6 Big Considerations To Lightening Your Hair

If you’re reading this, it’s likely you’ve decided to dive into the experience of lightening your hair. But what does that process entail? In this blog post I’ll cover everything you need to know before you begin the process of going lighter with your hair color.

How damaging is lightening your hair?

In my opinion this is probably the most important question you can ask when it comes to lightening your hair. You need to be aware that this process can be damaging to the point where all of your hair melts off.. But it doesn’t have to end like that for you. There are ways to lighten your hair without much damage at all.

Patience is important during this process. And it’s also good to note that you get what you pay for when it comes to hair services. The amount of damage that your hair endures in the lightening process is based on a number of factors:

• The level your color currently is
• Is your hair currently colored or virgin?
• Do you have box dye or henna on your hair?
• The current condition of your hair
• How slowly/quickly you do the process
• Your hair type
• How much you are willing to spend
• How you care for it at home

The 6 considerations to lightening your hair

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1. Hair history

Your hair history is probably the most important factor when lightening your hair.

This can be detrimental to the outcome, so it is EXTREMELY important to be 100% honest with your hairstylist.

You will have the best outcome if your hair is virgin or any previously colored hair has completely grown out and been cut off.

But this doesn’t mean that going lighter isn’t possible if you do have colored hair! It just means that it may be more of a process to remove the old color to your desired shade.

If you’ve used box dye or henna in the past, be sure to let your stylist know so they can do a test strand to make sure your hair can handle the process.

If there were metallic salts in the color previously used, your hair can melt right off in the foils. So this is extremely important to be completely honest and trust your stylist!

2. Hair condition

The condition of your hair will tell you if your hair will be able to endure the transformation you’re looking for.

Healthy hair can always handle more lightening than damaged hair can. Keep in mind that if your hair is damaged, you may not be able to get it as light as you desire.

If your hair is in really bad shape, your stylist may even refuse to lighten it all together until it has regained its integrity. I know that this news can be disheartening, but they are doing this for your best interest. You do not want all of your hair to break off, trust me!

There are often times that I suggest toning the hair to neutralize warmth, as well as following my tips to get the hair healthy instead of doing any lightening at that time.

If your hair is damaged, you should be doing a conditioning treatment at home every time you wash it. If it is not damaged, it should be done weekly. This is whether you have color treated hair or not.

To see all of my recommended tips to keep your hair healthy, check out my post here.

3. Hair type

When lightening your hair, your hair type is actually more important than you would think. This category is often overlooked.

If you are a natural blonde with fine hair and want to just go a few shades lighter, this is a fairly easy and painless process.

But if you have level 2 (darkest brown) coarse hair (think Asian hair types), than this can turn into multiple sessions to get you to a blonde shade at all, let alone a platinum blonde.

While coarse hair can handle much more lightening than fine hair can, it also takes much longer and is ultimately more difficult to achieve.

To learn what hair type you have, check out my post here.

4. The process

Time

The process for lightening your hair is dependent on your goals, history, condition, and hair type.

If you want a total transformation and currently have dark colored hair, then expect it to take a few sessions to get to your goal. Keep in mind that the health of your hair is always our #1 priority. Often times we cannot get you to your goal in one session.

Lightening services take several hours, so make sure you set aside anywhere from 3 to 10 hours, depending on your specific situation and how your stylist works. I personally set aside 4 hours for each of these services.

Formulating

Even though I wish we could, we cannot just pick a color out of a book and put it all over your hair, let it process and send you on your way. It is so much more complicated that that.

If you want a significant change OR have any color on your hair at all, we need to lighten your hair with bleach, and then tone over it with the shade you desire. Even if you only want it a few shades lighter.

Lightening the hair can be very tricky depending on your hair history and hair type. Know that if we cannot get you to your goal on the first session, you need to be prepared to have a little warmth in your hair until your next session.

Unfortunately there is no avoiding that. Understand that each time you shampoo your hair it will likely become a warmer tone. This is because your toner is fading, and the underlining pigment is exposed.

