Bleached knots have always been a topic of great interest on the Toplace forum so I thought I would share my experience so that others can hopefully learn from my mistake.

Recently, I attempted to bleach the knots on one of my french lace systems and ended up with pretty discouraging results i.e orange tinge on the base & hair. I used L’Oreal Feria Bleach Blond since it is super thick when mixed properly and BA recommended it in a past post. The system was bleached upside down on a styrofoam head and the bleach was carefully applied with a foam applicator pad. What was surprising to me was the product, with as thick as it is, still managed to migrate 1 inch down below the base to the hair shaft and bleach the hair. Even more suprising is many of the knots are still there even though my haircolor is only medium brown. I was under the impression that bleaching should be done with the system upside down on a styro head but now I am not so sure?

I would really appreciate any advice on how this can be done to get professional results without damaging the system and ending up with an orange tint on the base and hair. Debbie, BA, anyone?

It is hard to bleach very dark hair to blonde. My best advise is to order your systems with a 1" blonde front and comb some dark colorant through it when you get it home. this is the only way to get perfect knots. I've had black hair turn blonde without issues and I've had black hair turn to mush and fall out when trying to bleach the knots. its a gamble.
DebbieS.

DebbieS. Wrote:It is hard to bleach very dark hair to blonde. My best advise is to order your systems with a 1" blonde front and comb some dark colorant through it when you get it home. this is the only way to get perfect knots. I've had black hair turn blonde without issues and I've had black hair turn to mush and fall out when trying to bleach the knots. its a gamble.
DebbieS.

Hi Debbie!

My hair color is a 6 which is roughly a medium brown. What has been your experience been with bleaching knots with that color? Also, I am still not clear on why the base turned slightly orange and how the bleach worked its way through the lace and down the hair shaft? As mentioned, Feria is a very thick consistency. When you bleach the knots for your clients are you applying the bleach with the system upside down on a styro head or is there a better way? Maybe I'm missing something as I never heard of these issues happening before. Thanks for your expert advice.

you probably didn't leave the bleach on long enough, it will go to yellow/orange before it turns blonde.
I put a thick mixture on the base , just enough to cover the knots, so very thin. then I roll it over so that it won't have the tendency to run down the hair shaft.
I hope this helps.
DebbieS.

Hi wantmorehair,

Debbie has some great suggestions, I have also used L’Oreal Feria Bleach Blond with very good results on 1B color which is very dark brown color,(darkest before black). I apply it to the knots with a straw and this seems to put the right amount on the knots to bleach them well. I dip the side of the straw (you could probably use a pen or pencil) in the bleach then apply to the bottom of the knots by moving the straw side to side and leave it on for about 30 mins. Sometimes I have had to bleach a stubborn system twice.

DebbieS. Wrote:then I roll it over so that it won't have the tendency to run down the hair shaft.
I hope this helps.
DebbieS.

I think that may be key. I got decent results using the Feria on a #2/1B blend, but it seemed to seep through in a few spots when I left it upside down.

Looksreal Wrote:Hi wantmorehair,

Debbie has some great suggestions, I have also used L’Oreal Feria Bleach Blond with very good results on 1B color which is very dark brown color,(darkest before black). I apply it to the knots with a straw and this seems to put the right amount on the knots to bleach them well. I dip the side of the straw (you could probably use a pen or pencil) in the bleach then apply to the bottom of the knots by moving the straw side to side and leave it on for about 30 mins. Sometimes I have had to bleach a stubborn system twice.

Thanks for the advice, I will have to try that when I bleach my next system. What type of base did you bleach and how long did you leave the Feria on?

DebbieS. Wrote:you probably didn't leave the bleach on long enough, it will go to yellow/orange before it turns blonde.
I put a thick mixture on the base , just enough to cover the knots, so very thin. then I roll it over so that it won't have the tendency to run down the hair shaft.
I hope this helps.
DebbieS.

Excellent advice as always from you Debbie! Next time I will flip the unit over right side up as you mentioned. The key seems to be flipping it over at the right time to allow just enough bleach to soak through the lace to coat the entire knots. Michigan Baldy mentioned in one of his past comments that he uses a can of compressed air in short bursts to allow enough seepage into the knots. Glad I didn't try that on my first attempt, my entire system would have been orange :lol: .

One more question, you mentioned that the orange tint usually occurs before the hair turns blond but what about my base developing an orange cast? Is the base supposed to change colors too?

hi Debbie!

I think ordering blond hair at the front in order to get really invisible knots is a good idea, but based on your experience and what your customers have told you, is it complicated and time consumming to color the hair close enough to the base so you don't end up with a weird combo (dark hair/blond roots) ?

Thanks