A blonde hair look can give you an edge because you can experiment with your looks in a lot of ways. However, achieving that perfect light shade of hair requires time and money, especially if you go to a professional. This can be really expensive. Alternatively, you can bleach your hair at home. Women go through this amazing transformation at home because it's not as expensive as your salon visit. All the effort will be worth it when you see the end result.

To give you a better idea, we will talk about the basics of how to bleach hair at home in this article.

Get Ready for a Step by Step Guide

If you have made up your mind, simply follow these steps below and learn how to bleach hair. But first, you have to prepare your hair and gather your supplies. Then you are good to go!

1. Get started with preparing your hair

You should know that bleach is a chemical that works on hair pigment that gives a particular color to your hair. When bleach oxidizes natural pigment, you get a lighter shade of hair which is usually blonde. To bleach your hair safely at home, it should be healthy and virgin or at least not heavily processed.

• Give your hair a little break: It is important that you don't do anything like dying or processing your hair at least three months before the bleaching process. The stronger and healthier your hair is, the better results you will get. There are fewer chances of damage when you work on unprocessed hair.

• Say "no" to chemical-rich hair products : That's a big one. Apart from dying the hair and other hair treatments, we rely heavily on different hair products like gels, sprays, serums, and other products. They are loaded with chemicals and will definitely damage your hair. Bleaching is a strong process and if you are up for it, then better get in the game with all the right information and tools or you'll not get it right. Also, use a shampoo and conditioner that doesn't have alcohol and sulfates.

• No heating : Heat styling tools like straighteners, curlers and hair dryers make it easier for you to style your hair but it's not an option if you want to bleach your hair.

• Use hair oil : The best way to treat damaged hair is to use hair oil, especially coconut or olive oil. Use oil at least two-three times a week and before washing your hair. Apply oil a night before you bleach your hair.

2. Things You Need

Time to gather everything you need before you learn how to bleach hair.

• Bleach powder: Buy bleach powder from a good brand like L'Oreal, Salon Care, or Wella. Remember- buy hair bleach and not skin bleach.

• Choose your developer strength: This liquid activates your bleach and lightens the shade of your hair. It comes in volumes from 10-40. Choose the volume of 20 or 30 because 40 is extremely strong and damaging. The strength of your developer depends on the shade of your hair. Darker hair needs a volume of 30.

• Plastic mixing bowl

• Brush

• Rubber gloves

• Clips to section your hair

• Old clothes

• Balancing shampoo and conditioner (no sulfate and alcohol)

• Shower cap

• Toner

3. The process of bleaching

Now that you have prepared your hair, haven't washed it for three days, and gathered everything you need you are ready for the next step in this tutorial on how to bleach your hair. Bleach your hair in a room with good ventilation, lighting, a table to put your things, and a mirror.

• Step 1 : Put on some old clothes and section your hair. Then put on your gloves.

• Step 2 : Always read the instructions that come with the bleach. That is the number one rule for doing things safely. Then mix the bleach powder and developer in the right ratio. Mix well with a plastic spoon to make a consistent mixture.

• Step 3 : Start applying bleach in each section. Start from the tips and move to the middle. Wait for 20 minutes before moving on to the roots if you have dark hair. Avoid applying bleach on the scalp. Once you have applied bleach to all of your hair, take a look in the mirror to check if any part is left. You can take help from a friend.

• Step 4 : Put on a shower cap and wait for half an hour. If, at any point, you feel irritation and pain that you can't handle, immediately wash your hair. Don't leave it on for more than 45 minutes. It is okay if dark hair turns orange. It happens.

• Step 5 : Wash your hair with cold water. Use a balancing shampoo. Don't use a hairdryer.

4. After Bleaching: Toning and Conditioning

If you are aiming for lighter hair like platinum blonde, mix one part of toner with two parts of volume 20 developer. This is the same ratio for mixing bleach with the developer. Apply toner with a brush, just like you applied the bleach. Leave it for 30 minutes. If it hurts too much, just wash your hair instead of damaging your scalp. Also, toning is optional if you have already got the desired result from bleaching. Now wash it with cold water and use a deep conditioner.

A Final Note

It's always exciting to try something new and different for your hair. But keep in mind the number one rule of bleaching your hair at home. Work on healthy and unprocessed hair. Another important part of this process is getting all the supplies because you don't want to end up in a situation where you don't have everything you need when you start. Test a strand before doing the whole process. Patience is key because you are going to need it while going through this whole process. If you don't get the desired result, go for toning.

One more thing! If your hair is very dark, thick, curly, damaged, or processed, leave the bleaching to a professional because bleaching at home might not go smoothly.

Hopefully, you've got a clear idea to bleach your hair at home. Simply take your time to enjoy the process and you'll do great!