Tired of your dark tresses and want to experiment going a few shades lighter? Or do you want to jump on the pastel-color band wagon and want to bleach your hair as the first step in the process? Whatever your reasons for it, bleaching your hair is a serious decision that requires your full consideration. Before you set upon bleaching your hair, make sure that you are ready to face the regular maintenance and aftercare that your hair will require post-bleaching.
Bleaching black hair can be a little more tricky than bleaching already light-colored hair. If you are worried about the repercussions of using a chemical bleach, and are looking at natural ways to bleach your hair, then we’ll tell you how to Lighten your Hair Naturally as well.
How To Bleach Black Hair
The first step is to be prepared for the long process. A common misconception is that bleaching black hair is a process similar to coloring your hair. But what most women don’t realise is that, depending on how dark your hair is and how light you want it to become, bleaching your hair can be quite a long process that requires multiple application of bleach. Especially when you have black hair, your hair will go from black to a brassy orange before you reach the blonde hair color that you want.
Before you begin the bleaching process, consider consulting with a hair stylist to determine if your hair is healthy enough to put up with the damage that the bleaching will cause. Because, let’s face it, no matter how careful you are and what a good bleach you use, your hair will get damaged as the bleach is practically stripping your hair of its color. This also means that you need to be prepared for some intense aftercare. Weekly hair conditioning treatments and hot oils treatments will help you keep your bleached hair in good condition.
[Also Read:Bleaching The Hair for White Blonde]

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How To Bleach Black Hair At Home
If you are planning to bleach your hair at home, then you need to make sure you’ve got the following things at hand.
Bleach Powder And Developer
Of course you’ll need a good quality bleach (do some research for the best hair bleach for black hair) and developer. Depending on how thick and long your hair is and how many sittings you’ll need to achieve desired results, make sure you have enough bleach and developer to last you through the process.
While a 20-volume developer is the recommended one for DIY bleaching, if you find that your hair is too resistant to it, you might want to try the 30-volume developer to see better results. But we do suggest that you stick to a 10 or 20-volume developer to keep the damage to your hair to a minimum.

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Hair Dye Brush, Mixing Bowl, and Gloves
Needless to say you’ll need a mixing bowl and hair dye brush to mix and apply your bleach with. And gloves to protect your hands.
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Toner
If you are aiming to keep your hair blonde, then you will need a toner. A toner will help set the bleach to a nice blonde without the brassy tint to it. But if you are only bleaching your hair to then color over it, then you can skip the toner.

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The Bleaching Process
Start off with applying generous amounts of coconut oil to your hair. The aim is to saturate the hair (especially the ends) with oil. Leave it on for an hour before you start bleaching your hair. So many women have tried this and swear that it helps to minimize the damage caused by the bleach. The coconut oil really helps to protect your hair from the harsh chemicals.

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Mix the required amount of bleach and developer. Make sure you stick to the correct ratio specified. Once that is done, take a thin strip of hair from behind your ears or someplace else where it won’t be too obvious and do a test strip. Leave it on for the mentioned time and wash it off to see the result. Now you’ll have a better idea of what to expect and whether or not you want to go ahead with it.
[Also Read: Black and White Hairstyles]
Take small sections of hair and work quickly on covering it completely with the bleach. If you find it difficult to work quickly, you might want to do one half of your head, leave the bleach on for the required time, wash it off and then do the other half. This is so you won’t end up leaving the bleach on for longer than necessary on your hair while you try to finish up your whole head.

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Rinse and wash your hair thoroughly when it is time and follow up with a nice deep conditioning mask to help your hair get back its luster.
How To Lighten Your Hair Naturally
If you are wondering about how to bleach black hair naturally, then we’ve got some bad news for you. There is no natural bleach that will give the same results as chemical ones. But if you want to slightly lighten your hair naturally, then you can try using lemon juice. Squeeze out two to three lemons and pour the juice into a spray bottle. Spray it onto your hair, generously coating it, and be under the sun for half an hour. The lemon juice and the sun will help to lighten your hair. Repeat this process thrice a week to see visible results.
Bleaching Black Dyed Hair
We really do not recommend bleaching black dyed hair as this could lead to your already colored hair breaking due to the barrage of chemicals. If you absolutely must do it, then we do think you would do well to go to the salon and have a hair expert determine the best way to go about it.
Side Effects Of Bleaching Hair
Before you take a decision to bleach black hair, we suggest you go through the below mentioned side effects. Since dyeing hair without bleach is not an option, you need to be aware and prepared for its side effects too.
1. Loss Of Moisture
Everybody knows how does hair bleach work, but did you know that it results in loss of moisture? When the bleach comes in contact with the hair shaft, it damages your hair and also affects the moisture level, making your hair dry and damaged.

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2. Breakage Of Hair
When you bleach your hair, it becomes even more porous. The bleach causes the cuticle scales to separate which gradually makes your hair brittle. All of this leads to increase in breakage and hair loss and you will have to bear with it since you cannot lighten black hair without bleach.

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3. Burning Sensation
If you are wondering how often can I bleach my hair then a tingling sensation on your head might give you the answer. Confused? Well, when the bleach comes in contact with your scalp, you will undergo a tingling sensation which is common.
However, if it leads to severe burning sensation, then you have to get rid off the product immediately from your scalp. The burning sensation might also be accompanied by itching, development of sores and redness.

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4. Discoloration Of Skin
Another side effect that you will have to go through since coloring dark hair without bleach is not a possibility is the discoloration of your skin. The basic proteins present in your scalp is the same as what is present in your hair. So, when the bleach comes in contact with your scalp skin, it will result in discoloration.

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So from now on whenever you look for how to lighten hair with bleach, you should also give a glance to bleaching hair side effects and take a wise decision accordingly.