Bleached Hair and Perming

Bleached permed hair — Photo: Aaron Amat/Shutterstock

Q: Can I have my hair bleached blonde and then have a curly perm on the same day? If so, what comes first: the bleaching or perm?

A: Most salons will not perform a color service and a perm service in the same visit. In most cases, the perm service is performed first, and the color service is scheduled for a week to two weeks later.

This is because the hydrogen peroxide used to neutralize a perm (which uses oxidation to restore the disulfide bonds) can result in lightening or altering the color of the hair. Having the color performed first could mean that the hair is lightened even further than desired, or that the color you initially chose is suddenly distorted.

The stylist will need to be very careful in bleaching your already permed hair, since the perming process will leave the hair more porous, and therefore more readily able to absorb the bleaching agent and release the color molecules dispersed there. This means that the hair will likely lighten much more quickly and will mean that the hair is very susceptible to the chemicals involved.

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See also:

Is it risky to perm my bleached hair?

Can I apply semi-permanent color to permed hair on the same day?

Is it ok to use at-home color after I got a body wave?