Color Remover vs. Bleach: Breaking Down The Differences Between Polar Opposites!

A fresh start can always be a healthy way to obtain peace of mind. It allows people to not just make amends with the past, but also look forward to the future through a clear and weightless lens. The styling world comes with options, however, giving one the opportunity to turn over a new leaf by either using bleach or color remover.

Often confused for one another, bleaching and color removers serve the same purpose in the end; adjust the existing hair dye. They’re not cut from the same cloth, though, since one of the two is exceptional in removing color in quick succession, while the other takes its time to bring forward promising results without causing any damage.

To figure out which one is which in the former paragraph, you might have to wait until the end. This could be a blessing in disguise, however, since this guide covers all that is needed to differentiate between using bleach and color remover!

Why Bleach and Color Removers Are Typically Misunderstood

For inexperienced souls and newbies, using bleach or color remover may go hand in hand. After all, both specialize in compromising the hair by removing or altering the existing hair color.

However, seeing things from that point of view might be rather consequential, perhaps. Although it is true that the hair receives a change in its color through bleach and hair color remover, the properties of bleach remove pigments from dark hair colors, carrying a light blonde sort of dye. On the other end, color removers lighten the pigment to remove highlights, enabling users to restore their hair and take it back to square one.

Color Remover: Introducing You to The Basics Of The Ultimate Solution

Using bleach can very well be a great solution to enter a new chapter with your hair. However, if the change is minimal, finding more trust in color removers can be the ideal thing to utilize.

A color remover is an agent that lightens the pigmentation of the strands, using warm water and two liquid solutions. Offering a more time-friendly duration than its counterpart, a color remover serves best when working with highlighted pieces, mainly of neutral colors.

Color removers carry tons of benefits, one of which lies in their ingredients. While the agent does have its shortcomings, a color remover is quite lenient on one’s skin, scalp, and hair. While it does remove color in a sublime manner, the agent doesn’t strip the hair from its natural oils or expose the cuticles to damage. It is also quite easy to apply and comprehend for beginners.

Not all is positive when it comes to using color removers, however, especially when the hair color runs high in saturation. In that case, one might have to use the companion and shampoo repeatedly, which can eventually hamper the density of hair and ruin the PH level of the scalp. Using color remover can also be an issue due to the smell it often generates, which resembles that of sulfur.

All in all, despite having a fair share of shortcomings, color removers are still necessary for certain scenarios. Using it when restoring the default dye of one’s hair is the perfect way to make use of a color remover. More often than not, it is considered the safer option as opposed to bleach, protecting the layers and users from minor repercussions and burns.

A Basic Guide To Using Color Remover

A crucial difference lies between the creative process and the execution of color remover and bleach, separating them at the end of the day. As opposed to its counterpart, color remover is easier, bringing forward relatively quick results as well.

Due to how basic the application process tends to be, color remover is the preferred pick for newbies and casuals. However, if you haven’t yet learned how to use it, give the following guide a read.

Fuse Liquid A with B

After grabbing a bowl to use, combine Liquid A, which is the dedicated color remover, and Liquid B, the activator. To save time, you may also pour the activator into the container of Liquid A before shaking the bottle thoroughly.

Apply It to the shaft

Although drenching the hair in the solution isn’t necessary, it is advised to carefully pour the color remover all over the colored areas. Afterwards, be sure to spread the liquid evenly throughout the shaft. Use your fingertips to gently massage the scalp and generate some blood flow.

Leave it on for at least 20 minutes

Then comes the waiting game, which isn’t as frustrating. It often takes 20 minutes for the color remover to work its magic, so let it sit still without giving in to your intrusive thoughts. To kill time, listen to your playlist or watch a 20-minute clip on a video streaming platform.

Shampoo, rinse, and repeat

After the previous phase has been dealt with, it is important that you wash the solution off immediately. Use clarifying shampoo to eliminate the remaining components of the hair color remover with ease. Since the strands will smell of sulfur, be sure to follow through with a deep conditioner.

Bleach: Revamping Hair Through The Brightest Change

On the other side of the ring is bleach, which changes the visuals by maximizing the contrast, preferably by removing darker pigments and converting them into an orange or yellow-like dye, depending on the amount that is used. The agent often absorbs melanin from hair, bringing forward a default dye that pairs well with both neutral and light colors.

