Blonde box dye lets everyone enjoy the benefits of hair coloring products at home. They’re available almost anywhere, including your local grocery store.
When comparing box dyes to salon services, the cost benefits are massive. That’s why it’s a popular way to switch up one’s look.
If you’ve had bleaching done on your hair, you might be wondering if using blonde box dye can take away some of the yellow or orange tones that came out in your hair.
Can I Use Blonde Box Dye Over Bleached Hair?
It is possible to use blonde box dye over bleached hair if the colors haven’t been recently stripped away from the follicles. With freshly bleached hair, adding a dye to the mix can increase the risk of damage.
Bleached hair occurs when all its color pigment gets removed. This result occurs when enough oxidation is present after a product is applied to the strands to lift the different warm and cool molecules away.
This chemical process begins when an alkaline agent opens the pores and hair cuticles. It must have a pH 7 or higher rating.
Once the follicles are accessible, the oxidizing agent dissolves the melanin there, giving you that beautiful natural hair color. It also removes the dye from previous work.
Bleaching is relatively harsh when compared to other coloring methods. If it’s done incorrectly, you might not even get the chance to use a blonde box dye to correct things. If the powder or bleach wasn’t applied correctly, you’d have some spots less porous than others, causing the eventual shade to become uneven.
Bleach processes faster with heat, which means starting at your roots can cause your hair color to become significantly lighter. That means your eventual blonde tones will also be that way, even if you apply the boxed product there first.
What Are the Best Brands of Boxed Hair Dye?
Whether you visit a professional colorist or you choose a blonde box dye to update your look, you’re making a time commitment to the process.
When you buy one of the best brands of boxed hair dye, your financial commitment won’t make your checkbook frown as much.
Even when buying two boxes of hair dye at retail prices, the cost of an at-home update is about five times less than visiting the average salon.
You can maximize the results with this method by focusing on the best brands for sale today. Why pay for subpar blonde hair dye in a box when it doesn’t cost anything more to get something more reliable with the right info?
Here are my favorite options when it’s time for me to update my blonde locks, especially after bleaching work is finished.
| Hair Dye Brand | Why I Use This Boxed Hair Dye |
| Garnier Olia | I like using this boxed hair dye because it delivers a salon-quality finish. My stylist even asked me once when I’d made the time to come in because she thought she’d done the work. It doesn’t contain ammonia, which always makes it a winner in my book. |
| L’Oreal Paris Excellence Crème | This blonde box dye delivers a great result when I want to switch things up. The instructions are clear, you get high-quality ingredients to use, and the preparation work is tough to get wrong. You do need to be careful about overlapping during the application process. |
| Clairol Natural Instincts | If I don’t want a permanent change, this formula does a great job of delivering a natural look. It has lots of coconut and aloe oil, which leaves my hair feeling soft. The shine is incredible, but you’ve got to stay away from the warmer colors because the orange undertones can be dominant. |
| Wella Color Charm | When you want to put blonde over bleached hair, this product works pretty well if you can get to a yellowish color. If you have more orange tones, you’ll end up looking light orange instead. I don’t recommend it for drastic changes, but it’s excellent if you only want to go a single shade lighter. |
| Clairol Nice ‘n Easy | I like this brand for my root touch-ups. It comes in 20 different shades, which means you can match almost any color. The tone tends to be a little darker than what you’d get at the salon, so think about stepping up one shade lighter. |
| DP Hue | This brand delivers a beautiful boost with its coloring gloss. When I’m between salon appointments, I turn to it and want to keep my color. It stops the fading process, comes in ten colors, and it’s the only one where you can mix and match different tones without getting unpredictable results. |
How to Use Blonde Box Dye Correctly: 21 Essential Steps
Before using blonde box dye, you’ll want to review the instructions included with the product. Each brand and manufacturer have different advice to follow when using this method to change your hair color.
You should always default to the dye brand’s instructions to achieve the best result whenever possible.
If you have lost the instructions from your blonde box dye or didn’t get any, these general steps can help you take care of your bleached hair quickly and safely.
- Start by selecting the shade that works best with your hair. Most products get organized by their color or tone on store shelves. You can also shop for specific shades by using the search mechanism at your favorite online shop.
- Hold your hair to the box to see if it’s a close match. Once you find that, you can pick from one of the two shades on either side. If you go more extreme, you’ll need to have a toner or correcting shampoo available to achieve the look you want.
- Always buy two boxes of dye when you want to place a blonde color over bleached hair. You can always have too much, but you can’t solve the problem of having not enough when you’re in the middle of treating your head. You can always save leftovers for next time.
