If you have ever bleached your hair before, you know how much bleach dries out your hair and how damaging it can be.
Whether you are bleaching a small section of your hair or your whole head, you need to treat your hair with some care both before and after bleaching. As bleaching removes moisture from your hair, you need to ensure your hair has enough moisture to survive the process.
Although anything that adds in moisture to your hair is better than nothing, you want to be sure you’re using something really soothing for those locks that are about to receive some rough treatment. But at the same time, it’s nice not to break the bank with fancy products.
Can you use olive oil before bleaching hair? Using olive oil before bleaching hair is a great way to introduce intense moisture to your hair before the bleaching process to ensure it does not dry out too much. It helps to lock in moisture before, during, and after the bleaching process.
Yep, it turns out the bottle sitting in the kitchen cupboard is also a decent hair care product, especially when you’re trying to minimize the damage done by bleach.
Read on to find out more about how you can use olive oil before bleaching your hair for better results.
Using Olive Oil On Hair Before Bleaching
Bleaching is known to be incredibly damaging to hair. In fact, if it’s not done properly, it can completely ruin your hair.
As bleach removes most of the moisture from your hair, you need to try to add to its existing moisture so that those locks are still left with a little moisture after all is said and done. Try to overdose your hair with moisture before, during, and after the bleaching process to help it survive and be healthy.
At-Home Olive Oil Hair Mask
One great way to prepare your hair for bleaching is to use an olive oil hair mask. This is not only super easy to do, but you probably have olive oil sitting in the cupboard at home that you can use.
Here’s how to treat your hair with olive oil hair mask at home:
- Saturate your hair with olive oil, preferably extra virgin olive oil.
- Cover hair with a shower cap or plastic wrap. Leave it to sit in your hair for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Rinse olive oil out of your hair after it has had time to sit. Shampoo hair to remove the residue.
It is a good idea to do this a few times a week leading up to the bleaching so that your hair has as much moisture as possible to start with. It is more likely to survive the bleaching process this way.
What Else Can I Use To Add Moisture?
If you do not want to use olive oil to add moisture to your hair before bleaching, there are some other options that will help you add moisture to your locks.
Here are some ways to deeply hydrate your hair before bleaching:
Leave-In Conditioner: There are some great leave-in conditioners on the market that you can apply to your hair and leave as is, to add moisture and nourishment to your hair.
If you do not want to purchase a leave-in conditioner, you can apply a small amount of your regular conditioner to your hair and rub it in well while your hair is damp. You do not have to rinse this out until you shower again.
Deep Conditioner: Purchase a deep conditioner to use on your hair. Most deep conditioners only need to be left in for a few minutes before being rinsed out, but they work wonders to moisturize hair in these few minutes.
If you’re ready to take the plunge, this deep conditioning mask comes from a trusted line and leaves all hair types feeling luxuriously silky.
Hair Mask: Hair masks can be left on the hair for a longer period, such as thirty minutes to an hour, and help add nourishment and hydration to the hair. You could either purchase a hair mask or make your own with ingredients at home (such as extra virgin olive oil).
Can I Use Olive Oil After Bleaching?
Olive oil is great to use both before and after bleaching, as a pre-treatment and a post-treatment.
How you use olive oil after bleaching is very similar to how you would use it before bleaching. You apply the extra virgin olive oil to your hair, cover it with plastic wrap or a shower cap, and leave it on for up to an hour.
If you want an intense treatment, you could leave the olive oil in your hair overnight and rinse it out the next day.
Related Questions
What should I avoid doing before bleaching my hair?
You should avoid shampooing your hair just before bleaching it. This could leave your hair more open to damage, and dry out your hair even more. Let a little natural oil build up over a day or so before you bleach.
Can I use coconut oil on bleached hair?
Coconut oil is another good option to use on bleached hair or to treat hair before bleaching as well. Just like olive oil, coconut oil helps to hydrate and nourish the hair, giving it the moisture it needs to survive the bleaching process.
Do I use a purple shampoo after bleaching?
Do not use a purple shampoo straight after bleaching. Instead, use a toner to get the right tone that you want, and then use a purple shampoo once or twice a week afterward to maintain this tone.
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