I Bleached My Hair And Almost Killed It

Do you have any bleaching horror stories? Yesterday, we received this comment after posting about whether or not you should bleach hair extensions.

"I wish I knew this before I experimented with my hair a few years ago. I had shoulder-length dark brown hair and wanted to lighten it to get the color I wanted. So I bleached my hair and almost killed it. It's been years but it still hasn't returned to normal. I miss my old hair. Now I regret bleaching my hair at all."

Sadly, whoever wrote that comment isn't alone in their predicament. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of men and women have had their hair ruined by bleach. A quick Google search reveals multiple articles, blog, comments, and forum posts over the years by people who were unlucky enough to have bleach destroy their crowning glory.

Bleaching horror stories

It's easy to find horror stories written by those who fell victim to hair bleach damage all over the internet. In many of the posts, you can feel the extreme desperation and frustration that these people, the majority of whom are women, faced when they realized what happened to their once-gorgeous locks.

Kat, Rock N Roll Bride

Kat, a blogger who blogs at Rock N Roll Bride, shared her bleaching horror story on her blog, "I’ve been bleaching my hair on and off since I was 16."

According to Kat, she started out bleaching her hair by herself at home. Eventually, though, she started having her hair bleached professionally at salons every six to eight weeks. It was only a few years later when she met up with a hairstylist friend that she realized she had been doing her hair wrong the entire time.

"[Elbie] informed me that my hair was, to put it bluntly, completely fucked," Kat said, describing her hair as 'chewing gum on when it was wet' and 'crunchy straw when it was dry'. "Look at the ends especially – frazzled! My hair also wouldn’t grow any longer than this, it would just snap off."

 Jordan Hughes, Bustle

"For years in NYC, I was working with an amazing colorist who helped me change my color while keeping my hair safe," began Jordan's bleaching horror story on Bustle. "But after moving to Los Angeles quite suddenly, I didn't know how to replace her. For the first time, I had no referrals, no leads, and no idea where to go to find someone to help me keep up with my color. So when a friend offered me a highly recommended solution she knew about within my budget, I jumped at the opportunity."

Jordan was trying to extend the life of her balayage in Los Angeles when things took a turn for the worse. "There was a mishap or two which resulted in four very intense rounds of bleaching that ultimately damaged my hair beyond repair."

Months after dryness and breakage caused by her bleach, Jordan said that "an actual chunk of my hair was so fried that it had simply broken off."

It's not the end of the world

The thing is, no matter how bad your hair may be, it's rarely – if ever – the end of the world.

Bleaching horror stories are so prevalent because many people are not aware of how strong bleach can be. Many stories have one thing in common. The victim usually had no idea what they were doing. Either they were new to it, or they relied simply on themselves to do the job.

The best way to combat this problem is to do always do your research. Before you bleach, make sure you know what you're getting into. Search for reviews first if you're having it done at a salon. Look up tutorials if you're doing it yourself. Whatever you do – make sure you actually know what you're doing.

And if it didn't work out because of an accident? Don't worry! Your hair can and will bounce back. Besides, we're pretty sure you're still gorgeous, bleached hair or not.

What are your thoughts after reading these bleaching horror stories? If you're interested in more hair tips and tricks, feel free to check out our ZALA blog!