Bleached hair for men can be an excellent addition, giving your hair some personality while also helping you wear a stylish and tasteful appearance. How exactly does bleaching work, though? What should you consider and what steps should you take to bleach your hair? What colors and styles should you opt for?
You might have a lot of questions about this and, to help you out, we have created this guide to figure out everything you need to know about the considerations and the process. Take a look!
Table Of Contents
What Is Bleached Hair for Men
Bleached hair for men essentially involves lightening the color of your hair with some hair bleach to get a color of your choice, usually along the lines of blond, white, platinum, grey and more.
You can also use the bleached base to add another color to your hair.
The process of bleaching your hair requires you to be as careful as you would while using a nose hair trimmer or having to resolve ingrown facial hair, so make sure you know what you are getting into before fully committing to this process.
How Does Hair Bleach Work
Hair bleach, once you apply it to your hair, reacts with the chemicals or electrons in the cuticles of your hair so that it can begin to remove certain color particles from your hair. This can then result in a lighter hair color since the bleach eliminates it to an extent.
When the bleach comes into contact with your hair, it penetrates your hair strands to enter the cuticles and make the reaction effective. The bleach then carries out the oxidation process, ensuring that the color of your hair alters to become lighter.
Things to Consider Before Doing it
Age
While you can bleach your hair at any age, it is better to allow your hair to grow into its natural hair color (grey or white) once you start aging. However, if you still wish to do it, you can opt for colors that bring out the essence of your natural hair while also complementing it well.
Skin Tone
If you have a relatively paler complexion, then bleached hair might not be such a good idea since it might end up making you appear a bit wane and sick. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you cannot bleach your hair, only that you should consider your complexion. Darker complexions can work pretty well with bleached hair.
Natural Hair Type and Color
If you already have light hair color, the bleaching process can be much easier for you, while it can require several applications with darker hair.
Further, thick, curly, coarse and dry hair requires further care while bleaching. Think twice before you bleach your hair if you already face issues with your hair.
Maintenance
Maintaining your bleached hair requires a lot more effort than when you would buy some cheap cologne or go about applying beard oil. You will need to follow a proper daily routine to ensure that the bleach stays in place for a long enough time.
Personal Style
You should take your style into account before bleaching your hair. Do not opt for it if your workplace or school is strict about it. If you tend to dress and present yourself in an understated manner, then bleached hair might end up drawing too much glaring attention to yourself. On the flip side, if you are someone who likes to stand out in the crowd, bleaching your hair, as well as beard can be a great styling choice.
Tools Needed
There are several tools you will need for bleaching your hair. Make sure you pick these out with as much care as you would give to picking out a professional stubble trimmer or even the world’s best hair wax.
Deep Conditioner
A deep conditioner can help you maintain the health of your hair both before and after you apply the bleach. It can also help repair and heal certain strands of your hair that might otherwise have broken or become a bit damaged due to the strong bleach.
Old Clothes
You should ideally wear old clothes whenever you attempt to bleach your hair. If the bleach gets onto your clothes (which it is more than likely to), then it will end up bleaching or removing the color from your clothes as well, making them appear patchy and old.
Old Towel
You should also cover yourself and your clothes with an old towel so that the bleach does not end up getting onto your body or clothes too much. You will also need a towel to help you out during the process, so make sure you take one you don’t mind getting rid of.
Hair Bleach
Hair bleach, of course, is the most important thing you will need while trying to bleach your hair. Make sure you pick one of good quality, just as you would pick a premium hairspray for men or a good hair gel that works. Make sure it is also suitable enough for the kind of hair you have and wish to have.
Hair Clips
Hair clips can be highly convenient since they can help you keep certain sections of your hair away while you are bleaching the rest. This can allow you to ensure that you cover your hair with bleach in a uniform way without leaving anything out.
Shampoo
You will need to shampoo your hair before and after bleaching hair. Shampooing can help retain the light color without causing damage. Make sure you also buy an effective hair loss shampoo so that you can recover some of the damage from the bleach (if any) while also preventing additional damage.
Gloves
You should always, always wear gloves while handling bleach. This is because bleach contains several chemicals that can cause considerable damage to your skin if it happens to come in contact with it. This could either be itching and irritation or something as extreme as burning and dryness.
How to Pre-Bleach Your Hair
Step 1 – Wash your hair
Wash your hair the previous day and not on the day of bleaching to avoid dryness, itchiness and irritation.
Step 2 – Avoid products and styling tools
Hair products can end up lengthening the bleaching process and styling tools like hairdryers and straighteners can make your hair dry, making it unsafe to bleach your hair.
Step 3 – Avoid relaxants
If you tend to use chemical relaxants on your hair, avoid these before bleaching as they can weaken your hair and make it dry.
Step 4 – Make a plan
Carry some references and pictures to give your stylist a better idea about what you want so that there is no room for error.
How Does a Hair Stylist Do It
Step 1 – Activator mixture
This involves mixing an activator like peroxide with bleach powder. The amount of each depends on your hair and your requirements.
Step 2 – Application
The stylist then applies the mixture to your hair, starting from the ends and moving to the inside if you have long hair.
Step 3 – Rest
The bleach mixture should rest in your hair for up to an hour.
