Hair Bleaching Frequency

Woman with bleached hair — Photo: B-D-S Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock

Q: How many times can you bleach your hair in a year?

A: There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question because it depends on several key factors that are unique to each person's hair. The main considerations include your hair's natural texture, starting color, current condition, and how dramatically you're planning to lighten it.

Someone with naturally coarse, thick hair who's only looking to lift the hair color by one or two levels might be able to safely bleach it multiple times throughout the year while maintaining relatively healthy-looking strands. On the flip side, someone with fine hair who's already a pale blonde might find that the hair can only handle bleaching once a year, or even less frequently, without suffering significant damage.

Here's the thing about hair lightening that many people don't realize: your hair can only be lifted to a certain point, which colorists refer to as level ten, or that pale yellow stage you've probably seen before. Once you try to push beyond this natural limit, you're essentially stripping away almost all the pigment from your hair shaft, which typically results in serious damage that can leave your hair brittle, dry, and prone to breakage.

The challenge becomes even greater if you're starting with darker hair. People with naturally black or very dark brown hair often discover that their strands simply can't be safely lifted beyond a certain level without professional intervention. Even then, achieving dramatic lightening usually requires a carefully planned approach with multiple sessions spaced out over time, allowing the hair to recover between each bleaching session.

Hair after bleaching too frequently — Photo: B-D-S Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock

One important rule that professional colorists always follow is to avoid re-bleaching previously lightened hair during touch-up appointments. When you're dealing with new growth and want to maintain an all-over light color, the key is precision application. The bleach should only be applied to the new, unprocessed hair at the roots, carefully avoiding any overlap with previously bleached sections. This technique prevents what's known as "doubling up" the bleach, which creates weak points in the hair shaft where the old and new bleached sections meet.

Patience is essential when it comes to hair bleaching. While it might be tempting to achieve your dream color as quickly as possible, rushing the process or bleaching too frequently can result in irreversible damage that might require cutting off significant length to restore your hair's health. It's always wise to consult with a professional colorist who can assess your individual hair situation and create a safe lightening plan that achieves your goals while preserving the integrity of your hair.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

How does bleaching hair work?

Where does the color go when you bleach dark hair?

Would it be best to re-bleach my entire head or should I re-bleach only the roots?