Bleaching & Going Bald

Girl with short bleached hair wearing a white men's shirt
Photos: Antonio Sanchez/Shutterstock
Q: Can bleaching make me go permanently bald?
 
A: N,o it can’t make you permanently bald. But I seriously suggest that you leave bleach to professionals if you’re inexperienced in using it. Bleaching hair can be extremely destructive to the hair structure, and over processing can cause irreparable damage and breakage of the hair.
 
I have seen people break off their hair right down at the root because of over processing it with bleach. Even hair that broke off a few inches from the scalp is really hard to regrow, because of the fact that the remaining structure of the hair is still badly damaged, even though it didn’t completely break off. More often than not, the remaining piece of hair will break off at a later stage anyway, because of further processing, heat styling, etc.
 
If you’re going bald, you might want to look into other things that might be causing it. Hair loss can be a ripple-effect of health issues. When you sort out whatever is making you ill, the hair loss will restore on its own. If the reason for hair loss involves the hair itself, it can potentially cause permanent hair loss, for example alopecia. Alopecia is a medical term for extreme loss of hair, either only on the scalp or all over the body. If you do suspect alopecia, it is best that you consult a medical doctor.
 
Hormone levels that fluctuate or are in a state of imbalance may also cause hair loss, but this is only temporary. For example, pregnant women or women whom have recently given birth regularly report immense hair loss. This is of course only caused by their wildly fluctuating hormone levels.
 
Certain medications can also cause hair loss, for example some oral contraceptives, anti-depressants, and medications that is high in vitamin A. Again, this is only temporary and will sort itself out in time.
 
Intense physical or psychological shock or stress is a common cause for excessive hair loss and premature gray hair. Losing a loved one, being in a car accident, physically training excessively, etc. can potentially cause hair loss and gray hair, sometimes even months after the event. Most of the time the hair does grow back, but it is common for people to stay gray or suffer permanent hair-thinning or –loss.
 
Extreme diet deficiencies also cause hair loss. If your body is suffering from vitamin deficiencies, or if you are severely underweight, your hair can fall out in clumps. It takes a while to restore, but most of the time it will grow back after you have restored your health.
 
As you can see, there are more than just a few reasons for hair loss or going bald, but bleaching your hair isn’t one of them. Unless you count the fact that you can actually fry your hair off right down to the scalp by over processing your tresses with bleach. Bad as that may be, it won’t be permanent.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
Hair bleaching problems
 
How does bleaching hair work?
 
Will bleaching your hair change your hair color for ever?
 
The disadvantages of bleaching your hair
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