How to Bleach Hair Extensions: Step By Step Guide and Expert Tips

We rarely want to change the color of our beautiful natural extensions, particularly after we’ve invested several dollars in maintenance.

However, through professional bleaching of extensions, you can now change the hair color and have a taste of change.

You just need to learn how to bleach hair extensions in the right way.

Can You Bleach Hair Extensions?

If done the right way, you can have a beautiful color for your extensions without causing a lot of changes.

While synthetic hair extensions can add your beauty, you should not try to bleach them. You should just do so to natural extensions by using traditional products.

Alerts to Bleach Hair Extensions:

The bleaching process is damaging; hence your extensions can become more coarse
Put bleach far from your eyes
Don’t try to bleach synthetic hair extensions
Be cautious not to bleach your skin, but if this happens, rinse your skin thoroughly
Bleach your hair in a place that’s well ventilated

Setting up the Extensions & Bleach

1. Clean your extensions completely

To get rid of imperfections or any product buildup on the extensions, wash them from 2 to 3 times before starting.

Ensure they’re totally dry and put them on single sheets of tin foil.

2. Buy a bleach pack

You can get this from large box stores, for instance, Kmart, Target, or Walmart. They’re usually accessible at a cosmetology or grocery stores. Ensure the pack you are utilizing incorporates developer, gloves, and bleach.

Try to get a pack with clear guidelines. The more clear, the better, since there’s a small chance for blunder!
The darker the extension hair, the more lightening powers you need from your kit. For dark extensions, you’ll go for a kit that incorporates a 40 volume developer since it can offer adequate lift needed.

3. Mix liquid developer & power bleach

Ideally, you do this on a container or glass bowl that is mainly meant for hair color. Precisely, follow the guidelines on the box, since you must put the right ratio. The specific proportion of developer to bleach will change by brand. You should thus check the guidelines before you start working.

Mixing and applying bleach should only take place in a well-ventilated room. It keeps your eyes away from irritation and your nose from chemical gases or harsh smells released by the bleach.

Applying the Bleach

1. Wear your gloves

This is a crucial step! Remember to wear gloves when applying the bleach to avert the burning of your hands by the chemicals. You must also ensure your arms and the other parts of the body are covered.

2. Apply the mixture

Massage the blend into the extensions beginning from the top. Apply the bleach applying circular motions and liberally moving from the upper part to the endings. Completely soak the extensions. This works particularly well for 1 solid color hair.

If the hair is highlighted or ombre, try to match similar patterns within the extensions as yours. For instance, if you need to match the highlights, utilize a highlighter brush to put the bleach on hair.

3. Fold foil over extensions

This ensures the bleach doesn’t spill out. Bleach ideally works when it’s moist and warm. In this condition, the foil retains heat and keeps the bleach from drying during the process.

4. Check on the extensions

Assess your extensions after every 10 minutes. Strip back the foil and take a gander at the shade of the extensions. When they’re ready for the wash, there’ll be a light yellow shade. If they haven’t accomplished yellow shading in 60 minutes, expel them from the foil to avoid causing any significant harm from excessive processing.

If you utilized a higher volume developer, your extensions must bleach more rapidly as compared to using a lower volume developer.

Managing Extensions Color

1. Wash the extensions

Wash your extensions with a pH balancing shampoo, which will neutralize the hair chemicals and stop processing. Ensure you utilize a deep conditioning treatment. Alternatively, use coconut or olive oil and dessert it on the strands during night time.

Some neutralizing shampoos will change shading when applied. Try not to stress, but it’s a sign that the cleanser is working!

2. Drying Extensions

Permit your extensions to dry completely. Check the shading. If you’re not satisfied with it, bleach the extensions once more, but ensure you assess at regular intervals to avoid over-processing.

Be incredibly cautious when bleaching twice as lower quality extensions can fall off or break.

3. Eliminate Brassy Shades

Take a step of eliminating bold shades using a toner. A toner is a coating or gleam that somewhat changes the hair tone making it cooler or warmer according to the needed impact. If the extensions are somehow brass-toned, use a cooling shade toner to get rid of the brass coloring.

