What lies beyond pale yellow? Heartache and bad Yelp Reviews...

I was recently asked by someone in a salon that I was teaching in whether or not I thought it was a good idea if she tried to bleach the hair past pale yellow...

Short Answer: NO WAY

The hair is a complex chemical structure. It is composed mainly of keratin protein. Keratin protein is responsible for the hair's overall strength. The color of keratin protein is...drum roll please--YELLOW.

When we lighten the hair, we are essentially breaking down the melanin of the hair into smaller pieces. However, the melanin is just ONE PART of the protein structure of the hair.

Now sometimes certain hairdressers may attempt to bleach the hair beyond pale yellow in an attempt to eliminate ALL of the yellow present in the hair in order to "take it to white".

Lightener does not discriminate--it doesn't just seek out the melanin in the hair and solely breaks just that down. It breaks down EVERYTHING it comes into contact with...melanin, cuticle, cortical fibers, your new jeans...everything.

Think about it for a second...If protein gives the hair its strength and structure, and the color of protein is yellow, and then the hair is bleached to the point where there is no more yellow...

NO YELLOW = NO STRENGTH + STRUCTURE = NO GOOD

You can probably guess what happens next...

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE lighteners! However, knowing your canvas and how it responds to haircoloring products is key to saving yourself a lot of heartache in the future.

Beth taught me early on that "yellow is a sign of life"...PALE YELLOW still means that the hair still has some strength and structure left to it!

Respect your canvas--always!