Step 4 – Rinsing
Wash and rinse your hair using a good shampoo and some clean, warm water.
Step 5 – Toner
A toner can help neutralize the color. It should rest for up to half an hour before you rinse it out.
Step 6 – Conditioning
Stylists use a good conditioning treatment to repair any damage that may have occurred during the bleaching process.
How to Safely Do It at Home (DIY)
Step 1 – Protect and test
Wear gloves and proper clothing to protect yourself from harm. Test out the bleach in a small section to ensure it is okay.
Step 2 – Mix and apply
Mix the bleach and be careful of the quantity. Apply it evenly to your hair.
Step 3 – Let it rest
Let the mixture rest in your hair for up to an hour.
Step 4 – Toner
Apply some toner to neutralize the color.
Step 5 – Rinse and treat
Rinse and wash your hair a couple of times with shampoo. Use a conditioner or a mask to repair any damage.
How to Take Care of It
Step 1 – Shampoo and conditioner
You should reduce a wash in your usual shampooing cycle. Make sure you use purple shampoo and conditioner to retain the color and keep it neutral enough.
Step 2 – Mask or treat
Use a mask or treat your hair to keep your hair moisturized and healthy.
Step 3 – Avoid styling
You should avoid styling your hair using hairdryers and straighteners since they can dry out your hair. Instead, you can opt for a preferable shaping tool.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Poor Planning and Application
Do not go into the process without sufficient planning. Gather your tools in advance, think about your decision twice or thrice and prepare the mixture well.
You should also apply the mixture as thoroughly as possible. Poor bleach application will make your hair look patchy and rough.
Skipping Toner
Never skip toner during the bleaching process since you might end up with a yellow and brassy color instead of the one you were going for. A toner can help with the neutralization process so that you do not need to worry about having an unsatisfying experience and result.
Repeating
Ideally, you should not repeat the bleaching process immediately after carrying it out the first time. Let your hair rest for a while before you apply another layer in case you absolutely must. You might even need to wait for a day to allow your hair to nourish itself.
Don’t Do It Alone
Bleaching your hair alone can lead to many errors that might be difficult to reverse. Always ask for help so that you do not leave out any parts while bleaching; otherwise, it might end up becoming a frustrating and unsuccessful process.
35 Most Popular Bleached Hair Colors for Men
You can go through a list of some of the most popular bleached hair colors for men below, based on which you can choose the one that you love the most and that you think will suit you well.
- White Pompadour
- Yellow Bleached Hair
- Long Blunt Cut and Middle Part
- Curly Two Block Cut
- Ashy Caramel High Top
- Yellow Highlights
- Spiky Silver Hair
- Low Fade and Pompadour
- Temple Fade and Messy Silver Hair
- Gray Faux Hawk
- White Medium Hair with Quiff
- Frizzy Blonde
- Faded Blonde for Cap Style
- Blonde with Dark Roots and Beard
- Short Blonde Hair and Dark Beard
- Blonde Half Pompadour with Grey Undercut Sides
- Long Grey Hair on Top and Black Hair on Sides
- Shiny Silver Pompadour
- White Quiff Top on Dark Base
- Totally Short Blonde
- Frizzy Grey Top on Black Base with High Fade
- Separated Blonde
- Quiffed Grey Top with High Fade
- Quiffed Messy White Top
- Textured Blonde with Faded Purple Undertone
- Bleached White with Quiff
- Blonde High Fade Pomp Quiff
- Platinum Blonde Undercut with Top Braid
- Faded Black and White Combined
- Dark Brown with Blonde Ponytail
- Dark to Wavy Platinum Top
- Pure White for Cap Style
- White Haired Asian
- Blonde Asian
- Dark to Blonde
FAQ
Why are guys bleaching their hair?
Bleaching hair for guys is very much in style now, particularly since people tend to gain a lot of styling inspiration from celebrities.
Is bleached hair still in style?
Yes, bleached hair is undoubtedly in style! You will be highly fashionable and up-to-trend if you choose to bleach your hair. All you need to do is make sure you love it.
Will bleaching damage my hair?
Bleaching is likely to damage your hair since it alters hair chemistry considerably and can end up drying it out. In particular, if your hair is already dry or if you do not care for your hair correctly while and after bleaching, then the damage is likely to be much worse.
Will hair fall out after bleaching?
Ideally, no. If it does, then this might be because you left the bleach on for longer than necessary or if you developed an allergy or used a strong product. If this happens, treat your hair better and see a professional if required.
What do you need to bleach your hair?
You need to plan it all out, gather all the tools, including gloves and towels, take a comb and clips to section it out and ask for some help.
Is it safe to bleach your hair at home?
It can be safe to bleach your hair at home if and only if you carry out all the precautions, ensure your safety, do your research and keep track of time. If you do not feel confident about the process, it is best to go to a stylist.
How much does it cost to bleach men’s hair?
If you go to a salon or stylist, bleaching is likely to cost you up to $200, although it might be less depending on the salon you choose. Your requirements and hair texture can also affect the cost.
If you want to bleach your hair at home, it can cost around $50-$60, including application and maintenance.
What do you put in your hair after bleaching it?
You should apply toner to your hair immediately after bleaching. You should wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner for care and maintenance.
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