BLEACHING: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

"Bleaching", i.e. the technique used for the artificial lightening of hair to obtain reflections similar to those naturally produced by the sun or simply to make it lighter, is a system that allows the chemical lightening of the same, through an action implemented on melanin, the set of pigments found inside the fibrous layer of the capillary cortex, which determine its color and which are responsible for protecting against oxidative damage, absorbing part of the solar radiation.

Hair bleaching products always have a "whitening" action on natural pigments. In ancient times, a natural preparation was used consisting of an infusion of Roman camomile  or German chamomile , then from 1860, year in which the perfumer Thielley and the hairdresser Leon Hugo presented at a world exhibition in Paris "the water that flows from the golden fountain of youth", a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide which quickly lightened hair, hydrogen peroxide became the main component of all oxygenated hair preparations.

The hydrogen peroxide contained in the bleach penetrates the hair shaft and oxidizes the pigments, decreasing the melanin concentration to the point of eliminating the natural color tones. This action is strengthened by mixing the bleach with additional hydrogen peroxide, the concentration of which is based on the result you want to obtain and the characteristics of the treated hair. Bleaching occurs in several stages and the color of the hair gradually changes, until reaching the desired shade.

To avoid unpleasant inconveniences, therefore, it is also necessary to carefully evaluate the shutter speed, keeping the lightening monitored, until the desired result and avoiding too long shutter speeds that could lead to serious damage to the hair.

Hydrogen peroxide in fact, opening the cuticle to get to the cortex in which melanin is found, has a particularly aggressive action, causing the hair to lose elasticity, resistance and shine. Depleted of melanin, the natural protection against solar radiation, the hair also becomes more vulnerable, and this vulnerability is greater the higher the lightening.

It is therefore indicated to lighten medium or brown blond hair from one up to four tones (degree of discoloration), while getting to blond hair black color, is an operation that should never be implemented, as the concentration of oxidant necessary to obtain a good result is so high that it inevitably causes serious damage to the hair.

Normally the main components of bleaches are:

• Hydrogen peroxide (or hydrogen peroxide) - bleaching, oxidizing.
• Oxygenation enhancers - are mostly persolfati which strengthen the lightening action of hydrogen peroxide.
• Alkalizing - increases the oxidizing strength of hydrogen peroxide. The most commonly used alkaline is em>ammonia.
• Surfactants - have the function of improving the wettability of the hair and ensuring a uniform dispersion of the bleaching product.
• Protective agents - are intended to limit the damage caused by the bleaching process, penetrating into the damaged cuticle.

For current special effects and in line with the main trends, but without betraying its philosophy that there can be no beauty without health, H.K. Hair Kulture proposes Force Blue Deco' Ammonia Free, its "sweet" bleachwithout ammonia for non-aggressive bleaching.

Let’s go in this regard to analyze what are the main components (written in progressive order of quantity present in the formulation) and discover how a bleach without ammonia is able to have equally clearing force:

• Potassium persulphate - Oxidizing agent (green dot in the biodizionario - vegan
• Sodium persulphate - Oxidizing agent (orange - vegan)
• Hydrated silica or acid silicilic - Mild abrasive (green dot - vegan)
• Sodium stearate - Surfactant - cleaning agent (green stamp - vegan)
• Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride – conditioning agent (green sticker – vegan). It is a derivative of natural Guar gum (essentially it is quaternized Guar gum - Latin name Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba). It is an excellent detangler for hair, with stabilizing and emollient properties which allow it to mitigate hair loss. the aggressive effect of surfactants. It is a valid conditioning agent because, being cationic (therefore positively charged), it acts by neutralizing the negative charges present on the hair, thus carrying out an antistatic action. Its film-forming capacity makes it hydrating and protective. Its affinity with keratin means that, in addition to making the hair uniform and easy to comb, it gives a silky effect not only on the lengths, but also on the skin.
• Kaolin - clay used to soothe sensitive skin - whitening ( green - vegan).
• Hydrolysed silk proteins - antistatic - humectant - (green label - animal). They derive from pure silk fibroin and contain free amino acids and peptides which form an excellent combination that guarantees excellent sensorial and film-forming properties. Thanks to their ability to retain water, they are able to form a plastic and protective film, giving the skin and hair softness and smoothness. In combination with surfactants, they attenuate their irritating power, also performing a important antistatic action.
• Corn proteins -humectant - repairing agent - emollient (green stamp - vegan). Vegetable proteins with repairing and emollient properties. They help to maintain the degree of moisture of the skin, have softening and smoothing power. They leave hair manageable, elastic, soft and shiny and help to mitigate the irritant power of surfactants.

As can be deduced from the analysis of the main components of Force Blu Decò, our bleach does not contain HYDROGEN PEROXIDE or AMMONIA, limiting the bleaching action with simple persulphates (associated with hydrogen peroxide to be mixed according to indicated doses) of which the main one, however, that of potassium, is recognized as not excessively invasive (biodictionary green dot), in combination with the other whitening agents. In this way the discoloration takes place in a progressive and non-explosive manner as happens in more aggressive bleaches, resulting in much less damage to the scalp and hair.

The presence of Quaternized Guar Gum and Silk and Corn Proteins mitigates the irritating effect of the surfactant, providing hydration and nourishment to the skin and lengths and making the hair detangled, shiny and vital. Hair ruined by overly aggressive treatments is not only counterproductive for the health of the hair, but also affects the final result of the technical work, as highly stressed hair diminishes the beauty of special effects, even if implemented with skill and professionalism. Force Blue Deco' Ammonia Free is therefore the right compromise between aesthetic pleasantness and the well-being of the scalp and lengths.

However, it should not be forgotten that even the least invasive bleach subjects the skin and lengths to stress, making the latter more fragile and vulnerable. Hair subjected to bleaching must therefore be helped with cleansing, conditioning and restructuring products that respect its structure and that are able to fully restore those components that inevitably deteriorate or are lost as a consequence of the treatment.