Question for the bottle blondes!

[LoreleiLee]

Hi All!
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Im a natural Level 5/6 and Im going blonde shortly. In the past I have done this, ive seen my poor curls go straggly and freaked out and colored them back over because I was convinced they were wrecked!
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Last time this happened I made the decision to to be kind to them and alternated between protein and moisture care and the curls came back just fine, but they were colored over.
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My question is...has anyone gone successfully blonde and still managed to keep their beautiful curls?

[C-dot]

Do you mean natural curls or sets? I'm no longer a blonde, but I've been all shades from honey blonde to platinum in the past, and because my hair is naturally straight I set it. At its blondest, my curls weren't very shiny, but the hair was so malleable it would do anything I wanted it to, and stay that way. My waves and curls had probably never looked better for that reason alone

[Runa]

I hate to be the "annoying hairdresser" here () ..

Box bleaches in the store, as far as I know, use a very high volume developer AKA way stronger than most people would need. The developer (peroxide) is what blows the hairs' cuticle open in order for the bleach/colour to penetrate the hair and remove (bleach) or insert pigment.

Developers come in different volumes, typically 10, 20, 30, and 40 are the basics (10 is gentlest, 40 strongest). For bleaching, we never use over 20 volume on the scalp, because it is simply too harsh. Last time I checked, most box bleaches use 30 or 40 volume.

Your hair is straggly because the developer was too strong, and (not to make assumptions!) it sounds like you might have left it on for too long. A nice, light blonde usually takes a few applications to get right, especially on darker -even level 5/6- hair. Blasting it with one application will result in damage!

I have seen people successfully get a nice blonde from boxes, but you must read what strength of developer is included. Remember, peroxide stops working after 15-20 minutes so leaving it on for a long time won't be any help !

Good luck!

[LolitaHaze]

I am a super bleached platinum blonde. My hair is naturally curly, however the bleaching of my hair caused the natural curl to straighten into a wave with one brush. With that said, I am ok with that since I want a more structured curl and not an all over curly top. I use perm rods to set my hair as they give me the strongest most authentic curl. I also find that when I have split ends/dry bottoms my hair holds the curl better. When I get trims the curl falls almost immediately. Since being back in the Midwest I am finding it difficult to keep the curl for more than a day. In AZ I could wear a set for 3 days to a week. I am also having a "poofing" problem from the humidity, so I have to experiment a bit more with products that will work with me. So yes, I have been able to keep a successful curl with bleached hair. Oh and my hair is naturally near black. Shhhh... Only my hair dresser knows for sure. :-D

[LolitaHaze]

I should probably also mention that I bleach my own hair and it is TRASHED right now, however I have super thick hair so having it break off isn't as noticeable as it would be with someone of normal or thin hair.

[W-D Forties]

I'm a natural dark blonde and have been just about every shade imaginable in the past. Right now I have a white blonde streak at the front and one side that I bleach myself. It is pretty wrecked to be honest as a result of leaving the bleach on too long a couple of months ago and quite a bit has snapped off, a bit more noticable as I have fine straight hair.

[magnolia76]

I think it looks better when it's done in stages, that way you get a highlighted effect.

[lframe]

I've always been blonde and find that when I'm not blonde my cuticle is so smooth, I don't hold curl as well. So, I just load up with the appropriate products and go. My husband has been known to call me helmet head on occasion due to the amount of hair spray I've used.

[W-D Forties]

I have to say that having very fine naturally straight hair that it does hold a style better when it's damaged!