Bleaching your hair? It is important that you do things the right way. If you don’t, then you run the risk of the color not sticking. One of the main questions people have is ‘do you shampoo after bleach?’.
It is important that you do not shampoo for a few days after you bleach your hair. If you shampoo, there is a risk that the color won’t stick to your hair, which can result in sporadic coloring. In fact, it is advised that you only use cold water to wash your hair for three days.
Do You Shampoo After Bleach?
No. You should not shampoo after you have bleached your hair. At least not for at least 3 days.If you use shampoo before that, then you could end up ruining the color.
Bleaching is something that can be dreadfully difficult to get right. When you bleach your hair, you are opening the cuticles in the hair strands. When these cuticles open up, they will absorb the bleach. This changes the color. However, the thing with bleaching is that it can be quite harsh on the hair. It keeps those cuticles open for a longer amount of time in comparison to standard hair dye.
When the cuticles are open, it can be incredibly difficult for the color to stick. In fact, if you wash your hair, then there is a risk that you could be washing away the bleach. This means that you will have hair that has a rather uneven color.
In an ideal world, you wouldn’t wash your hair at all for at least 3 days after you have bleached your hair. You certainly shouldn’t be using shampoo for at least three days. When you do finally get around to using shampoo, you should try to use a sulfate-free shampoo, and wash your hair with the coldest water that you can stand.
What Should I Do Immediately After Bleaching My Hair?
When you have finished the bleaching process, you will need to use cold water, and only cold water, to rinse your hair. Do not use any additional product, because you could end up ruining the color.
Bleach damages hair. In an ideal world, you probably wouldn’t bleach your hair at all. However, we know that some people love the color that the bleach provides, and we won’t stand in your way there. However, the actions that you take after you have bleached your hair will dictate how much damage is caused to your hair.
When you have bleached your hair, your main job is to get the cuticles of your hair sealed as quickly as possible. This does two things:
- It will seal the color in the hair.
- It will stop the bleach from damaging the inside of a hair strand.
The absolute best way to get those cuticles closed is to wash your hair with the coldest water that you can withstand. The colder, the better. You will need to rinse your hair as soon as you have finished the bleaching process. This allows you to wash away any chemicals that aren’t sticking to your hair, preventing further damage.
After that, you will want to ensure that your hair comes into contact with as little heat as possible. This means that you should not be going outside when the sun is beating down. You shouldn’t be sitting in a warm room. You shouldn’t be taking hot showers for a good few days after. If you do need a hot shower (we do have to get clean at some point!), then you will want to ensure that your hair is completely covered with a shower cap.
Basically, the entire process after you have bleached your hair is to ensure that your hair doesn’t get hot. You should also avoid having the hair come into contact with water more than once every 2 to 3 days. The more care you take, the more you will be able to enjoy the beautiful color that the bleach gives your hair.
Do You Shampoo After Bleaching Before Toning?
If you are not planning on toning your hair, then you shouldn’t use shampoo after you have bleached it. However, if you are toning your hair, then it is important that you use shampoo. If you don’t, then the toner won’t stick.
The problem with the toner (a permanent hair dye) is the fact that if it comes into contact with the bleach, it won’t stick to your hair at all. This means that it is incredibly pointless actually putting the toner in your hair. When you shampoo your hair, you will be washing away any bleach residue that is kicking around, allowing that toner to stick.
As you may know, the vast majority of toners won’t actually work unless you shampoo your hair beforehand.
If you do not shampoo your hair after bleaching, then the toner won’t stick to some parts of your hair. The result is that your hair will have patches of toner, and the rest of it will just be your standard hair color.
We cannot stress enough that you should only be using shampoo here. Do not use any conditioner or any other hair product. Use the lightest amount of shampoo to wash the bleach residue away, and you should be fine.
Other than this, make sure that you follow the instructions on the toner packaging to ensure that the toner will stick to your hair properly.
Final Thoughts
You should not shampoo after you bleach. You shouldn’t do it for a few days after bleaching and, even then, you will want to keep it to the minimum. The only time that you should shampoo after you bleach is if you plan on using a hair toner too. If you do not wash the bleach away with shampoo, then the toner won’t stick to your hair properly, which can result in your hair being a multitude of different colors, which probably won’t be nice for you.
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- Will Dry Shampoo Affect Bleach?
- Can I use Shampoo Instead of Developer?
- Why Isn’t My Hair Toner Working?
- Can I Use Hair Bleach That Has Foamed?
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