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We love blonde shag cuts, as does everyone from Miley Cyrus and Troye Sivan to Suki Waterhouse and Lady Gaga. If you're thinking of joining the club and want to make the jump from dark brown to light blonde, we can talk you through exactly how to dye short shaggy hair platinum blonde safely and properly. Whether you're a total rookie or bleach veteran, it’s always worth refreshing your memory on how to dye it just right, keeping your hair healthy and happy so you can colour with confidence, to blonde and beyond!
You must perform a strand test to check the condition of your hair and how it will look and feel after bleaching. Click here for our strand and skin sensitivity test guide.
Read all the instructions included in your Bleach Kit. Check the timings for your hair shape and texture.
Get prepped! Lay out your products and familiarise yourself with them. See our toolkit below.
Don’t wash your hair for 48 hours prior to bleaching as the natural hair oils help to protect the scalp.
Set aside 30 mins - 1.5 hours for the process.
Use a comb to centre-part your hair. Then, part the left side from in front of your ear up to the centre-parting and secure it with a crocodile clip or hair tie. Repeat on the right hand side so your hair is divided into four neat, secure quarters. The top of your head should look like a hot cross bun.
Cut open the bleach packet and pour its contents into a non-metallic bowl. Add the developing lotion and use a non-metallic spoon to mix them together into a smooth, creamy texture.
TOP TIP: Only mix when you’re ready to start. Mixed bleach can expand in the bowl, so do it just before you begin.
Begin at the front of your head. Use the end of the comb to slice out the first section of hair above your right ear. The slice should be a very thin sliver of hair, about 2cm wide.
Starting 2cm from your scalp, paint the bleach mixture liberally onto the lengths and ends of your hair using the tint brush to coat every strand.
Slice out the next section of hair and apply the bleach to your mids and ends. Repeat this throughout the front and then the back of your head until the mids and ends of your hair are completely coated in the bleach.
Gently smoosh the bleach in to your lengths and ends at the front as you work through your hair.
SMOOSH DEFINITION: Gently massage the product in, applying more as you go to cover every strand.
A scrape test checks that the bleach has lightened your hair to a pale yellow color – like the inside of a banana skin.
Once you've finished applying the bleach to all your mids and ends, return to the first quarter you started with. Use the end of the comb to gently scrape the bleach away from your hair and check it has turned a pale yellow color. If the hair hasn't turned pale yellow, leave the bleach on for 10 more minutes.
Top tip: If the hair feels gummy, overly stretchy or snaps then you should rinse immediately.
Once the mids and ends in the first quarter of your hair have turned pale yellow, you're ready to apply bleach to the roots.
Start with the first quarter at the front again and paint the bleach mixture onto your roots at the crown using your tint brush.
Slice hair out in small sections from the crown and apply bleach to your roots throughout the first quarter, followed by the second quarter.
After your roots at the front are covered in bleach, paint the mixture on to the fine strands around your hairline. Once the front of your head is covered in bleach, set a timer for either 30 minutes or 45 minutes, depending on your hair shape, texture and the results of your strand test.
How long you can leave the bleach on for depends on your hair shape and the thickness of individual hair strands.
If you have coily hair, or fine hair that's straight, wavy or curly, it will likely process more quickly, so don't leave the bleach on your roots for longer than 20-30 mins per quarter.
We recommend checking the hair every ten minutes with a scrape test. If you have thick hair strands that are straight, wavy or curly, your hair needs more processing time, so you can leave the bleach on your roots for up to 45 mins per quarter.
Conduct a scrape test to check your hair after 20 mins and then again after 40 mins.
After your hair at the front has developed for the recommended amount of time, use the comb to gently scrape the bleach away from your roots to check the hair has lightened enough. Then rinse the front of your head until the water runs clear.
Repeat the scrape test at the back of your head after your second timer goes off. Then rinse until the water runs clear.
Shampoo and rinse your freshly bleached hair twice. We recommend smooshing Reincarnation Mask through and leaving for 10-20 minutes to strengthen your locks. Rinse and you're ready to tone!
Break the colorant tube’s seal using its lid and unscrew the top of the developing lotion bottle. Screw the lid back on and shake well until the two products are completely mixed together.
TOP TIP: Only mix when you’re ready to start. You should use your toner immediately, so mix just before you begin.
Loosely section your hair into four quarters. Use the toner bottle to apply the mixture to your roots at the front, then the back of your head. Use the nozzle to slice through the quarters and apply more toner to the roots through your whole head.
Gently smoosh the toner in as you go, adding more product to make sure every strand is well covered.
Use the toner bottle to apply toner to the roots all over your head. Use the nozzle to lift sections and apply more to the roots throughout.
Once all your hair is covered with toner and smooshed in, let it develop for 20 minutes.
Rinse your hair with cool water until it runs clear, then condition and rinse again to finish the toning process.
Loosely section your hair into four. Then, liberally paint color onto the mids and ends of your hair in each quarter section using your hands or tint brush. Make sure every strand is coated in product!
Now apply the color to your roots in each quarter section. When your roots are done, paint the color onto the fine strands around your hairline.
Smoosh the color into your hair from roots to tip, applying more as you go to make sure every strand is covered in product.
After your color's developed, rinse your hair with cool water and gently towel dry.
To prolong the life of your look, use a toning shampoo and conditioner every other wash to deposit color on to bleached hair and maintain or build your preferred shade.
Keep hair healthy and color locked in with a weekly dose of ultra-nourishing Reincarnation Mask. For dry ends, stroke through our silky, hydrating Hair Elixir.
Browse these bleached and toned blonde base shades to understand what coloured dyes will show up best when applied on top. Other colours will still show and looks great, but they might be a touch different to what you expected. Experimenting is half the fun!