You may apply toner directly from the package. Just massage your extensions with it, as described earlier.
Ensure to permit the toner progress for the amount of time labeled on the package. Wash your extensions thoroughly and allow them to dry so that you can check the color.

Bleaching Hair Extensions at Home

Did you follow the above steps, and you’ve got Remy hair? If not yet, you now got an opportunity to practice.

Grab that human hair and bleach them a lighter tone if you like it to achieve your desired look.

You should also not hesitate to choose between some of the following lighting techniques. By following the recommended guidelines, you’ll change your fuller and longer locks into beautiful hair extensions.

Permanent Hair Color Technique

Color kit selection: Choose the shade about how you want your extensions to look. Then purchase a color formula that is a couple of tones lighter. To accomplish light ash blonde, for example, utilize light blonde hair to light golden dye.
Cleaning and preparation: Every time, begin with clean hair extensions and shampoo them to get rid of oil and styling product buildup. Utilize a blow dryer or air-dry on the most reduced setting. Put every strip on a single sheet of aluminum foil.
Blending ingredients: Developers range in volumes of 20, 30, and 40. While 20 is the darkest, 40 is the palest. Put small quantities of powder lightener and liquid developer into a container. Mix them with a brush to make a smooth consistency.
Applying bleach: Wear gloves and work on every extension segment above its foil strip. Back rub your blend on every piece, beginning at the top. Utilizing round movements, advance toward the endings until you’ve immersed all strands wholly and equitably. That will forestall undesirable streaking impacts. Fold ends and foil sides over the bundles to stop the bleach from spilling during the application stage.
Processing: put foil-enveloped bundles into plastic bags. Allow them to process for about 10 minutes. Then check whether they have turned into a lemony yellow color. If they’re too dull, reseal the foil to proceed with the lift. Continue checking at 10-minute interims, not going more than an hour in total. For obstinate darkness, apply a somewhat more bleach blend. Recollect that all hair seems darker when it’s wet.
Conditioning & Shampooing: This is to neutralize the chemicals in dye’s kit. Stop more bleaching and rinse your lightened hair using an extraordinary pH-balanced cleanser right away. Flush well. Follow that with a profound conditioning leave-in treatment such as olive or coconut oil. Utilize products for only color-treated hair since others can simply change your mollified tone. Set your blow dryer low or air-dry.
Optional second bleaching: Whenever your extension doesn’t appear sufficiently light after drying, rehash the above steps. Conduct spot checks at 5-minute interims to ensure there’s no over-processing.
Toner: You can get rid of undesirable brassy impacts by using a toner. This supplemental treatment additionally makes some lowlights that include dimension to single-shading hair. Let it stay for some minutes since any extended time will darken it more. Removal will need another conditioning and shampooing.

Read our guide to detangling your hair here.

Lemon Juice Technique

Preparation and cleaning: Shampoo your loose hair to get rid of oil completely and styling product buildup. Since this is a natural lightening process, dry towel sections, and leave them damp.
Formula: For the best outcomes, utilize the juice from a crisply pressed lemon for each lightening session. Blend a lemon juice tablespoon with a water gallon. You can also substitute a one-quarter hair conditioner cup, oil, or honey for water. Whisk the components to form a smooth texture.
Treatment: Apply an adequate measure of the lemon water/juice solution to immerse the entire hair strands. Alternatively, you can hand rub the conditioner blend/thick juice over every extension. Utilizing a broad-toothbrush, smear that mix equitably to the entire strips.
Processing: To activate the juice, put your treated extensions in sunlight. They should arrive at a milder shade in around one to two hours. The lemon juice strategy slowly lightens hair and strips the natural pigment from strands. According to the original shade, you might need to extend the processing time to accomplish a fairer tone slightly. Repeat the entire steps after seven days. Three to four sessions every week are vital to get a significant difference.
Conditioning & Shampooing: Still, don’t allow lemon juice blend to remain on your extensions for an extended time, for instance, overnight. Wash off the solution and the forthcoming film entirely with water. The citric acid in lemon can make your hair dry; thus, you might need to utilize a moisturizing shampoo. Use a deep conditioner, and in case of strands, keep on feeling dry after washing, use a sturdier leave-in product.