
Overuse Heat Tools
Avoid excessive use of heat styling tools or hair dryers on the hot setting to protect your hair from further damage.
Excessive Washing
Overwashing your hair is a common culprit in causing further damage. Washing your hair once a week is sufficient, but everyone is different, so adjust the frequency as needed.
Hot Showers
Hot water can open your hair cuticle, making it vulnerable to moisture loss. This will also cause the colored pigments to fade.
Harsh Hair Products
Using hair products that are drying or harsh and not blonde-friendly can cause your hair color to fade and unnecessary damage to the hair cuticle.
Ignoring Roots
As your natural hair color grows, it will show. To maintain your bleached color, it’s best to have touch-up sessions with a hairstylist for a consistent look.
DIY Colour Corrections
Bleaching hair is a technical process that requires proper knowledge and tools. To avoid significantly damaging your hair, it’s best to have a colorist professional achieve the best results. Wondering, “is wavy hair curly”? Consult your stylist.
How Many Sessions Does It Take To Get The Desired Bleach Color Level?
The length of sessions is determined by how light or dark your hair is. Don’t go up more than four levels in one sitting. Two-three weeks later, you can go lighter. Going from dark to light too quickly can make your hair dry, brittle, and weak. We recommend bleaching in multiple sessions due to various factors.
What Factors Affect Bleaching Color Levels?
- Natural Hair Color matters. Black or dark hair needs more sessions to lighten.
- High porosity hair bleaches quickly but is prone to damage.
- Bleach Strength also impacts the desired levels of lift.
- Application Time affects color; longer times can fry the cuticle.
Precautions of Bleached Hair
- Don’t Wash Your Hair Too Often to prevent it from losing its natural moisture. This lessens the chance of color fading and the need to bleach your hair soon again.
- Use Purple Shampoo. Purple shampoos are excellent for maintaining the color of bleached hair.
- Trim your Hair Every three months to get rid of rough ends and split ends. This will speed up the growth and prevent your hair from looking unhealthy or unkempt.
- Heat styling tools like blow dryers, straightening irons, and curlers can cause additional damage to your bleached hair. Always use a heat protectant before using any heat styling tool.
- Hair Mask: Once a week, apply a deeply nourishing hair mask like warm coconut or olive oil, mashed avocado, or an egg white. Wait 30-40 minutes after applying.
- Use Purple Shampoo to wash your hair. After that, apply a conditioner and serum.
How to Apply Your Bleach
For re-growth application, apply on the regrowth area only and rinse when lifted. For full head bleach, start at the back and work your way around. Segment the hair finely, saturating it with the product. Your goal is to saturate the hair well to reach levels 8, 9, or 10. Avoid poking with your tint brush.
How Do I Tone Hair After Bleaching?
Tone your hair with a wide range of Ugly Duckling’s toners. They get rid of yellow for a stunning white blonde. Use intense pearl blonde or intense silver blonde if yellow remains and you want to push your hair to level 10 white blonde. For no-lift pearl or silver blonde, choose them if the hair is already light or it’s a repeat application with no further lift needed. You can also try silver grey, extra cold ash blonde 10.1, or extra cold violet blonde 10.2. Ugly Duckling’s new 10-minute ammonia-free gloss toners like Blondify Natural Ash Blonde 010A or Blondify Natural Violet Blonde 010V offer excellent results.
Conclusion
Understanding the levels of bleached hair is crucial. Natural hair ranges from level 1 (darkest black) to level 10 (lightest blonde). Bleaching involves a mix of bleach and developer to lighten the hair’s natural color by opening the cuticles and lifting color molecules. The process requires care to avoid damage and achieve the desired shade. Proper techniques, products, and maintenance ensure optimal results and healthier hair.
FAQ’s
What are the different levels of hair bleach?
10 Volume 3% Developer is for permanent, no-lift hair color. 20 Volume 6% Developer raises hair color by 1-2 levels. 30 Volume 9% Developer and 40 Volume 12% Developer offer more lightening.
What is level 9 bleached hair?
Level 9 bleached hair is yellow, but it is light. At level 10, it is very light, the palest yellow. The better the hair is lifted, the less yellow it will be.
What is level 10 bleached hair?
Each hair level corresponds to a different shade. Level 10+ is Platinum blonde to platinum white. Levels 1-5 are darker shades from Dark black to Medium brown.
How many levels does hair bleach lift?
Hair bleaching is a process to lighten the natural color of your hair. You mix bleach with a developer like hydrogen peroxide. This mix opens the hair cuticles and lifts the hair’s natural color molecules. If done correctly, this process can lighten your hair to level 10 extra light blonde.
