Skip to content
Home » Best Professional Hair Bleaches In 2023

Best Professional Hair Bleaches In 2023

While home treatments and salon dye jobs produce the same overall results, the latter produces a somewhat better result—especially when bleach is used. This is due in part to stylists’ training and skill in product mixing and application.

“Choosing the proper lightener and developer is difficult,” color expert Jodana Geary explains, “and you may wind up with an undesirable outcome that impairs the condition of your hair.” Furthermore, the lighteners used in salons are not the same as those found on the pharmacy shelf.

“Pro bleaching chemicals often have greater lifting power,” celebrity colorist Matt Rez reveals. He recommends avoiding using them at home, instead asking your hairdresser if they can lighten your hair with a specific brand.

Pro-level bleaches, according to Geary, offer high-quality chemicals that allow colorists achieve their customers’ desired results while safeguarding the integrity of the hair. “Professional lighteners come in clay, cream, or powder forms and range in intensity from six to nine levels of lift,” she tells Byrdie.

GET TO KNOW THE EXPERT

  • Jodana Geary is a Color.Me by Kevin Murphy hair color consultant and education manager.
  • Matt Rez is a celebrity colorist who has worked with celebrities like as Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber. He is also the creator of the midlight method and a Redken brand ambassador.
  • Reece Walker is a colorist who works on both coasts. He has worked with a number of famous people, including Eva Longoria, Miranda Kerr, and Victoria Beckham.
  • John Pulitano is a stylist and the co-owner and creative director of Sydney, Australia’s Headcase Hair salon.
  • Kristen Fleming is the color director of Chicago’s 3rd Coast Hair Salon. She has almost 15 years of professional expertise and has been dubbed Chicago’s finest colorist.

According to colorists, these are the greatest professional hair bleaches.

1. Wella Professionals Blondor Multi-Blonde Lightening Powder is the best overall.

 1. Wella Professionals Blondor Multi-Blonde Lightening Powder is the best overall.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

Wella Blondor is a favorite of celebrity colorist Reece Walker for foil highlights, but it may also be used for balayage, ombré color, or all-over lightening. “It’s gentle on the hair and provides great lift without the use of a high-volume peroxide,” he tells Byrdie. “I also use this bleach on the scalps of my customers whose natural hair is light brown.”

Whether you’ve bleached your hair too many times to count or you’re new to lightening, this mixture will get the job done—potentially with less harm. The powder has a bluish-purple color that contrasts with the yellow, orange, and brassy tones that are common in artificially lightened hair.

What We Like

  • Gentle formulation
  • Anti-yellowing substances
  • Colorist-recommended

What We Don’t Like

  • Developer is available separately.

2. L’Oréal Super Oreal Blanc Professional Powder Bleach is the best value.

 2. L'Oréal Super Oreal Blanc Professional Powder Bleach is the best value.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

One of the more economical professional bleaches is made by L’Oréal. Super Oreal Blanc is a dust-free powder mix, which means it’s designed to reduce the amount of particles you inhale when getting your hair done. It transforms into a non-drippy, workable paste with up to seven levels of lift.

What We Like

  • Budget-friendly
  • Dust-free
  • Non-drippy blend

What We Don’t Like

  • Developer is available separately.

3. Schwarzkopf Blonde Me Premium Lift 9 is the best for brown hair.

 3. Schwarzkopf Blonde Me Premium Lift 9 is the best for brown hair.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

Walker adds, “This is fantastic for breaking through previously colored dark hair when doing heavier freehand work or on scalp bleaching for my naturally dark brown and black-haired clientele.”

What We Like

  • Dust-free
  • Brassiness is reduced.
  • Colorist-recommended

What We Don’t Like

  • Potentially annoyance
  • Developer is available separately.

4. Clairol Professional BW2 Lightener is ideal for Balayage.

 4. Clairol Professional BW2 Lightener is ideal for Balayage.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

Are you thinking about getting balayage hair? BW2 might be your best option. Humectants are added to the dust-free powder to provide a creamy consistency after mixing. This makes it simpler to produce the hand-painted, sweeping appearance that adds natural-looking depth and texture to lightened hair.

What We Like

  • Dust-free
  • After mixing, the mixture remains wet.
  • Works well on dark hair.

