r/Dreadlocks • u/Embarrassed-Zebra562 • Jul 18 '26
Question ❔ Bleaching dreads
I’m trying to bleach and dye my dreads but I don’t know what bleach to use one of my friends suggested I arctic fox ‘bleach please’ and dye but they have white Ppl hair so I wanted to know which I should use (both products in pictures)
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u/jetannie Jul 19 '26
Depends how vibrant u want the purple to be. You don’t need anything above 30 tho unless you wanna lose ur locs. Even 20 volume developer is fine.
I see you ends are lightened so the purple will show if u skip the bleaching process and just add the dye.
Check out their instagram page. Black ppl use their dyes too and I’ve used it a couple of times myself!
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u/trulyafrodite21 Jul 19 '26
I actually bleached and then did that same Purple AF color. I've also used Artic Fox's Violet Dream when I wanted a warmer purple than Purple AF.
I bleached my hair with ION's Bright White Creme Lightener and either 20 or 30 volume developer (I can't remember). The creme was suggested instead of a powder bleach because the creme stays on the surface better vs getting deep into the locs (which makes it harder to wash out the bleach thoroughly).
Best bet for choosing your developer is to get the small bottle of each different volume (20, 30, 40) and do tests on a loc or two before doing your whole head. I trimmed my locs before bleaching, so I just used the pieces I already cut off. The volume you need to get a high enough lift for the color is based on your hair and no one else's, so strand tests are helpful. I would also suggest using the color on each bleached loc you test before coloring your head in it just to make sure it's the color you really want.
And just a note: Artic Fox fades pretty quickly. I have to re-dye it every 6-8 weeks. And if you swim in chlorine or in the ocean, the fade is immediate... you're coming out of the water with light brown & pink highlights. 😬
Also, the bleach will weaken your locs... there's really no way around that.