Having blonde hair is a dream for many. Whether you have jet-black or brown hair, if you want to bleach your hair, you need to understand the various levels of natural hair and stages of lightening dark hair. It is natural to fantasize about blonde hair, but at the same time, you may worry about the damaging effects of the bleach. Sometimes, you may also wonder whether the new hair colour will suit you or not.
This article will make you understand the various stages of lightening dark hair and how to ensure that your coloured hair remains healthy without any damage.
Understanding Hair Levels
The base colour of the hair plays a big role in the hair lightening process. It is important that you first identify the level of your hair colour so that you understand the shade you want to acquire.
The hair is measured on a scale of one to ten, one being the darkest and ten being the lightest shade. Upon visiting a salon, your hairstylist may shed more light on it but here is a general hair shade break down.
Hair colour depth breakdown:
- Level 1: Black
- Level 2: Darkest Brown
- Level 3: Dark Brown
- Level 4: Medium Brown
- Level 5: Brown
- Level 6: Light Brown
- Level 7: Dark Blonde
- Level 8: Medium Blonde
- Level 9: Light Blonde
- Level 10: Lightest Blonde
Levels 1-3 (Jet Black to Dark Brown)
People having natural hair colour of levels 1-3 need to go through various stages to achieve light hair colour. This may also result in damaging the hair quality to some extent, as multiple sessions of bleaching will be required to achieve the desired shade. This also means spending extra hours in the salon for lightening hair colour.
Levels 4-6 (Medium to Light Brown)
As people with medium to light brown have naturally lighter hair colour, it is easy to bleach their hair. They may require fewer sessions as compared to people with 1-3 levels of hair colour. Most times the desired result may be achieved in one or two sessions of bleach.
Levels 7-10 (Dark to Platinum Blonde)
People with hair colour of levels 7-10 find it most easy to bleach their hair. It requires mostly only one session, and the hair will come out lightened. The hair quality also maintains well as they do not get exposed to much chemicals.
How to Identify Natural Hair Colour
- People usually get confused between the shades of hair colour and find it difficult to categorise. There are various ways to identify your natural hair colour:
- Consult a professional: Visiting a hair professional will help you to sort out your confusion about your hair colour. They will be able to explain how many sessions you may need to achieve the desired hair colour.
- Using a hair chart: A hair chart shows the hair colour and grade. You can match the kind of hair colour you have against the chart to identify your hair colour.
- Natural lighting: Use natural light to determine your hair colour. The dark shades usually appear light under the sun.
Levels of Lightening Dark Hairs
There are basically four stages through which the hair passes as it undergoes the transformation. The number of sessions depends on your hair colour.
- Dark to reddish tones: This stage is called brassy stage. In this the hair colour changes from shade 1-3 to reddish colour.
- Reddish to yellow tones: After the first bleach, as the hair turns red, it will lighten to yellowish tones. People having hair colour level 4-6, will reach this stage faster than those having hair colour levels 1-3.
- Yellow to pale yellow: The yellow tones will lighten to pale yellow or a whiter shade while passing through this stage.
- Pale yellow to platinum blonde: At this stage, the previous shades fade off, and you achieve the platinum (lightest) blonde hair colour.
Factors That Determine Time Taken to Achieve the Desired Colour
There are several factors that decide how long hair lightening process will take. These are:
- Natural hair colour level: Dark black and brown coloured hairs take more sessions than lighter hair colours.
- Bleach strength: A strong bleach may give faster results but can damage the hairs significantly.
- Hair condition: Healthy hair gives better results upon bleaching as compared to dull hair.
- Technique: Various techniques take different durations of time to give the desired result.
Conclusion
Take proper consideration before exposing your hair to bleach. Always consult a hair stylist to achieve the best results without significantly damaging your hair. Using quality products, right techniques, and maintaining a healthy diet will make a lot of difference in your hair colour.
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