What We Don’t Like

  • Developer is available separately.
  • Strong odor

5. Clairol Professional Basic White Extra Strength Powder Lightener is ideal for highlighting.

 5. Clairol Professional Basic White Extra Strength Powder Lightener is ideal for highlighting.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

Clairol Basic White is an excellent choice for highlighting. The extra-strength powder is de-dusted to reduce particulates in the air, and it stays creamy after mixing owing to a moisture-sealing humectant.

What We Like

  • Dust-free
  • When blended, it becomes creamy.
  • Lift with control

What We Don’t Like

  • Developer is available separately.
  • Strong odor

6. Salon Care Professional Blue Flash Powder Lightener is the best blue.

 6. Salon Care Professional Blue Flash Powder Lightener is the best blue.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

Consider bleach containing blue pigments, such as Blue Flash, if you want to avoid a yellow tinge in your highlighted or all-over platinum hair. This powder lightener contains ultramarine, a cobalt-colored pigment derived from minerals that counteracts yellowish, brassy tones. It also promises to reduce hair shaft swelling, which may be harmful.

What We Like

  • Anti-yellowing substances
  • When blended, it becomes creamy.
  • Swelling is little.

What We Don’t Like

  • Not suitable for do-it-yourselfers
  • Developer is available separately.

7. Ion Color Brilliance Bright White Creme Lightener is the best cream.

 7. Ion Color Brilliance Bright White Creme Lightener is the best cream.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

Do you prefer a cream formula? Think about Ion Bright White. Though it still requires a developer, the smooth, moist consistency is meant to nourish and soften your hair while it’s being treated. Furthermore, it includes keratin, which replenishes and strengthens each strand.

What We Like

  • Affordable
  • Softening
  • Hair fibers are replenished.

What We Don’t Like

  • Developer is available separately.
  • PEGs are present.

8. Pulp Riot Clay Lightener is the best clay.

 8. Pulp Riot Clay Lightener is the best clay.

  Get it now on Amazon.com

The clay-based bleach from Pulp Riot is great for balayage, ombré, sombré color, and other hair-painting methods. The kaolin acts as a barrier, reducing swelling and transferring, while the argan oil leaves your hair silky-soft.

What We Like

  • Swelling is little.
  • Hair is smooth after use.

What We Don’t Like

  • Developer is available separately.

FAQ

What to Look for in a Hair Bleach Professional?

Conditioning Substances

Fleming recommends looking for solutions that contain conditioning or moisturizing elements mixed in directly with the bleach to help reduce the chance of hair damage from the start. Even better, she argues, are formulations with a reparative bond builder built in.

Ammonia should be avoided.

If you want to be cautious, Fleming recommends using ammonia-free formulations or any at-home bleach with a developer greater than 20 volume. This is useful for assuring both safety and that you do not mistakenly over-lighten or entirely strip your hair.

Does bleach harm your hair?

According to Pulitano, bleaching your hair may be quite destructive if done incorrectly. “The bleaching technique opens up the hair cuticles in order to destroy the melanin that gives your hair its color,” he adds.

“If done incorrectly, it can leave the hair porous, dry, and brittle.” A professional colorist, on the other hand, will be able to maintain your hair healthy by employing a delicate approach, the correct products, and post-bleach treatments.” However, if you really cannot make it to a salon, proceed with care.

How frequently should you use bleach?

When it comes to how frequently you should bleach your hair, Pulitano says it depends on the style you want to create, how the bleach is applied, and your hair type. “It will change from time to time, and a skilled colorist will tell you how frequently they need to see you,” he explains.

How can you safely bleach at home?

In general, Pulitano (like most pros, to be honest) does not advocate doing a bleach job at home. “It’s the strongest coloring tool we use as experts, and when handled incorrectly, it may cause major damage—not to mention screw up your color,” he adds.

“Risks include breaking, yellow or orange tones, and spotty color.” He also says that getting it professionally corrected after a DIY session might be more expensive than seeing a stylist for the first treatment. Even so, we understand the desire to take matters into our own hands, especially if visiting a salon is not an option.

If you decide to go ahead with it, we recommend attentively following the package guidelines (particularly when it comes to processing time) and applying the bleach 1 inch from your scalp down to your ends first, then returning to apply to the roots after the rest of your hair is saturated. After you’ve completed processing, thoroughly wash your hair.