- Don’t mix different blonde box dyes to get a custom color. The results will not be what you expect them to be.
- It’s tempting to skip the strand test because you want to get that blonde color rocking, but don’t do it. Your hair can still turn orange even though you bleached it already. Some people have even had their follicles turn green or purple!
- Wear clothing that can get ruined when you’re treating your hair at home. A plastic apron is helpful, but it’s more practical to have an old robe or shirt to avoid stains on other items.
- Covering your floor and sink surfaces with newspapers, plastic bags, or other protective items will prevent a mess. Towels or sheets can have the dye soak through and still cause damage.
- Protecting your skin from the hair dye is necessary. I highly recommend applying a solid lip balm along the hairline and your ears to avoid unwanted contact. Skipping this step can leave you with a strip of skin stains that looks ridiculous if you pull your hair back.
- Set your tools on the counter. My mom always told me to think about this step as a doctor. Put everything in the order you’ll want so that you’re not stuck hunting for something during a critical step.
- Don’t rely on the cheap gloves that come in the box. You’ll want to stock up on your own supply to ensure that your skin doesn’t get stained. I like to use the vinyl ones from Med Pride – they hold up well during the application process.
- It’s better to dye your hair when it’s dry. If your follicles are water-saturated, the product might not take to the strands. You also run the risk of having a diluted result that leaves brassy tones.
- It’s fun and easy to squeeze dye out of the bottle all over your hair, but it isn’t the best way to create a precise outcome. You want to get a bowl and a brush to paint on the product like a professional colorist. You’ll get a more even result this way.
- Start dyeing your hair at the roots. That’s where regrowth occurs first, which means it is the least damaged part that you’ll be coloring after the bleaching process. Once you have a good layer that can start working, you can brush it out toward the tips.
- I use two mirrors to color the back of my head. A handheld that reflects in the bathroom one on the wall makes it easier to hit those spots that are easy to miss.
- If you want highlights in your hair, use a clean toothbrush instead of the techniques recommended by the blonde box dye. It’s faster and easier to use than a skullcap. A mascara wand also works with this trick.
- If you spill any hair dye, it needs to get cleaned up immediately. Facial cleansing wipes do a great job.
- Once you’ve finished applying the hair dye, put a shower cap on while you wait for the product to work. It’s okay to watch a movie, start dinner, or tackle some chores around the house instead of sitting in the bathroom, twiddling your thumbs.
- Water is the primary culprit that causes color fading. When your hair gets soaked, the dye molecules start leaching out, whether using shampoo or not. If you want to extend the time of the blonde box dye, apply dry shampoo. It also helps to install a showerhead filter that removes chlorine, minerals, and salt.
- When washing your hair, it helps to use shampoo formulated for color-treated locks. There isn’t a product out there that is 100% safe, so don’t believe any marketing claims that try to convince you otherwise. You’ll want something that works specifically with blonde hair for the best results.
- You can revitalize your hair by using color-depositing shampoos, conditioners, and glosses about once per week. Choose an item that matches your preferred final shade – not your natural hair color.
- Fading and discoloration can still happen when sunlight hits your hair. It works like bleach, breaking down the melanin that gives you the pigment. UV protection is necessary, but you can’t find sunblock for your follicles. That means a hat or scarf is helpful for those times you’ll have long exposures to manage.
Should I Change My Bleached Hair?
Bleached hair looks good without using a blonde box dye. It can also be adjusted to create something closer to a desired shade or tone. Individual choice drives the decision to change the brassy or copper tones once the outer layer loses its pigment.
When I was little, I remember distinctly thinking that people had four different hair colors. I think it was due to a song that we used to sing that also said there were only four different skin colors in the world.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to embrace how much diversity makes us stronger. Whether someone wants to enjoy their natural hair color or use a blonde box dye over bleached hair, the individualism makes humanity interesting and enjoyable.
I have experimented with several colors over the years, with or without bleaching first. The worst one was when an allergic reaction to the box dye turned my hair green.
As for the best, I achieved a strawberry blonde look that made heads turn everywhere I went.
You need to be careful when using any dye after bleaching your hair because the follicles can be damaged beyond repair with that methodology. After multiple changes, I had a section at the top of my head that became crunchy and unmanageable, which led me to get my first Pixie cut.
If you want to avoid that outcome, use the blonde box dye once after bleaching. After you reach the desired color, a toner or color-maintenance shampoo can deliver some impressive results.