I had my hair bleached which has left me with breakage and damage

Hello,

I had my hair bleached three months ago at my salon in which I experienced bad breakage and damage. How long should I leave it before I dye it again?

Also at the front of my head it is quite painful where the new hair is growing back through. Is this normal and why would it be doing this?

Thank you for your time,

Anon, UK

Bleaching is a delicate process and it has to be done with the upmost care. The colourist who applied the product may have overlapped it onto the previously lightened hair and also may have mixed it with a higher strength developer than necessary.

If you want to re-bleach your hair, I would say that three months is an ample amount of time, but maybe you should reconsider your hair colour. Now you have said that your scalp is sensitive and painful around the new hair growth I would not recommend lightening it to such a degree.

Have a consultation with a new colourist, talk to them about your concerns and let them suggest ideas to you. If you go armed with some pictures of what you like and what you don't then this I find is always useful.

John Clark, Head of Colour at Brooks+Brooks, London 

Hello there,

Unfortunately I am not able to give a clear answer as I would need to know how long your hair is and what colour your hair was before it was bleached. Have you spoken to and shown the stylist at the salon where you had your hair bleached that your hair is badly damaged and that it is breaking? I suggest the first step is to go and show the stylist who bleached your hair the damage and ask them to rectify what has been done.

However, if you need to touch-up your roots they can be bleached carefully without any bleach touching the hair that is already bleached. Unfortunately I do not have any information on your skin type - did you have a colour/bleach test before you had your hair bleached? This would confirm if you have any allergies against bleach. Such a test is usually done with the use of a cotton bud behind the ear; any reaction should show up after 24 hours, such a test must always be done 24 hours before any colouring services are done.

Personally I would leave the roots to grow out until you have enough root space to apply bleach; usually two to three months would be the right time in a case of strong breakage. You did not mention where the hair was breaking, is it on the ends or the roots or both? Either way I would advise you to have a good modern cut and use the best hair conditioners on the market. I would recommend Philip Kingsley - researched and developed by the world’s number one trichologist, or Alterna - which in my eyes is the best in the world and gives amazing results.

I can only make a rough assumption about why your hairline hurts, if there are broken hairs along the hairline and they start growing back about 2 to 4 millimetres and you brush your hair against the direction the hair grows, it can irritate the skin and become painful. If that is what’s giving you the pain it should stop as soon as your hair is slightly longer.

I don't feel comfortable giving advice without having more background details, but I hope I helped you a little. Here is the website for Philip Kingsley www.philipkingsley.co.uk and here is the Alterna website www.alternahaircare.com. 

I am sure with the right hair treatments and a good cut your hair will soon be looking great. 

Pierre Alexandre of Pierre Alexandre, Manchester