How Many Times Can You Bleach Hair?

There comes a time where you want your hair almost white, and there comes a time where you want it to be deep, deep black. Now I know for most of you this isn’t entirely true. You want it to be blonde, brown, but not extreme at least, that is what I thought…

If you’re a regular reader of this site you know that I’m somewhat of a Youtube junky. I am often lost in the Youtube trenches. I know which potato I would be, which toothpaste is the best to use to whiten your teeth, and how many times you can bleach your hair! Because not only am I a Youtube junky, I also like to learn stuff!

So when I was again lost in the dark woods of Youtube, I stumbled upon videos where people would talk about bleaching their hair multiple times. I already wrote an article about bleaching your hair twice in a row, but not yet have I covered all the questions about how many times you can bleach it.

So, I was watching some videos and found some people that show me their results, talk about what they did and if it was worth doing it (bleaching your hair multiple times).

This article is dedicated to all of you who have questions about bleaching your hair! I hope there’s something in here for you :).

So, how many times can you bleach your hair? Technically you can do it as often as you would like. But, the keep your healthy there are some rules. If you want to bleach your hair twice in a row you should at least wait a week. It also depends on the color range. If you have dark hair and want to be two levels lighter you can bleach your hair multiple times a year and still have healthy-looking hair. If you have very fine and fragile hair you might only be able to bleach your hair once a year.

How many times can you bleach your hair in a year?

Sadly this is now a straight and simple answer. I can’t give you just one answer and that’s it. The thing is that it depends. It depends on the texture of your hair, the color of the hair, and how light you want to go. Also, the most important thing is the condition of your hair.

Let’s break them up for you:

Texture

If you have fine hair, for example, you might only be able to bleach your hair once a year due to the fact that it otherwise would break. You see, bleaching your hair is a chemical process, and this chemical process interferes with the natural health of your hair. 

If you have fine hair this can be an issue because it is less strong than thick hair. This means that if you have fine hair, there is a higher chance of breakage, hair loss, and such things when you bleach it too many times.

As I said, if you have thicker, coarse, and dark hair, and only lighten it 1 or 2 levels up, you might be able to bleach your hair multiple times a year and still have healthy-looking hair.  

Color

If you have dark hair you especially need to be careful with bleaching your hair because the damage you do to your hair is increased in darker hair. This also means that people with really dark hair often find that they can’t lift their hair safely to beyond the point that they would like to have it. Now please don’t panic… There are some ways in which you can! 

You can do this by simply going to a professional salon and talk to them about it. They can probably help you with bleaching your hair in measured stages. This means that there is the time between the hair bleaching so that your hair can be treated in between sessions.

How light you want to go

As I said in the section above it is also depending on how light you want to go. For people with lighter hair, it is easier to go full-on white if they use the right products and strategy (or go to a professional salon).

For people with darker hair, this can be an issue and needs to be treated by a hair professional. Sure, you can try it on your own and just bleach your hair at home (you at least don’t have to spend as much money on bleaching). But if you want to be sure that it is done safely and correctly I advise you to see a hair professional if you want to go super light!

The condition of the hair

This might speak for itself. You know, bleaching your hair is a chemical process that is harsh on your hair. You have to be careful. That is also why you can not bleach it two days in a row because then your hair will be dull or fall out even when you just wet it.

If you have fine hair that breaks easily, you have to take care of your hair so that it can withstand a bleaching process. You can do a couple of things to make your hair stronger or at least help it so that the bleaching process isn’t as damaging.

You can use deep conditioning masks in your hair the week prior to your bleaching. This puts some extra moisture in your hair and this is needed because the bleaching process depletes your hair of moisture.

You can apply coconut oil on your hair the night before your bleaching process. This will help to minimize the damage of the bleaching process to your hair.

Also, test the bleach on a little bit of hair and skin! If you find that you have an allergic reaction to it like itching or burning, you should wash it off immediately and find a bleach that works for you. If the itching and or burning doesn’t stop you need to see a doctor so that you can test if you’re allergic.

How long should you wait to bleach your hair again?

Now that you’re reading this article, you might already know the answer but I still want to give it to you extra just so I know that you know it!

How long you should wait before you bleach your hair again depends on the condition of your hair. Depending on the condition, you should wait at least a week or a month before you start bleaching your hair again. 

Bleaching your hair is a chemical process that is bad for your hair so you shouldn’t bleach it multiple times on the same day, you should not bleach your hair two times in two days or any other variation where you just have bleached your hair. 

You should wait a proper amount of time so that your hair can recover from the bleaching process you did. 

Is it ok to bleach your hair twice?

If you mean: is it okay to bleach your hair twice in a row? The strict answer is NO! You cannot bleach your hair multiple times after each other. Your hair will become dull and will fall out even when you make your hair wet! Okay, this is somewhat of an exaggeration but not to the extent that you would think.

I wrote another post about it (bleaching your hair twice). Here you can read why you can not bleach your hair twice in a row. You’ll also find more information about why the bleaching process is so bad and how to make your hair stronger to withstand the bleaching process.

How long after bleaching can you tone?

With toning your hair it is a bit different. It still all depends on the condition of your hair, but if your hair is in great condition after a bleaching process you can tone your hair the same day.

Now, if you see that after the bleaching process your hair is breaking a bit and is just fragile overall, I advise you to wait about 10 days. I say this so that your hair has time to recover from the bleaching process.

You can help your hair by strengthening it with hydrating treatments in those 10 days. Use good conditioners and make your hair as strong as possible. Then when you tone it after 10 days you should see that this is easy to do and the 10 days of recovery have really helped your hair!

How do you fix your bleached and damaged hair?

We talked about making your hair strong for the bleaching process and aftercare a lot today. But, I want to also give you some tips for repairing your bleached and damaged hair. 

Here goes!

Keratin treatment

Most salons will offer this treatment to you. To add Keratin to your hair they apply a serum into your hair and then it is infused into your damaged hair with a flat iron. Such a Keratin treatment can last between one and two months depending on how often you wash your hair.

Avocado!

Yeah, you read that right! You can use avocado to deep condition your hair. Did you know it? I certainly did not. You can create your own hair mask by mixing avocado with one egg yolk. Apply it to your wet hair and massage it in real nice. Leave it in for about 20 minutes and then wash it out of your hair with lukewarm water. It will do wonders deep conditioning your hair!

Use a good shampoo

Now, this might be a no-brainer but using a good shampoo can make all the difference in the world. Ask your hair professional to recommend a professional shampoo. They can apply it the first time after your bleaching process, but you can use it for the next few days to give your hair repair a boost!

Butter, yes, butter

If I open the fridge, I normally don’t look for things to apply to my hair, but butter is amazing for repairing damaged hair. Apply a small portion to your scalp and start massaging it in your hair for a couple of minutes. 

Cover your hair with a shower cap and let it sit in your hair for about 20 minutes. Then rinse the mixture out of your hair and see your hair shining as never before.

Coconut oil

I mentioned it already, but coconut oil is great for your hair. If you mix it with some olive oil and almond oil and you can reduce protein loss in your hair. A nice benefit is that it also prevents the damage you do by combing and brushing your hair! That is nice!

Conclusion

You now know that in some circumstances you can bleach your hair multiple times. It just depends on the condition of your hair and how you treat your hair before and after the bleaching process. 

I hope you found some useful information and can now make a good decision on whether to bleach your hair or not and how many times you’ll do it.

I want to say again that if you have doubts or want some advice: just go to your hair professional! He/she can tell you all you want about bleaching your hair.