Before venturing to lighten the strands using hydrogen peroxide on your hair, know what are the properties and risks of the substance to avoid problems.
What does Hydrogen Peroxide do to Hair?
The hydrogen peroxide is a major component of hair dyes, the bleaching creams, and other procedures for color change. This product, when mixed with bleach, helps to lighten the hair. But it is better to know some useful information and chemical properties before thinking about using the product and how to do it the right way.
Peroxide in hair
Hydrogen peroxide, popularly known as hydrogen peroxide, can bring many benefits, but its use should be done with caution. This is because the indiscriminate use of hydrogen peroxide orally or in contact with the skin can lead to the emergence of health problems, such as the obstruction of blood vessels, leaving the skin whitish.
Understand volumes
The volumes indicate the aggressiveness of the hydrogen peroxide in the hair and can vary between 10, 20, 30, or 40. The 10 volumes, for example, lightens the tone of the hair slightly, while the 40 volumes are already a much stronger lightening. Understand better about each one and when they should be used:
- 10 volumes: Due to its low oxidation, this product variable does not present much aggression with the pigment of the threads. It is the most suitable for those who want to lighten their hair slightly or just tone it with a lighter color. In these cases, the hydrogen peroxide in the hair will only help to highlight the desired color.
- 20 volumes: This is one of the most used volumes, indicated mainly to cover the undesirable white hair, change of reflection, or darkening. In light brown hair it lightens up to 2 tones, but in darker hair like black, it lightens only 1 tone.
- 30 volumes: A little stronger, this oxidant is indicated for those who want to lighten in 2 or 3 shades, starting from light brown hair.
- 40 volumes: The strongest of all oxygenated waters, it is used only to achieve very clear tones (up to 4 tones below). As it is the most aggressive, it is recommended that handling this type of product be done only by a professional, as otherwise, damage to the hair may occur.
Is hydrogen peroxide in your hair bad?
According to dermatologist Monica Aribi, using hydrogen peroxide on your hair irresponsibly can have several risks. “In addition to the aesthetic dangers, such as the tone being wrong and not uniform, the hydrogen peroxide is very aggressive and can break the entire fiber of the hair, leaving it brittle. The ends are usually split and weak. The product can burn the hair and scalp. This can be one of the consequences of the destruction of the hair fiber, the hair looks dry, burned ”, he explains.
And pay attention: both the wrong mixture, as covering with aluminum or incompatibility between chemicals, will cause the wire to break if the product is not removed immediately. If it takes too long, the hair can melt, fall apart, that is, result in the famous chemical cut.
How long can I leave the hydrogen peroxide on the hair?
The ideal is to check how the hair color is to see if it reached the desired shade. But, normally, this mixture of hydrogen peroxide with the bleach cannot exceed the period of 30 minutes.
Does hydrogen peroxide alone lighten your hair?
The hydrogen peroxide alone will not lighten the hair. What makes the strands lighter is the mixture of hydrogen peroxide with the bleaching powder.
How to bleach hair with hydrogen peroxide?
1. Mix 1 measure of bleach to 1.5 of hydrogen peroxide in a container until it reaches a homogeneous consistency. Some brands may indicate different proportions, so read the product instructions before you start.
2. Apply the product to the hair, lock by lock, with the help of a brush.
3. Allow the mixture to act and check every 5 minutes to see if it has reached the desired color, not letting it exceed the 30-minute period.
4. Rinse with cold water and wash normally with your shampoo and conditioner.
But we always remember: it is important to look for a reliable professional to make any changes to the hair. This will ensure, in addition to a good result, that the procedure is done safely.