9 Top Bleach for Dark Hair To Achieve a Beautiful Blonde
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What is a good bleach for dark hair? While there are a lot of bleach products in the market, you’ll want to choose one with a high-lift potential, and that’s because dark hair is intensely pigmented.
It will take a lot to transform your locks into a bright blonde color compared to other hair colors.
But the top bleach for dark hair has unique features that protect your hair to reduce damage or breakage associated with using hair bleach.
If you’re ready for a transformation, here are the top bleaching products for dark hair!
- Up to eight levels of lift
- Infused with antioxidant-rich ingredients to nourish hair and scalp
- Violet bleach base to prevent unwanted yellow undertones
- Up to seven levels of lift
- Rich oil concentration to protect hair
- Includes purple conditioner to neutralize yellow tones
- Up to nine levels of lift
- Advanced bonding system to prevent breakage
- Anti-yellow agents to neutralize brassy tones
Table of Contents
Go From Dark to Light: 9 Top Bleach for Dark Hair
What is the top bleach for dark hair? Here are the top lighteners for dark hair that we highly recommend!
This bleach will turn your dark hair into a bright blonde.
Key benefits: Up to seven levels of lift; moisturizing oil system; dust-free formula
Features:
- Allows for targeted lightening with up to seven levels of lift
- Infused with natural oils to help lock in moisture
- Suitable for both on-scalp and off-scalp lightening techniques
This best bleach for dark hair will give you results while still being gentle on the scalp.
Going from dark to full blonde can be a lot to take for your hair and scalp. With the Wella Color Charm Powder Lightener, you get a dust-free formula that’s both gentle and effective.
The hair lightener features an oil system to lock in moisture. This helps protect your hair and scalp from the drying effect of bleach.
So whether you’re opting for full-head lightening or balayage highlights, you can expect controlled and reliable results.
This premium bleach for dark hair delivers super-strength lightening.
Key benefits: Complete hair lightening kit; up to seven levels of lift; cruelty-free and vegan
Features:
- Dust-free bleach powder formula allows for even application and results
- Bleach kit already comes with 40 volume crème developer
- Designed for lightening dark brown and black hair colors
This bleach kit has everything you’ll need to go from dark to light blonde.
As one of the top bleach kits for dark hair, you’ll be getting a dust-free bleach powder, 40 volume crème developer, a mixing tub, a tint brush, a plastic cap, and gloves.
This makes for a seamless experience as you turn your dark hair into a beautiful blonde.
Manic Panic’s bleach kit also features premium vegan ingredients. It’s even PETA-accredited!
Achieve a salon-worthy blonde color with one of the best bleaches for dark hair.
Key benefits: Six to seven levels of lift; creamy, no-drip consistency; dust-free and gentle formula
Features:
- Quad lightening complex for fast and effective results
- Coconut oil keeps hair soft and healthy and prevents breakage
- Anti-yellow molecules to avoid brassy tones
No heavy ammonia smell with this coconut-scented bleach for dark hair.
The Blond Forte Perfect Blond Hair Lightener delivers professional-grade results from the comfort of your home. The creamy, no-drip consistency makes it easy to transform dark locks into beautiful blonde.
The dust-free formula is also infused with coconut oil to help strengthen your hair. This gives you clear blonde hair that’s healthy, sweet-smelling, and soft to the touch.
A goof-proof bleach kit to completely lighten your dark hair.
Key benefits: Up to seven levels of lift; rich oil-based formula; no ammonia
Features:
- High concentration of oil for maximum hair care
- Comes with a purple conditioner to neutralize brassy tones
- Achieve custom looks from all-over color to highlighted hairstyles
With high-lift potential, your dark hair becomes visibly and evenly blonde.
The L’Oreal Paris Colorista bleach kit creates the perfect canvas for a wide range of vibrant hair colors.
Whether it’s an all-over blonde color or ombre highlights, you can easily customize the results of this DIY-friendly hair lightener for dark hair.
The ammonia-free formula has a rich oil concentration to protect the integrity of your hair. The bleach kit also comes with an anti-brass conditioner to get rid of unwanted yellow tones.
Overall, you’ll be happy with the results of this top bleach for dark hair.
Get lustrous highlights with this best bleach for dark hair.
