Even if you vigilantly follow the instructions on the bleach, there’s a risk to see those jaguar spots throughout your entire mane after the procedure. Therefore, knowledge on how to fix uneven bleached hair and tips from a professional hairstylist can be a lifesaver.
I will explain the reasons for uneven blonde hair, provide you with the top 3 methods to fix the mess, and share tips on how to prepare your strands for bleaching.
If you are interested in whether you can re-bleach your hair, my answers in the FAQ section can come in handy. Read on and make your hair color even.
Contents
- 1 Guide to Fix Uneven Hair Color After Bleaching
- 2 Tips on how to prepare for bleaching hair
- 3 FAQ About Fixing Uneven Bleached Hair
- 4 Treat Your Hair Regardless of Color
Guide to Fix Uneven Hair Color After Bleaching
If you want to fix uneven bleached hair at home, my detailed instructions will be helpful. The reason lies in uneven hair bleach mixture or its wrong application.
If you spot bleaching hair, you can dye it darker, re-bleach your entire chevelure, or bleach some parts of your mane. To prepare your hair for bleaching, treat it with natural oils and masks.
Why this happens
First, let’s find out which improper actions can lead to such a failure after the bleaching procedure. This way, you will be able to prevent similar mistakes the next time. Though numerous causes can present you with a patchy look, I will concentrate on the two most common ones.
Why the hair is bleached unevenly
There are two main reasons why you are wiping your tears now: either you made an uneven hair bleach mixture or applied it in the wrong way. Let’s examine them one by one in detail.
1. You prepared an uneven hair bleach mixture
Though professional colorists usually do not advise bleaching hair at home, experiments and curiosity are part of human nature, and you might have been tempted by an opportunity to try a new look during the lockdown period. Therefore, you should be twice careful: not to damage the hair by applying an improper solution and to do it evenly.
When mixing the purchased hair bleach with a conditioner and other ingredients, ensure you blend them well. Mix the constituents for a long time to ensure the homogeneity of the blend. Otherwise, you might end up with the messily spotted mane.
2. You applied the mixture unevenly
If you bleach the hair on your own, you have only two hands and a pair of eyes to rely on. It is tricky to see all the parts of the hair, especially the side, back, and inner layers. Therefore, you can miss some strands or bleach them insufficiently, so your hair might become partially uneven.
What is the best time for fixing your hair?
Now let’s proceed to the proper timing. How long should you wait to fix patchy bleached hair, and can you do it instantly? Nobody wants to boast of a giraffe-like mane in public, especially if you have some important event on the horizon.
Luckily, you don’t have to isolate yourself in a cave for weeks since there is no strict time frame for the next coloring session. It all depends on the fixing technique you choose. Read on to pick one that resonates with you the most.
3 ways to fix uneven bleached hair
First, you have to decide on the technique. You can go for a darker shade and color your hair with a box dye, bleach your entire patchy mane once more, or bleach some particular strands.
1. Dying over uneven bleached hair in a darker shade
This is a go-for solution if you need to look presentable the next day after you bleached your hair. If your current hair color is a mix of brown, blond, orange, or it has a rainbow effect, you can cover it with a darker hair dye tone. Though you won’t get that dreamy blond, uneven bleach will completely disappear, and your hair will look presentable and shiny.
For this technique, you need to dye your hair the common way. Choose the final hair color based on your specific situation. Sometimes, you need light brown, and at times, there are situations when ashy tones will show their best. It depends on the level of your hair unevenness, not on the final color you strive to get.
2. Re-bleach your entire hair
If you still want that gorgeous, luminous blonde and have one spare month to wait, you can re-bleach your hair. The reason for such a delay is that bleaching is a harmful procedure, with chemicals affecting your hair. After one month of patience, you can bleach your hair once more.
This technique can provide you with the best result, and you will let your strands recover. This method can fix all types of unevenly bleached hair. Be sure to follow the dos and don’ts in between the bleaching sessions.
3. Re-bleach your hair partly
This technique can be applied if you see some defined parts of your hair weren’t bleached. It might be a result of uneven application, or you simply missed particular strands.
To re-bleach some parts of your hair, you don’t have to wait for a long time. After several hours or a day, the hair color will be clearly seen, and that’s when you can re-bleach these omitted parts.
Tips on how to prepare for bleaching hair
When you are well-acknowledged of what to do to bleach your hair evenly, nothing will stand in your way to those sunny shades. My tips can serve both as a precaution and foundation for your future success.
Let your hair heal
If you recently tested any chemicals on your hair, wait for a little while before you bleach it. It refers to dyeing, highlighting, perming, or straightening your strands. Allow your mane to recover at least two weeks before bleaching it. A perfect solution is to wait a month before bleaching.
Put off heating tools a week before bleaching
Resist the temptation to use a curling iron, blow dryer, hot rollers, and flat iron on your locks. Heating tools damage the hair to some extent so that bleach will be too hard on it. If you have natural, untreated hair, it will suffer less from bleaching.
Don’t be a Scrooge
Buy nice or buy twice. A wise decision is to invest in specialized products designed for preserving bleached hair. Make sure you buy only good-quality products to care for your new color before bleaching it.
Apply natural oils
Oils can do wonders to your hair. If you apply them to your locks before bleaching, your hair will absorb the solution better. I advise using coconut, avocado, and argan oils to strengthen the hair proteins and treat your stressed hair.
Nourish your locks with a mask
You can either apply a professional mask or deep conditioner or adhere to homemade variants. Coconut oil, yogurt, olive oil, honey, banana, avocado, and egg are well-known for their nourishing properties. Treat your hair with a mask once or twice a week.
FAQ About Fixing Uneven Bleached Hair
If you have questions about re-bleaching your hair, you might find answers below. My clients often ask me about the right time to bleach their hair, so take advantage of my professional experience.
Can I bleach my hair again the next day?
I don’t recommend you do it since you can severely damage your hair. Bleached hair needs around a month to heal.
Should I bleach my hair again if it’s orange?
It’s up to you to decide since there are several ways how to fix orange hair:
- using a hair toner;
- dyeing your hair darker with a box dye;
- lightening it more with a bleach;
- applying apple cider vinegar for a lighter effect.
When making a decision, consider your hair condition and the time you have at your disposal to make your mane presentable.
How do you know if you can bleach your hair again?
Look precisely at what you ended up with after your coloring experiment. If you have visible parts you missed when bleaching your strands, you can lighten them the next day or even sooner.
If your hair is generally patchy and uneven, you can either dye it in a darker shade the following day or re-bleach it one more time. However, in the latter case, you should wait for a month or so to give your hair time to recover from the chemicals in the bleach.
Treat Your Hair Regardless of Color
No matter whether you ended up with patchy or even hair, you still should care about your strands after bleaching them.
Use aftercare products and wait for a month if you decide to bleach your mane again. If you want a luminous blond look, use good-quality bleach and follow all the steps to get an even shade.
Do you have separate strands spoiling the entire picture, or does your mane have that leopard look after bleaching? What was the reason for your transformation? Share your story with us; it might help you prevent the mistakes made the next time you bleach your hair.
