Why you should never bleach your roots at home

The second reason you should never bleach your hair at home is uneven color. As Gash explains, hairstylists will always customize the strength of bleach according to your hair type in order to reduce the risk of breakage at the roots and ensure they can do a precision application. “Most of the time there are [three] different strengths of bleach being used, so all areas of your hair can process evenly,” says Gash. “The boxes of bleach from the store [however] usually have the strongest (most damaging) solution and will over-process your hair in some areas.” This will leave you with varying shades, which you can only hide with a hat.

And lastly, if you decide to bleach from a box, it won’t include a toner, which is an absolute necessity. “Bleach alone will always leave a yellow result, and it’s crucial that you tone your hair to neutralize some of those yellow pigments,” explains Gash. “Some areas will need a different toner and color combination and doing this by yourself is hard, if not impossible.”