Myth buster! Do you need to bleach before colouring hair bright red or copper?

Many so-called “Hair Colour Gurus” will tell you to bleach before vibrant reds. Let’s bust this myth! This is simply not true!

Unless you’re working on hair with a buildup of colour you will NOT need to always bleach before colouring hair red or copper in the salon.

Show notes for episode 110

Pre-lightening principles are the same as blondes, brunettes, reds and coppers. It’s no necessity to pre-lighten if you’re working with virgin uncoloured hair. However, if you’re needing to remove dye buildup or achieve 4 or more levels of lift on natural or coloured hair you will need to pre-lighten before colouring red or copper (just like when lightening to bronde, caramel, blonde). It’s the same hair colour principle.

Options for pre-lightening:

There are 3 options for colouring hair lighter before you grab your red or copper colour tube:

1. Bleach applied roots to ends
2. Bleach applied to zones
3. Colour Stripper or Remover

CLIENTS THAT REQUIRE LIFTING BLEACH BEFORE REDS

• Balayage to Copper transformation example

  
  This is a colour that would need some pre-lightening to meet the client's expectation of being a lighter brighter classic Copper. Suggested technique to incorporate pre-lightening could be fine foil highlights with face-framing lifted to a Level 8

• Box Dye or Black to Red

  
  If your client has a box dye or professional salon black hair colour in their hair the best solution will NOT BE BLEACHING first!! This scenario is best suited to a Colour Remover or Reducer that only lifts artificial pigment without bleaching or lifting their natural colour (especially if they are blonde)
  

• Vivid Hair Colour always requires bleach or pre-lightening for optimal results with brightness
  
  Lipstick red, Traffic light red, Rose Red, and vivid oranges, including Neons and citrus-inspired colours cannot be achieved without bleaching the hair first. Consider whether you need white or can just lift to a yellow colour when wanting a neon or vivid orange or red.

Listen to episode 110 of the Colour Kristina Talks Podcast to learn if you need to bleach before colouring hair bright red or copper. Scroll down to get your free e-book on the Ultimate Guide for Hair Painting Redheads!