Key benefits: Up to eight levels of lift; dedusted extra strength formula; quick and balanced results
Features:
- Extra-strength formula to quickly lighten hair
- Creamy consistency fully saturates strands for balanced results
- Ideal for off-scalp highlighting techniques
Want to be creative with your hair? Try Clairol Professional’s BW2 Powder Lightener!
Highlights, balayage, and other special effects can serve as the perfect complement for dark hair. With the Clairol Professional BW2 Powder Lightener, you quickly achieve these off-scalp highlighting techniques.
The extra-strong dedusted formula can effectively lift dark hair in just 30 minutes. The bleach also has a rich, creamy consistency that can coat every strand, ensuring balanced and natural-looking results.
This bleach for dark hair effectively lightens while maintaining the integrity of your strands.
Key benefits: Up to eight levels of lift; antioxidant-rich, vegetable-based bleach formula; violet base; cruelty-free and vegan
Features:
- Violet base to counteract unwanted brassy tones
- Infused with acai, cocoa, sunflower oil, castor oil, mango seed butter, and papaya
- Polycare Split Therapy to repair damaged cuticles and prevent split ends
Who wouldn’t want to try a bleach kit that deeply nourishes your hair?
The Arctic Fox Bleach Please is one of the top bleach kits for dark hair. Not only do you get a cream-based bleach that lifts eight levels of hair, but it’s also infused with natural ingredients to nourish your hair and scalp.
The complete hair-lightening kit comes with a 35-volume developer and latex-free gloves for optimal results. You also get a violet bleach base to neutralize the unwanted yellow tones in your newly bleached hair.
No need for repeated bleaching with this best hair lightener for dark hair.
Key benefits: Up to nine levels of lift; protects hair bonds for reduced breakage; dust-reduced formula; workable consistency; advanced neutralization
Features:
- Anti-yellow agents for optimal neutralization
- Advanced bonding system to strengthen hair fibers
- Easy application with dust-reduced formula and workable consistency
With bond-enforcing technology, this bleach will minimize damage to your hair.
The Schwarzkopf BlondMe Bond Enforcing Premium Lightener delivers up to nine levels of lift, enough to transform your dark hair into a striking blonde in just one go. This makes it undeniably the top bleaching kit for dark hair.
Best of all, the formula is gentle enough on your hair and scalp to minimize bleach-related damage.
The easy-to-use formula is infused with anti-yellow agents so that you won’t get unwanted yellow undertones in your hair afterward.
Meanwhile, the bleach’s advanced bonding system creates strong links between hair fibers to reduce potential breakage.
This bleach is perfect if you want bright, cool-toned blonde hair.
Key benefits: Up to ten levels of lift; dust-free charcoal formula; no brass undertones; quick lightening action
Features:
- Armorplex technology repairs hair fibers and prevents breakage
- Infused with aloe vera, arginine amino acids, and keratin
- Transforms dark hair into a vibrant and iridescent blonde color
Want blonde hair that’s shiny and soft? Try out Hair Bar NYC’s Blond Plex Extreme Lifting Bleach for dark hair.
The Hair Bar NYC Blond Plex Extreme Lifting 10X is one of the top bleaches for dark hair. What makes it special? For one, it delivers up to ten levels of lift — without damaging the integrity of your hair.
It is infused with aloe vera, arginine amino acids, and keratin to keep your hair looking soft, shiny, and healthy. The dust-free charcoal formula also neutralizes brassy tones to reveal a bright, soft-colored, iridescent blonde.
The Jolen Crème Bleach transforms dark eyebrows to match newly lightened hair.
Key benefits: Gentle and safe for facial hair; fast-acting, no-drip formula; suitable for all skin types
Features:
- Fast-acting formula lightens brows in just ten minutes
- Thick consistency so bleach won’t drip into your eyes
- Can be used to lighten body hair or add highlights to your hair
Look and feel like a natural blonde with this bleach for dark hair.
After bleaching dark hair, you’ll need something to lighten your eyebrows. That’s where the Jolen Crème Bleach Dark Hair Lightener comes in. This bleach features a gentle formula that’s safe to use on your face and body.
The formula acts fast, allowing you to bleach brows in ten minutes. The no-drip consistency also means that the process is mess-free.
You can use this bleach to notice body hair and highlight hair strands as a multipurpose product.
What To Consider When Bleaching Dark Hair
Those with dark hair often feel like they have limited choices for the kinds of hair colors they can have. That’s because black hair can’t be dyed into lighter or brighter hair colors without having to bleach first.
