Before bleaching, we need to know what has been done to the hair prior to application. If the client has never applied color to their hair, they have what is called "virgin hair" and does not need special treatment for an even lift when bleaching. You can apply the bleach beginning at the roots, evenly distributing all the way down the hair to the ends. You'll want to work fairly quickly, as bleach lifts virgin hair fast.

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For previously colored hair, we just need to keep in mind regrown "virgin hair" versus the treated areas. Knowing that the roots are virgin, and the middle and ends are treated, we want to apply bleach to the roots ~LAST~ to prevent what is typically called "hot roots."

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Hot roots is when the roots of the hair are far lighter than the rest of the hair. We also want to protect the ends of our hair, as bleach is very drying and could cause them to split.

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To prevent these issues, follow the steps for sectioning, working your way up from the nape of the neck, and apply bleach to the middle of the hair only. This is the bulk of the hair, and the most resistant to color change, so we want to leave the bleach here longest.

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After completing the middle of all of your sections, you can apply bleach to the ends. This is also a good time to spot treat the middle, as bleach expands and reveals itself overtime.

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Finally, go through and apply bleach to the roots, taking care to connect middle area of the hair to this application. If this area is left unsaturated, it could result in an outcome called "banding" which is essentially a line dividing the roots from the rest of the hair.

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A word of caution, if using anything higher than a 20 volume developer, be aware of how long the product sits on your roots. When left on too long, strong volumes can result in chemical burns on the scalp (mine are still healing). You should ideally only leave bleach on your hair for 30 minutes.

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