Do Box Dyes Have Bleach? Are They All You Need to Change Hair Color?

Tools for hair dyeing in hairdresser hands on the wooden background. Colouring of hair at home
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Do you want to change the color of your hair? There are a few things that you can do to achieve that. First of all, you can go to the salon to have it done by a professional.

Alternatively, you can also do it on your own by using box dyes that are widely available in the market. What if you happen to have dark hair and wanted it a bit lighter? 

Do box dyes have bleach? The short answer here is no, box dyes don’t typically have bleach in them. But they may have a component that could lift hair color to make the new color show up more. 

Let’s talk more about box dyes and how they color your hair. 


Contents

Hair Dye Types

Over the past several years, the home hair dye market has exploded with tons of new options. There are now many different hair dye types! And no matter what type it is, they all change the color of your hair.

However, the main difference is that some are more efficient and long-lasting than others. 

Permanent dyes will permanently change the color of your hair. On the other hand, those that are labeled as semi or demi-permanent may only give hair a more temporary sheen. Then some are temporary, which will eventually be washed off. 

When it comes to box dyes, the hair color is only coated to the hair shaft. That could only change the color of the hair temporarily. These types of box dyes may not contain peroxide to help change or tone down your natural hair color. 

Semi-Permanent Dyes

With semi-permanent dyes, the cuticle isn’t lifted but demi-permanent dyes do gently lift the cuticle. They are both able to change the tone of the hair but in different ways. 

The semi-permanent dye simply creates a sheer coating to deposit color into your hair so that it changes in tone. It doesn’t alter the hair shaft and it also cannot lighten the hair color. There is no developer involved.

Demi-Permanent Hair Dyes

For demi-permanent hair dyes, the cuticle is gently lifted so that the dye could penetrate the hair shaft. This changes the hair color and adds shine to it. However, that also doesn’t lighten your hair color.

Permanent Dyes

The permanent dyes are the ones that would penetrate the hair shaft to change your hair color. The cuticle is lifted through the use of peroxide in the process of oxidation.

This helps make sure that the color is deposited deeply. That is why you see a change in hair color. 

Bleach

When it comes to hair bleach, it lightens the hair color by lifting the hair shaft and toning your hair. Bleach will lift color from your hair powerfully. This is why it often gets damaged and there is a higher chance of breakage and even hair loss when it is used.

This is especially true if you leave it for too long, or bleach when your hair is in bad shape.

The main difference between hair dyes and bleach is that hair dyes deposit color to change your hair color. Bleach simply lifts the natural hair color to lighten it. 

The main difference between hair dyes and bleach is that hair dyes deposit color to change your hair color. Bleach simply lifts the natural hair color to lighten it. 


Do Box Dyes Have Bleach?

If you have dark hair and you find a blonde box dye, would it work on your hair? Does it contain bleach to make your hair lighter and get into that blonde shade?

Well, a blonde box dye  simply adds color to the hair. It doesn’t contain bleach so it wouldn’t be able to successfully turn your dark hair into a blonde color. 

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Some blonde box dyes could contain bleach in them. However, those aren’t considered box dyes anymore because box dyes are just known to deposit color. 

Box dyes don’t contain bleach but they may contain components that can lift a little bit of color out of your hair. Such components would include hydrogen peroxide and ammonia.

However, they aren’t as strong as bleach and the results aren’t comparable. 

Box dyes don’t contain bleach but they may contain components that can lift a little bit of color out of your hair. 

Additionally, the damage they produce isn’t as strong as bleach would. Bleach is very damaging to the hair, whether you use it for a long or short time. 

Note that coloring your hair, even without bleach, could still lead to damage because of the chemical reaction that takes place when you use them. 

Sometimes, there may also be box dyes that have lighteners instead of bleach. The lighteners help achieve better color than what peroxides could provide and are less damaging to the hair as compared to bleach. 


Do Box Dyes Work On Dark Hair?

If you are tired of your dark hair, you might want a color change. Going lighter is a great idea but would box dye  work if your hair is dark?

There is a limit to how big the change would be if your hair is dark or black. That’s because box dyes typically add color to the hair. So if your hair is very dark, the added color may not be that obvious when you use it. 

You would need to bleach your hair first, then dye it. However, those with dark hair often end up with orange undertones. This can be fixed with a toning shampoo.

The peroxides, ammonia, or lighteners in the box dyes could help lighten the hair a little bit so that the deposited color can become more visible but only to a limited extent. 

Sometimes, the color might also not turn out as expected because of your natural hair color. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s best to go to a salon to have a professional work on your hair so that you get the color that you want. 

If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s best to go to a salon to have a professional work on your hair so that you get the color that you want. 

Although box dyes are readily available in the market, regularly using them isn’t good for your hair, particularly if you don’t know how to use them correctly. Sometimes, it could work well with other people’s hair… but it could also be damaging to yours!

A professional will first assess your hair and advise you on what to get. If your hair is too damaged, they will not recommend you go through hair coloring or hair bleaching. That will help prevent you from regretting changing your hair color. 

Written by Kayla Young

Kayla is the founder of LuxeLuminous. She has worked professionally in the tanning industry for years. She has been interested in esthetics since childhood, and has tried every hair, skin, and makeup product ever produced (more or less).