While the lightening process may seem daunting (especially if you’re a first timer), you can feel assured if you use the top bleaches for dark hair.
When choosing the top products to bleach dark hair, here are the important things to consider:
Hair Undertones
Dark hair has red to orange undertones, whereas light blonde hair has yellow to orange undertones. As bleach lifts the surface pigment off your strands, it will also reveal your hair’s underlying pigments or undertones.
As such, the top bleaches for dark hair will have neutralizing agents to ensure that your newly lightened hair doesn’t look too warm or brassy. Nonetheless, you may still want to use a toner to get beautiful, cool-toned blonde hair.
Hair Color Levels
Before bleaching, learning about hair color levels is essential. There are ten standard levels to indicate your hair color’s dark or light. Level 1 refers to black hair, while level 10 refers to platinum blonde.
As you can see from the chart above, you will need a bleach with at least six levels of lift to go from dark hair to a blonde color. The higher the lift potential, the lighter your hair will be.
When choosing the top bleach for dark hair, go for products that have at least six to ten levels of lift.
Stages of Bleaching Dark Hair
If you have dark hair, expect to undergo different hair bleaching stages. Due to the intense pigment of dark hair, it will take some time to achieve light blonde hair.
Here are the general color stages:
- Black / dark brown: This is the starting point for many people with dark hair.
- Red/orange: As the bleach lifts the natural pigment, hair often goes through a red or orange stage. This is because the bleach removes the darker pigments first.
- Orange/yellow: The red tones continue to lighten, and the hair transitions to an orange and then yellow stage. This is a common intermediate stage in the lightening process.
- Yellow: At this point, most of the warm tones have been lifted, and the hair is left in a yellow shade. Achieving a pale yellow is often a goal before moving on to the next steps.
- Pale yellow / blonde: With further bleaching or toning, you can achieve a pale yellow or blonde shade. This is the stage where many people aim to stop if they want a blonde hair color.
- Platinum/white: Continuing the bleaching process can push the hair to a platinum or even white color. This requires careful monitoring, as over-bleaching can lead to damage.
The number of hair bleaching stages will depend on your bleach’s lift potential and color base, as well as the volume of your developer.
Processing time may also be a factor; the longer bleach stays on your hair, the lighter the outcome. However, follow the prescribed processing time to prevent extreme damage to your hair and scalp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Level of Bleach Should I Use for Dark Brown Hair?
For dark brown hair or black hair, you should use a 30 volume developer. It is not recommended to use a 40 volume developer as this is very strong and can damage the hair quickly.
What Is the Ratio of Developer and Bleach Powder?
It is always best to follow what’s in the box or instruction manual. The typical ratio is 1:2 (bleach developer and bleach powder, respectively). If the mixture is too watery, do add more powder.
How Long To Leave Bleach on Hair?
It is ideal to leave the bleach on the hair for 30 minutes. Never leave it for 60 minutes as the bleach can burn the scalp and make your hair feel gummy!
How To Rinse Bleach on Hair?
Use lukewarm water to rinse the bleach off the hair. It would also be helpful if you use purple shampoo as this helps reduce the brassiness or yellow tints of newly bleached hair.
And of course, bleached hair will be understandably dry at first, so apply a moisturizing conditioner and leave it on for three to five minutes.
How Long To Wait Between Bleaching Sessions?
There is no black-and-white answer to this because every person’s hair is different. Hair experts recommend waiting as long as possible before having another bleaching session.
Some people wait a week or two for another session, while others wait a month. If you want to speed up the recovery process, you can use cold-pressed virgin coconut oil on the hair daily between bleaching sessions.
Bleaching your hair if it has not recovered from the previous session can seriously damage the hair.
A Beautiful Transformation With the Top Bleach for Dark Hair
Bleaching dark hair takes more effort compared to naturally lighter hair colors. You need a potent formula to remove intense hair pigment. You also want a formulation that allows for evenly lightened hair.
So we shared the top hair bleaches for dark hair to lessen your worries. Those picks have incredible lift potential, nourishing formulas, and fast-acting lightening capabilities. They also help you neutralize brassy undertones.
Good luck!
Want To Learn More About the Hair Bleaching Process?
- Should I Wash My Hair Before I Dye It? What You Need To Know!
- 5 Bleach For Asian Hair + Tips for Bleaching Asian Hair at Home!
- How Long To Leave Toner on Brassy Hair: Hair Toning at Home