Yes, bleach damages hair. It's a powerful chemical that alters the hair's structure, leading to various problems.
How Bleach Damages Hair
Bleaching agents aggressively penetrate the hair's cuticle, the protective outer layer. This process lifts the natural pigment (melanin) from the hair shaft, resulting in lighter color. However, this process also weakens the hair's protein bonds (keratin). The damage manifests in several ways:
- Increased Breakage: Bleaching causes 15% to 20% of the hair's protein bands to break. This loss of structural integrity makes hair more brittle and prone to breakage. [Source: WebMD]
- Dryness and Brittleness: The cuticle lifting leaves hair dry, brittle, and more susceptible to damage from heat styling or environmental factors. [Source: Philip Kingsley]
- Frizzy Appearance: Damaged cuticles result in a rougher hair surface, leading to frizz and a lack of shine. [Source: Philip Kingsley]
- Altered Texture: Bleaching can permanently change the hair's texture, making it feel gummy, sticky, or stretchy when wet. [Source: Quora]
Minimizing Damage
While bleach inherently causes some damage, you can minimize the negative effects by:
- Using professional products and services: A qualified stylist can utilize proper techniques and products to reduce damage.
- Proper aftercare: Deep conditioning treatments and gentle hair care practices can help to mitigate dryness and breakage.
- Realistic expectations: Understanding that some level of damage is inevitable with bleaching helps to manage expectations.
[Source: Reddit r/HairDye, Reddit r/Hair]
Important Note: While new hair growth won't be directly damaged by previous bleaching treatments, the overall health of your hair will depend on minimizing damage to existing hair. [Source: Quora]
