How Much Does It Cost to Bleach Your Hair?
It can cost between $54 and $400 to get your hair bleached. We know what you’re thinking — you’ve seen bleaching kits online for $12 or less, so why is this range so high?
Even if you get an at-home kit, you’ll still need supplies to keep your bathroom and your skin safe. Think rags, gloves, and heavy-duty cleaners. At the salon, you’re paying for your colorist’s expertise, their professional-grade products, and your overall experience at the salon.
In addition to bleaching, you’ll also need to spend on either supplies or salon services to even out your hair color and correct ashy or brassy colors. Aftercare and touch-up appointments are another set of costs you need to budget for after your first bleaching session.
Bleaching and dyeing your hair is a big financial and time commitment, but the end result is definitely worth it once you finally get to your dream color. With such a big price range, we know you’re wondering how much it costs to bleach your own hair. We’ll cover everything you should consider before booking a professional bleaching service or buying supplies for a DIY attempt.
How much does it cost to bleach and dye your hair at a salon?
Professional hair bleaching can cost between $150 to $400. Your hair’s starting color, your hair length, your hair coloring history, and the shade you want to achieve all impact the cost. For example, long black hair can take more than one session to get to a light brown. Other price-impacting factors include your stylist’s level of expertise and the salon’s location.
When you get your hair professionally bleached, your appointment will also typically include services to color and tone your hair. Toning can cost $50 to $70, while hair coloring can cost $75 to $200 depending on the technique. For example, balayage prices can reach up to $450 or more.
What are the benefits of going to a salon?
Although it costs more to bleach your hair at the salon than at home, the care and safety you get in return are worth the money. If you mess up at home, you’ll probably need to go to the salon anyway to fix your hair. You’ll also need to spend on products to heal your hair and scalp. The healing process itself can take a long time and prevent you from getting chemical treatments until your hair is healthy again.
Below are a few perks of getting your hair professionally bleached:
- Care advice if your hair isn’t healthy enough for bleach
- Recommendations for shades that fit your hair goals
- Salon-grade products and professional tools
- Expertise to correctly and safely apply the bleach
- Better chances of getting your desired color with a professional than at home
- Even application throughout your hair
- Aftercare tips and product recommendations
- Low chances of damage or correction needed afterward
- Solutions offered afterward if you don’t end up with a color you like
How much does it cost to bleach your hair at home?
You can expect to pay $54 to $290 if you’re bleaching your own hair at home. The cost of bleaching your hair at home is impacted by many of the same factors that influence salon costs. The main difference is that you get to choose the quality and size of the products you use.
A bigger product size may be worth it if you’re planning to regularly dye your hair at home. Your end goal can also help you decide how much product you’ll need. For instance, it’s probably worth it to get a big tub of bleach if you want to go from jet black to platinum blonde.
Here are some supplies you’ll need to bleach your hair at home, along with some general price ranges:
| Item | Purpose | Cost range |
|---|---|---|
| Hair clips | Section off your hair | $2-$15+ |
| Bleach and tint brushes | Apply product to hair; normally comes with kits | $2-$15+ if purchased separately |
| Developer | Helps hair color deposit into your hair | $3-$20+ |
| Heavy-duty cleaners | Clean up spills and stains | $4-$35+ |
| Bleach | Lighten your hair | $4 to $45+ |
| Shampoo | Wash the bleach out of your hair | $5-$20+ |
| Hair foil | Help section off hair for bleach and other products | $5-$30+ |
| Mixing bowls | To hold bleach, hair color, and other products used; normally comes with kits | $6-$25+ if purchased separately |
| Nitrile gloves | Protect hands while handling the bleach and other chemicals | $7-$20+ |
| Hair color | Colors hair after bleach | $7-$30+ |
| Toner | Corrects hair color | $9-$35+ |
| Old rags, towels, or T-shirts | Cover up the surrounding area and your body | Varies |
You probably won’t have hair developer or toner lying around the house, but you can save some money by using whatever you do have at home.
Although bleaching your hair at home is a good way to save money, you should invest in quality products to keep your hair safe. Products from your local grocery store differ in quality compared to products from a beauty supply store. You also need to budget for the cost of caring for your hair and maintaining your color.
What are the benefits of bleaching your hair at home?
The main benefit of bleaching at home is the time and money you’ll save by doing it yourself instead of going to the salon. You’ll still spend a lot of time learning the process and researching products, but you’ll save yourself the stress of getting to appointments on time and sitting at the salon for hours.
These are some of the benefits you’ll enjoy when you choose to bleach your hair at home:
- Save money upfront by foregoing high costs you’ll find at salons
- Save money over time if you can get the process right and know how to get the most value out of your supplies
- Use bleaching kits that come with most supplies you’ll need
- Avoid seeing stylists who may not know how to work with your type of hair
All of that said, we recommend exercising caution when bleaching at home. At-home bleaching puts you at risk of seriously burning your scalp, damaging your hair, and damaging your belongings at home. It’s especially tough if you’re doing it by yourself without any help to get the hard-to-reach parts of your hair.
You may even need to go to the salon anyway if you end up with a color you don’t like. Trust us — if bleaching is hard at home, you’ll probably find color correcting even harder.
If you’re confident that you can do it yourself, we recommend consulting with a hair colorist so they can evaluate your hair and give you other tips before you make your attempt. It may also be easier to do it at home if you let them do your first bleaching session. This gives you the chance to see how it’s done and ask them questions about the process.
How much is hair bleach?
Hair bleach can cost anywhere from $4 to $45+ depending on what type of bleach you’re buying and any special ingredients or properties in their formulas. For example, some hair bleach products contain pigments to neutralize unwanted tones.
