Can You Bleach Synthetic Hair?

Synthetic hair is a brilliant way of adding volume and length to your own hair. It is much cheaper than real hair extensions and wigs. Therefore, it is a good alternative if you are on a budget.

Whether you are purchasing synthetic hair to use daily, or you are purchasing it for a show or event, you may have considered bleaching it.

Real hair extensions and wigs can be dyed with ease and the color will lift well. However, can the same be said for synthetic hair?

In this article, we will be covering this topic in more detail. We will be discussing what synthetic hair is and whether or not it can be bleached.

What is synthetic hair?

Synthetic hair is commonly used to create wigs, hair extensions, and hairpieces. If you have owned a wig previously, you have likely come across synthetic hair before. But, what is it made from?

Well, unlike wigs that are made from real hair, synthetic hair is manmade. It tends to use plastics and polymers to mimic what natural hair looks like. The fine threads that make up the synthetic hair are made from plastic-type materials. They do not contain keratin like real hair.

While keratin that is found in human hair is a polymer, it is different from the types of polymer found in synthetic hair. Here are a few examples of the types of polymer that can be found in synthetic hair:

• Acrylic
• Silk
• Silicone
• Vinyl 
• PVC

This is not an extensive list and the types of polymer used will vary depending on the brand and type of synthetic hair you purchase. 

The types of material synthetic hair are made from and the quality of it can vary drastically. For example, if you purchase cheap synthetic hair, it will not be the same quality as synthetic hair that is more expensive.

Many types of synthetic hair that are available to purchase look very much like real hair. Often you may struggle to tell the difference between synthetic and real hair.

The main difference between the two is that synthetic hair does not move in the same way as natural hair in the way that it flows. In addition to this, it does not feel the same as real hair. 

As it is made out of manmade fibers, synthetic hair is great at staying in place. For example, you can purchase synthetic hair that is already styled and it will stay in place far longer than real hair would. However, it is more difficult to restyle. It cannot be restyled in the same way that real hair can. 

Can you bleach synthetic hair?

Now that you have more of an understanding of synthetic hair and its differences when compared to real hair, let’s talk about bleaching. 

Bleaching is a process that involves chemically stripping hair of its color. If you have darker hair and want to go a lighter shade, you can only really achieve this with bleach. While hair dye can make your hair lighter, bleaching is the most effective option. 

Bleaching is effective and it is great if you are looking to experiment with hair color. 

If you have recently purchased synthetic hair, you may be wondering whether or not it can be bleached. If the synthetic hair was not quite the correct color tone or you have recently bleached your hair and want your synthetic hair to match, it is natural to wonder.

Unfortunately, synthetic hair cannot be bleached, which may be a little disappointing to hear. Bleach is unable to strip synthetic hair and stick to it in the same way that it does with real hair. 

Given this, if you put bleach on synthetic hair you will receive no results at all. The hair will remain the same color and be unaffected. You may find that some types of synthetic hair may stain ever so slightly for a short period, but you will not be able to lift the color.

While synthetic hair is a great and cheaper option in comparison to real hair, if you intend to bleach the hair, synthetic hair is not the most suitable option for you.

Can You Dye Synthetic hair?

Fortunately, all is not lost. Although you cannot bleach synthetic hair, it can be dyed. When talking about dying synthetic hair, you cannot use a box dye like you can with real hair.

As with the bleach, a dye that is intended for real hair will not be effective. Synthetic hair does not have the pigments that real hair does.

Instead, you should use other forms of dye that do not contain the chemicals that hair dye does. For example, the dye that is intended to color clothes, plastics, and other materials are the best options. You could even use color markers.

Hair dye can ruin and damage synthetic hair. Given this, we would recommend purchasing the hair in the color you desire, rather than trying to achieve the color yourself.

If this is not possible, it is always better to purchase a lighter shade of synthetic hair. This is because you can make synthetic hair darker, but not lighter. This will give you a better chance of dying your synthetic hair the correct color and the color staying on the strands.

Summary

We hope that you found this article useful. Unfortunately, it is not possible to bleach a synthetic wig. Given this, we would recommend purchasing the color wig you desire where possible. 

If this is not possible, as you can use certain dyes on synthetic hair, you can choose to dye it instead. Although you cannot make the synthetic hair lighter, if you chose blonde hair, this gives you more opportunity to experiment with the color in comparison to black hair.

Synthetic hair is a fantastic option and is often a lot cheap in comparison to real hair. However, if you are looking to bleach the hair, real hair may be the more preferable option for you.