Growing out your natural hair after bleaching involves patience as your new, unbleached hair grows from the roots, creating a noticeable contrast with the bleached lengths. Managing this transition involves accepting the natural look or blending the colors.
When you bleach your hair, you remove the natural pigment. To return to your natural color, the process is simply one of waiting for your unbleached hair to grow out from your scalp.
As stated in the reference, the good news is that while waiting for your salon to open, your hair will gradually grow out, adopting a shadow root all on its own. This 'shadow root' is the appearance of your natural hair color at the roots contrasting with the bleached hair down the lengths.
Managing the Transition While Growing Out
As your natural roots come in, you have a couple of main approaches for handling the visual difference between the new growth and the old bleached hair, based on the reference:
- Embracing the Shadow Root: One option is to fully accept the look. You can own it, rock it, and pretend you meant for your hair to look this way. The shadow root look is a popular style, and allowing your natural roots to grow out is a straightforward way to achieve it.
- Blending with Dye: If you prefer a less distinct line between your natural roots and the bleached hair, you can use hair dye to help blend the transition. According to the reference, the best way to reverse the bleach is by applying an all over dye in a color just a few shades darker than the bleached hair. This can soften the contrast and make the grow-out phase look more intentional.
Key Considerations
- Patience: Hair growth is a slow process, typically around half an inch per month. Growing out bleached hair completely will take significant time, especially if your hair is long.
- Decision: Decide early on whether you want to embrace the shadow root look or plan to blend the colors with dye as your hair grows.
Ultimately, growing out your natural hair after bleaching is a waiting game combined with managing the appearance of the different sections of hair as the new growth comes in.