Below are the main types of bleach you’ll find:
- Bleach powder can cost anywhere from $4 to $35 depending on how many packs or how big of a tub you buy. Powder is more effective than creme and can get you more bang for your buck, but you run the risk of inhaling the bleach particles.
- Creme bleach, also called creme lightener, can cost $4 to $25. It’s less intense than powder and can contain nourishing ingredients for your scalp and hair. However, it’s not as effective as powder bleach.
- Bleaching kits can cost anywhere from $9 to $45. They’ll come with all of the supplies you’ll need so you don’t have to buy everything separately.
What can you do before bleaching your hair to get the most value?
You can prepare your hair for bleaching by growing out your natural hair color, refraining from washing it before your appointment, and nourishing your hair. The state of your hair makes a big difference in how well it can hold up against bleach and other chemicals.
Below are a few things you can do before your appointment to help your hair hold onto color longer:
- Do a consultation with your hair colorist so they can advise you on any prep needed and what’s realistic to achieve with your hair. Be honest with your hair coloring and other hair history so they can give you their best recommendations.
- Grow your natural hair color out so your colorist has an even base to work on. It’s harder to work with multiple hair colors, so completely growing out your natural color makes it easier on your colorist.
- Deep condition your hair before your appointment since it’ll dry out after it’s exposed to bleach.
- Pause on heat styling to give your hair a break before it’s exposed to bleach.
- Don’t wash your hair for 24-48 hours prior to your session to give your scalp time to produce natural oils and protect itself from damage.
- Budget for upcoming costs so you can purchase all of the aftercare products you’ll need.
- Ask for a patch test with the products at least a day or so before to see if you’re allergic to any of them.
How long does the bleaching process take?
Bleaching can take one to three hours depending on your base color. Add another hour or so on top of that if you’re getting your hair dyed and styled. You may also need to come back to the salon or do another session at home to get your dream color.
Multiple sessions are sometimes necessary since you can’t bleach your hair multiple times in one session. You’ll end up with extremely damaged hair if you put it through more than it can handle.
Bleaching your hair can cost a lot in both money and time. That’s all the more reason to consider your time budget as well as your finances before you get this service done.
How much does aftercare cost?
Aftercare can cost anywhere from $6 to $400 depending on what you’re willing to pay to care for your hair. You’ll likely need to change up your usual hair routine and invest in more products to maintain your color and moisturize your hair. Your hair will be dry after bleaching and will need extra nourishment so that it looks and feels healthy.
Here are a few things you’ll need to budget for after you bleach your hair:
- Root touch-ups can cost between $50 and $75. Root touch-ups focus on dyeing hair at the roots to cover up new growth. You can expect to go every two to four weeks depending on how fast your hair grows.
- Color-safe shampoo and conditioner can cost between $6 and $50+. These products are designed to help you maintain your hair color.
- Hair masks, deep conditioners, and other at-home hair care products can cost between $10 and $60+. All of these products will keep your hair healthy and moisturized.
- Keratin and other salon treatments can cost between $200 and $400. These luxury services can give your hair even more nourishment than you can get with at-home care.
Some treatments, like deep conditioning, are simple enough to do at home. You can also get salon-grade products at a price. Services like keratin treatments can cost a lot but are safer to do at a salon. Compare the time and money you’ll spend researching these products and doing treatments yourself to how much you’ll spend by going to the salon. This can help you see what’s really the best value.
How much does it cost to dye your hair blonde and maintain it?
Dyeing your hair blonde can cost up to $200 or more. Bleach is the first step for most people who want to lighten their hair and get their dream blonde shade.
Just like bleach aftercare, you can expect to invest money in touch-up appointments, color-safe hair care products, and other supplies and appointments to keep your hair healthy. For blonde hair, you’ll also need to invest in a good purple shampoo to fight brassiness and maintain your color.
How much does it cost for men?
Costs can also range from $54 to $400 for men. Price shouldn’t differ between men and women since factors like hair length and base color impact all genders the same way. Although the process is the same, it’s best to find a colorist who’s worked with hair similar to yours. For example, if you want to bleach your beard, you should find someone who’s done that before.
Can hair go back to normal after bleaching?
Bleach permanently strips color from your hair. To get back to your original color, you’ll need to dye your hair again or wait until your natural hair color has grown out.
Restoring your hair’s health will take some time and money after your initial bleaching session. You should space out and limit chemical treatments to give your hair time to heal. Paying for conditioning treatments can also help your hair get back to its healthier state.
What should you consider before bleaching your hair?
You should first consider if your dream color is in your budget, if you can afford the time and money it takes to care for your hair afterward, and if your hair can handle the bleach and other chemicals needed to achieve your color.
Ask yourself these questions before you book your first hair bleaching appointment or buy your first kit:
- Do I need to bleach my hair to get the color I want?
- Am I willing to commit to multiple bleaching and coloring sessions to get my dream color?
- Is my hair healthy enough to handle bleach?
- Do I understand how bleach will affect my hair?
- Can I get my hair to a healthier state so that I can bleach it?
- Am I okay with a lighter color, even if it’s not exactly what I want?
- Is it worth the time I’ll spend researching products and bleaching my hair myself if it means saving myself the time and money I’d spend at the salon?
- Can I commit to aftercare to maintain the color and my hair’s health?
- Do I have the time to make my touch-up appointments or at-home coloring sessions?
- Do I have room in my budget for all of the appointments and hair care products I’ll need?
- Can I find a hair colorist I trust to handle my hair and get me to my dream color?
Bleach is damaging to hair and not a decision to make lightly. It’s ideal to start with healthy hair so you can minimize the damage and care needed afterward. A good hair colorist will advise you on whether you’re a candidate for bleach and hair dye. If you’re not ready, they can help you find treatments and products to get your hair healthy.
If you’re ready to look, check out our directory of local hair colorists and stylists to find someone who can help you get your dream color.
