Did you just dye your hair, and now you want to get gorgeous curls? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you need to wait a while before doing that.
So, how long to wait after bleaching or dyeing your hair to perm it? Read on to find out!
How Long To Wait After Bleaching or Dyeing Your Hair To Perm It?
Ideally, you should wait for 15 days (dyed hair) and 1 month (bleached hair) before perming it. The waiting time may vary depending on how well you maintain and care for your hair after coloring it.
Bleaching, dyeing, and perming are all harsh chemical processes that can cause damage to your hair. The waiting time should be respected to allow your hair to recover and prevent the process’s adverse effects from snowballing.
Is it Safe to Perm Bleached or Dyed Hair?
Yes, perming bleached or dyed hair is safe as long as the right perming formula is used and the recommended waiting time is respected.
Individually, the damaging effects of dyeing, bleaching, and perming are repairable and tolerable. But collectively, their effects can accumulate, so exposing your hair to multiple chemical processes may cause severe damage such as:
- Split ends,
- Altered hair structure,
- Dryness,
- Brittleness,
- and Frizzy Hair.
To avoid this, follow the recommended waiting time to allow your hair to recuperate between the chemical processes.
Additionally, make sure you use perming formulas that are specially formulated for colored hair, as these contain milder and less harmful ingredients than regular perming products.
How to Prepare Bleached and Dyed Hair for Perming
While you wait, the best thing you can do is to replenish the nutrients and moisture your hair lost during the dyeing or bleaching process. Here are some ways how to do that:
- Switch to sulfate- and silicone-free shampoo and conditioners.
- Minimize shampooing to only 2 to 3 times per week.
- Avoid heat styling, as heat exposure can damage and dry the hair even more.
- Trim split ends to prevent further breakage.
- Deep condition your hair weekly using nutrient-rich and hydrating hair masks.
- Apply leave-on hair spray serum with UV protection to protect your hair from the sun’s harmful rays.
How to Make Sure Your Dyed or Bleached Hair is Safe for Perming?
The best way to determine if your dyed or bleached hair can withstand the perming process is to test your hair porosity level, so you should only continue the perming process if your hair passes this test.
You can do this in just two steps:
Step 1 – Get a few hair strands and dip them in a glass of water.
Step 2 – Watch what happens.
- If the strands float in the water, which means your hair has low porosity and you can proceed with the perming process.
- On the other hand, postpone the perming process if the strands sink to the bottom of the glass. The strands sunk because your hair is highly porous, they absorbed water quickly, indicating that they were still dehydrated and damaged.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when you perm dyed or bleached hair?
The perming products can fade hair color so that you will end up with a lighter or less vibrant shade after the perming process.
This will happen regardless of how much you prepare your bleached or dyed hair for perming.
Which is better: color or perm hair first?
According to hair experts, it’s best to color hair first before perming it. There are two reasons why:
- It’s easier to adjust the hair color beforehand than to modify the curls after the dyeing process.
- The coloring and bleaching process will already break hair bonds which is what the perm lotion is supposed to do. Since the coloring products already did some of perm lotion’s job, you can keep your hair’s exposure to perm lotion to a minimum, reducing the hair damage that may incur.
So, How Long To Wait After Bleaching or Dyeing Your Hair To Perm It?
If you plan to perm your hair, you should wait for 15 days if you have dyed hair and one full month if you have bleached hair.
Aside from respecting the waiting time, here are other things you can do to minimize hair damage:
- Perform a chunk test.
- Use perming products specially formulated for colored and bleached hair.
