Before bleaching your strands with H2O2, it’s vital to understand how long do you leave hydrogen peroxide in your hair for efficacy and safety purposes!
Everyone wants to get the desired lightened strands without opting the expensive salon treatments. For those, hydrogen peroxide is a boon because it’s a common ingredient in numerous hair-lightening products, making it popular among DIYers to get lighter strands for a quick sun-kissed look. But, before adding this liquid to your hair care routine, let’s find out below how long do you leave hydrogen peroxide in your hair to get the favorite hue without posing any risk to the tresses’ health.
What Is Hydrogen Peroxide?
Available at different concentrations, 3%, 6-10%, 35%, and 90%, hydrogen peroxide or H2O2 is a colorless fluid with a slightly sharp scent and high viscosity than water. It displays strong mild antiseptic, disinfectant, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Furthermore, along with numerous household uses, hydrogen peroxide is also used for bleaching hair, fruit, clothes, and a range of other stuff.
How Long Do You Leave Hydrogen Peroxide in Your Hair?
You can leave hydrogen peroxide in your hair for about 20-30 minutes only. This time period is sufficient to get better results without causing any damage to the strands. However, leaving hydrogen peroxide in your strands more than the said period and, most importantly, using it frequently causes significant issues like weakened strands, slow hair growth, hair loss, and scalp burn.
How to Bleach Hair With Hydrogen Peroxide?
If you want to tone down your hair’s natural hue 1-2 shades lighter cheaply at home, all you need is this hydrogen peroxide and baking soda hack. This duo lightens the strands by reacting with melanin in the cortex by opening the hair shaft. But, if you want to use hydrogen peroxide alone, first, coat your hairlines with a fine layer of petroleum jelly. Next, combine equal amounts of water and peroxide into a spray bottle. Then, wrap your neck and shoulders with an old towel or cloth. After that, spritz the solution all over your damp hair, use a shower cap, and leave it for half an hour. In the end, shampoo your strands, followed by an oil massage.
Precautions to Consider
Although hydrogen peroxide is an excellent product to bleach hair, you must follow the below precautions to avoid mishaps.
- While handling the bottle of hydrogen peroxide, always wear hand gloves, a face mask, goggles, and full-sleeved clothing.
- As hydrogen peroxide can cause some severe side effects, don’t let this liquid touch your scalp. If this happens, wash your hair as you usual and consult a dermatologist.
- Keep your kids, elderly, and pets far away from the prepared solution.
- While bleaching your hair with hydrogen peroxide, protect your eyes from this solution. Wash your eyes with running water in case of an accident.
- Use hydrogen peroxide in a well-ventilated area to avoid its toxic fumes, which can irritate your respiratory tract.
- Always use the 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide in diluted form for in-home hair lightening treatment.
Final Thoughts
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most inexpensive ways to bleach your hair at home. But, getting this treatment done at a salon is recommended for better outcomes and to avoid any damage. However, if you follow the above precautions, you can safely and successfully lighten your tresses at home with hydrogen peroxide.