Using bleach is definitely anything but an easy task, but may be mandatory if you’d like to experiment with light shades, especially on pre-existing dark hair. The application of bleach tends to be a bit tricky, which is why many refrain from doing it themselves. Bleaching your hair at home is possible, however, but only if some homework is carried out prior to execution.

Bleach is the ultimate helping hand for those with thin to fine hair, as the product often adds to the elevation and volume of the hair. More often than not, bleach also hides signs of balding, proving to be ineffective when dealing with cowlicks.

While the attributes of bleaching can definitely help out those desiring flashy changes to their hair, partaking in the activity can also make the participant the recipient of frustrating drawbacks.

One trait that hampers the image of bleaching is the duration of the creative process, which is two times the amount needed for color removers to work their magic. The cuticles are often exposed to damage, some of which involve permanent burns.

Using bleach can also be a high-risk, high-reward activity for those with sensitive skin. Comprising nitrogen trichloride, chloroforms, hydrogen peroxide and alcohol, the agent can cause itchiness, redness, burns and even aggressive shedding if one is unaware of how long they should leave bleach in their hair.

In retrospect, due to its ability to provide the hair with elevation in addition to giving the user more flexibility when picking their hair dye, bleach is a rather favorable companion for most fashion moguls. Since it also comes with dangerous side effects and can easily backfire when misused, it is always better to get help from a hairstylist.

DIY Guide For Using Bleach At Home

On the other end of the spectrum is bleach, which carries more complexity than meets the eye. Despite functioning at a better rate and covering more ground as opposed to color remover, bleach is kind of difficult to apply at home. Since it comes in various forms, understanding the process could be difficult for the average mind.

Nonetheless, if you feel that your needs will be met by using bleach, not color remover, perhaps a hairdresser is what you need. On the other hand, if you feel that the budget you have is tight, here’s a brief word-for-word tutorial that even the simplest mind will be able to comprehend.

Know which bleach to use

As of right now, there are four volumes of bleach; 10, 20, 30, and 40. All of them carry out the average responsibilities of bleach, but don’t always cater to the same hair type.

Being aware of which bleach to use is quite important for any user, as failing to implement the proper kind of bleach can damage the PH level of the scalp. To use the right kind of bleach, consider analyzing your hair density.

Protect your skin and hair at all times

While productive, bleach is extremely dangerous when in contact with skin. It comprises sodium hypochlorite, which is extremely flammable and can burn the surface of the skin even with minimal contact.

To protect yourself at all times, wear a pair of gloves. Use a brush to add the bleach to each hair strand instead of using fingertips. To save your hair from damage, don’t use bleach while your hair is wet!

Take your time

Good things take time, while rushing only leads to short-term success. Likewise, if you want the bleaching process to find positive results, move like a snail; slowly, yet steadily. Spread the bleach evenly across each hair strand, so that the final outcome contains healthy-looking visuals all over the scalp.

Don’t extend the deadline

When left on for too long, bleach can be extremely dangerous for the skin, scalp and hair. The pieces can become frizzy and obtain damage, while the scalp can suffer from permanent burns.

To walk away from the procedure unscathed, wash the bleach off right after the 45-minute mark has been reached.

Wash your hair gently

Once the bleaching process is done, the cuticles will look much better on the outside. However, on the inside, the pieces might be rather vulnerable to damage.

Since the bleached strands will be prone to falling out, consider washing the hair carefully. Massage the scalp gently with shampoo before removing the formula with lukewarm water.

Diving Into The Differences and Similarities Between Bleach And Color Removers

If you read through each paragraph without fidgeting or losing your train of thought, it’s safe to assume that you’re a specialist in knowing the difference between bleach and color remover. After all, despite having common ground, bleach and color remover are anything but similar at the end of each day. One prioritizes restoration, while the other compromises the cuticles to absorb a new hair dye based on the preferences of the user.

Before you have a go at either of them, it is important you are made wary of their differences and mutual attributes. If you have no time in hand, however, let the upcoming components take you home.

Both remove color, but for different scenarios

While color remover strictly goes above and beyond to undo artificial dye from one’s hair, bleach removes melanin from the strands to allow the wearer to use a new hair color of their choice.

Bleach is more harmful than color remover

Bleach uses tons of chemicals in order to get the job done, such as chloroforms and nitrogen trichloride, both of which can cause permanent damage if improperly applied. On the other end is color remover, which can be removed without compromising hair quality.