Keep in mind that if we tone over your hair darker to get you an ashier shade opposed to warm, it will be that much more difficult to lighten on the next session.

We prefer to tone the brass down without having to take you darker to cover up the warmth. This will make it easier in the long run, but you’ll have to accept a little warmth in your hair color in the meantime.

Patience

Having patience and lower expectations is really the best way to look at this process. Understand that slow and steady wins the race. The faster we make this process, the harder it will be on your hair.

Do your best to know that this process may take multiple months if you are looking for a big transformation. The more gradually your hair is lightened, the less likely your hair will be damaged in the process.

What good is platinum hair if it is extremely damaged and breaking off? The condition is more important than the color.

5. The maintenance

What you do to maintain your hair in-between lightening services will make each process easier or much more difficult!

Making sure that you are using all professional products on your hair, a minimum of weekly conditioning treatments, and overall practicing good habits with your hair are all very important!

To cancel out unwanted warmth from your hair, using a good quality purple shampoo is EXTREMELY important. It can drastically remove yellow from the hair and keep it a pretty tone until your next session.

After the shower you should always follow with a leave-in-conditioner. This is as important as moisturizing your skin and should NEVER be skipped!

I also recommend to avoid using heat as much as possible during the lightening process. Heat from blow dryers and irons can be damaging, even if used with a thermal protectant.

See my post here on lightened hair, for more details on what to expect as well as how to maintain it.

6. The cost

When lightening your hair, keep in mind that each of these services can be some of the most expensive services offered in salons.

These processes are frequently considered corrective color services, and usually have a higher hourly rate than other services because they are so much more complex.

Unless you just want a few highlights, expect your starting rate to be right at least $100 per hour of service, and as I mentioned earlier it can take 3-10 hours per session. And it may take you multiple sessions.

This cost can vary depending on all the factors listed above, as well as your location and your stylists’ experience.

You should also talk to your stylist about how often you’ll need to come in to maintain your goals. There are some methods that allow for a better grow out and you can go longer between services than other full blonde looks.

Can I lighten my hair on my own?

I’m going to be honest, this question gives me a headache! 😆 I do not ever recommend lightening your hair at home. As a stylist I have seen way too many at-home disasters to ever recommend this.

The only service I will suggest doing at home if your hair is too dark is a dawn shampoo. Shampooing the hair with dawn dish soap can dramatically fade hair color. This may not be a pleasant color, but it can help to lighten it slightly if it was colored too dark.

If you do a dawn shampoo, make sure to follow with regular shampoo, conditioner, as well as a conditioning treatment.

How can I lighten my dark hair naturally?

There is another option to slightly lighten your hair if you have virgin and natural hair. This method will not work if you have permanent color on your hair. When the hair has been permanently colored, the only thing that will lighten it is bleach.

So if your hair is virgin, try putting some lemon juice on it and sit in the sun. Keep a close eye on this, as you don’t want it to turn orange (anyone remember sun-in??).

This can also be helpful to remove green color from chlorine build-up. After doing this service, make sure to shampoo, condition, and treatment.

Conclusion

Lightening your hair can be damaging, but it doesn’t have to be. This is dependent on a number of factors.

1. Your hair history determines what has been done to the hair in the past that will affect the lightening process.

2. The current condition of your hair will determine how far you are able to go with each session without causing excess damage.

3. Your hair type determines how easily your hair will lighten when during the process.

4. Depending on all of these factors, the process may take 1-5 sessions to get you to your goals. Each session can take 3-10 hours of lightening and complex formulating. Having patience and going with the slow and steady process is usually in your best interest.

5. Your results are highly reflected in how you care for your hair at home. If you follow all of the aftercare directions and use quality professional products, your results will show.

6. The cost of each of these sessions are typically some of the most expensive services in the salon. Expect to pay at least $100/hour of work. Also know that you will get what you pay for. If you go to someone inexperienced that is charging less, expect inexperienced results.

Have any further questions? Leave it for me in the comments! As always, Have A Good Hair Day!

Last updated 01/01/2023