If working with hair that has been previously dyed, it may be best to consult a professional hair stylist. If your hair is damaged, brittle, and riddled with split ends, get your hair to a healthy condition first by getting a trim and doing several weekly deep conditioning treatments. If you have curly or frizzy hair, consider straightening it first to make it more manageable.
If you don’t have an old towel, you can use a plastic dyeing cape or even an old, button-up shirt.
Typically, a 1:1 ratio of bleach and developer should be mixed together. Don’t be alarmed if the mixture looks blue or purple. This is typical of bleach. For example, if you have black hair, you could prepare a 30 volume or a 20 volume bleach.
If you want the highlights to start higher, make the horizontal part at about ear level instead. You will be repeating this section a few times when you bleach your hair.
Think of splitting your hair like splitting a subway sandwich. You want an upper half and a lower half. Weaving the comb through the section, rather than splitting the hair horizontally straight in half, should make the highlights look more natural.
The lower layer from your hair section should be under the foil. You won’t be bleaching the lower layer.
You won’t be bleaching the lower section. This is what will create a highlight rather than an all-over ombre.
This blending step is important. It will prevent any harsh lines and help create the ombre. Use a light, feathery touch. You want the bleach to get softer the closer you get to your roots. Use a combination of vertical and horizontal strokes so that there aren’t any harsh lines.
The foil will prevent the bleach from transferring to the unbleached potions of your hair. Do not include the unbleached, lower layer in the foil packet. Pretend that it doesn’t exist.
Remember to split each section into an upper and lower layer, like a subway sandwich. Only bleach the upper layer, not the lower.
If you want a more natural look, blend the bleach closer to your roots once you reach the strands around your face.
For example, if you used 20 volume developer in your first batch, use 30 in your second one.
Most bleaching kits include a developing time in the instructions. Use this as a guide; your hair may lighten much faster than what the package says! Expect to wait around 25 minutes for the bleach to process. Do not let the bleach sit longer than 45 minutes in your hair, or you will fry it. Cover your hair with a shower cap and blast it with a blow dryer to help speed up the process.
Use the coldest water temperature that you can withstand. Bleaching is damaging enough on its own, and hot water will only make it worse. If your bleached hair looks yellow, wash it with a purple shampoo after rinsing out the bleach in order to remove the brassiness of the color.
If you are using a hair mask, double-check the label. Some recommend that you leave it in longer than 10 minutes.
Wrap foil around the sections at the roots; do not fold the bottom edge of the foil like you did when highlighting your hair. Use a dye that is 1 to 2 shades darker than your natural hair color. How long you let the dye develop depends on the brand of dye that you are using. Check the package for complete developing times, but expect to wait 20 to 25 minutes.