Color remover isn’t just safer, but also more affordable

Since bleach covers more ground and gives users a fresh start, the price tag each product carries is significantly higher than that of color remover. Additionally, bleach also carries 4 kinds of lift, each of which not only caters to a specific category, but also makes it more expensive than color remover.

The act of bleaching the hair shouldn’t be done without assistance

Many might perceive color removers to be as useful as bleach, which can obviously happen in certain scenarios.

Though the former can be used at home by those who are inexperienced, for the harmful and flammable agents it contains, bleach should only be used by professionals.

Bleach takes more time to settle in, while color remover requires more usage

When push comes to shove, it’s safe to say that both bleach and color remover are simple to install under the right approach. However, when the timeframe is thrown into the mix, bleach takes more time to settle in than color remover due to removing melanin from more than one part of the user’s hair. On average, bleach takes 45 minutes to cross the finish line, while color remover takes 20.

Not all is positive about color remover, though, especially when its efficiency is assessed. While bleach gets the job done in one go, color removers might require multiple sessions to generate the same kind of results as bleach.

Color remover reeks of sulfur, despite being more favorable

Color removers are favorable due to how lenient they are on skin and hair. However, a drawback behind color removers is their smell, which resembles that of sulfur.

Though subsiding the strong fragrance of sulfur is possible, it often takes a while for the stench to completely fade away, making the short-lived smell of chlorine on bleach the preferred pick in the eyes of many.

Color Remover vs. Bleach: Clearing The Air On Each Agent’s Purpose

Carrying out research is always necessary, especially if you’re aiming to bring forward successful results. Similarly, prior to using either one of them, it is often advised to learn about the purpose that lies behind using color remover and the responsibilities of bleach.

Doing so isn’t just good for stylists, but also enables the wearer to know when to use each product without compromising the state of their hair strands. To dive deeper into this matter, be sure to read through the following segments.

When to use bleach

If you’re tired of your hair and the visuals it has been possessing for the past few months or more, a new hairstyle might not cut it. Additionally, if you don’t have plans on hopping from one hairdo to another anytime soon, consider using bleach.

Bleach won’t just give your hair the fresh start it needs, but also give you the freedom to pick the hair color of your choice. Now, it might be risky to use it at home, but if you have a solid hairdresser on the block, remove the melanin from your hair in the right way. Take help from a professional to not just find a new hair dye, but also some volume with the help of bleach.

Signs you need color remover

On the contrary, if your main aim is to correct certain areas of your hair or undo the new highlights that looked better in theory than they did in real life, play it safe by using color remover. Apply the lenient solution to your hair and go back to square one the right way.

Color removers are quite safe to use, so you can do it without any assistance in your own bathroom. You don’t even need to use gloves, as the ingredients won’t even leave an ounce of damage behind.

Frequently Asked Question

Here are some questions regarding the dynamics of color remover and bleach that will come in handy if you have questions on your mind that have yet to be tackled and solved!

Q: Can I use bleach after using color remover?

Ans: Despite being similar in many ways, bleach and color remover have no chemistry or compatibility. In other words, don’t use bleach after using color remover or vice versa, as it will only damage your scalp’s PH levels and deteriorate the quality of your hair.

Q: Is color remover more harmful than bleach?

Ans: Color removers may smell of sulfur, but are free of nitrogen trichloride and sodium hypochlorite, flammable and harmful chemicals found in bleach. For that matter alone, using color remover is considered to be the safer move when pitted against bleach.

Q: How is color remover different from bleach?

Ans: In short, color remover merely eliminates shades of artificial dye and restores the authentic hair color of the user, while bleach entirely removes pigment from one’s hair to allow a user the opportunity to add more elevation and density by installing a new hair color. Bleach is also known for being more damaging than its counterpart due to containing combustible agents.

Final Takeaway

The pairing of bleach and color remover is equivalent to the bond shared by close relatives. Despite carrying the same last name, both belong to separate families. Though color removers and bleach compromise the shaft and absorb colors, the former is known to be the healthier choice, while the latter is known for being more effective, despite being aggressive.

While there’s tons of common ground and both serve the same purpose every now and then, it is important to know when to use each product. Using color remover is necessary if you’re removing highlights from home, and can be a great solution for beginners to implement. On the contrary, when aiming for a change that is more intense and vibrant than the former, using bleach is advised.