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How Long Does it Take to Bleach Hair at Home and Salon?

How Long Does it Take to Bleach Hair at Home and Salon?

How Long Does it Take to Bleach Hair at Home and Salon? Bleaching your hair at home takes between 20 and 45 minutes while bleaching your hair in a salon takes between 10 and 30 minutes.

As you can notice, bleaching your hair at home takes a bit longer than at a salon. You may be wondering: “Why”? Keep on reading to find out.

How Long Does it Take to Bleach Hair at Home and Salon?

It takes longer to bleach your hair at home because of several reasons.

First and foremost, a professional hairdresser has much more experience in this practice. Also, he or she does so multiple times a week.

The average person, on the other hand, might bleach hair once per month. Second of all, bleaching your hair is always harder than bleaching someone else’s hair.

The last thing to consider is your foundation colour and the shade you want to achieve.

The bigger the difference between your foundation and goal hair colour, the longer it will take to bleach your hair. Bleaching black hair will take longer than bleaching medium brown hair.

It’s easier to take medium brown to ash blond than taking black hair to ash blond.

If this situation, experience matters the most. Professional hairstylists bleach hair over 30 times a month at the salon. Meaning, they collect serious experience in bleaching hair over the years.

Also Read: How Long to Wait to Dye Hair After Bleaching?

How Long Does it Take to Bleach Black Hair?

As I already mentioned, black hair takes longer to bleach than light hair. For example, my best friend who is a professional hairstylist has bleached two clIents’ hair in her salon a few days ago.

Bleached Hair

I happened to be there and watch her work. The first one had a level of four brown hair and she wanted to take it to a level six dark blond. It took my friend exactly 15 minutes to bleach her brown hair.

The other girl had black hair. She wanted to take it to blond. This is harder. It took my friend over a 1 to bleach her hair. It takes longer to bleach black hair because you can’t do it with 1 treatment.

Did you know that bleach takes off the natural pigment to lighten your hair but only by 1 or 2 shades? It took around 40 minutes to take black hair to light brown.

After that, she bleached her hair again to take it to a blond. The second treatment took 30 minutes. But what if you’re super busy and don’t have the time to wait so long?

Is time the only element to consider when bleaching hair? As I already said, bleaching is a chemical that opens your hair’s cuticle so it can remove the pigment from your hair.

The process requires constant monitoring and serious experience. However, you can choose between 2 options. You can pretend that you’re too busy and apply the bleach in a hurry.

If you choose this option, you risk ruining your hair. Or you can take the time to read this article, learn all you need to know about bleaching and keep your hair perfectly safe.

Which would you pick? If you pick the first one, good luck. However, if you pick the second option, keep on reading and learn about the benefits of bleaching your hair in a salon.

How Long Does it Take to Bleach Brown Hair?

As I already stated, bleaching your hair in a salon can take between 10 and 30 minutes. However, if you have ever bleached your hair in a salon, you probably know it lasts longer.

Your hairdresser will likely be bleaching your hair for 3 hours. Why? Well, although the bleach might be in your hair than when you do it at home, other factors play a crucial part in the process.

One of those factors is the length of your hair. It takes longer to apply the product to longer hair which is expected. Another factor is your base colour which determines how long you have to wait for the bleach to start working.

Of course, it takes less to take a level seven dark blond to a level 10 super light blond, than it would with a level 4 brown to the same shade. There’s one thing professional hairstylists do with their clients who want to lighten their hair. It’s called a colour consultation.

I highly recommend that you mention this term to your hairstylist before your colour appointment. Your hairstylist will tell you how long it will take.

However, most importantly, they will discuss in detail how you will get there. Hairstylists can accelerate the bleaching process by warming your head with aluminium foil or heat cap.

Still, it depends on your base shade and goal shade how long it takes to lighten your hair. Blonde takes from 10 to 15 minutes, while brown takes from 10 to 20 minutes.

Black, on the other hand, takes from 10 to 30 minutes. After the process, the beach needs to be washed out and once everything is gone, it’s time to determine the next step.

It’s suggested to apply a toner after bleaching because this process tends to bring out unwanted yellow or orange tones. The toner tames those shades and makes them go away.

If you can’t afford to lighten your hair professionally or you’re confident you can lighten your hair from the comfort of your home, follow the next steps.

Also Read: How to Use Hair Toner After Bleaching?

How to Do it Properly?

When you bleach your hair at home, it’s super important to cover all your hair with the bleach evenly. If you don’t do this, the bleach won’t lighten your hair evenly.

Applying the bleach properly will take you between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on the length of your hair. After you apply the product, wait while it processes.

Keep a close eye on your hair while you wait. This is what a hairdresser would do at a salon. It’s because everyone has unique hair. Your hair might process slower or faster than the average.

The product shouldn’t be left on your hair for more than 45 minutes. Otherwise, your hair might fall out or break easily. This isn’t a scare tactic or an exaggeration.

It’s the truth. Leaving the product in longer than the recommended time can destroy your hair. It’s very important to check your colour every 10 minutes.

If your hair feels hot, rinse it with cold water immediately to terminate the process. As I already said, it’s harder to bleach your hair at home. And takes a lot longer.

Also, where you bleach your hair matters. This is because heat affects the process of bleaching your hair. In a salon, the temperature is always comfortable, both in winter and summer.

In the comfort of your home, on the other hand, you would probably choose the kitchen or bathroom to bleach your hair. If the temperature is low, this will cool down your hair.

Therefore, it will slow the process. Instead of 30 minutes, it may take 45 minutes to bleach your hair. It’s recommended to bleach your hair in a warm room or find a professional to do it for you.

As I already said, professionals have a way of speeding up the bleaching process by adding an aluminium foil or heat cap to control the temperature.

However, your hair, your rules! It’s up to you to decide if you’re going to bleach your hair at home or in a salon. If you have the time and confidence, test your skills. Otherwise, contact a professional and discuss your hair goals before your appointment.

Wrap Up

If you want to take your dark hair to a super light colour, contact a professional. Keep in mind that your dark hair won’t get lighter after the first treatment.

You will have to bleach your hair multiple times but no matter how long the bleaching process takes, it’s important to remember that a professional will do it faster.

And better. However, if you’re confident in your skills, go ahead and bleach your hair at home but make sure to apply my tips.