Is bleaching your hair bad for it?

Bleaching hair is very damaging. Though it may lighten the hair by removing the color through a chemical reaction with melanin, the result is an open hair shaft. The moisture and oils provided by the scalp are stripped from the shaft, according to Anne Marie Helmenstine for About.com.

With oils stripped from an open hair shaft, or strand of hair, the shaft is left dry and brittle. Through deep conditioning and reduced heat styling, a person can restore her hair to its natural texture and health with time and patience, Helmenstine writes. It is recommended that for a first-time bleach, a person visit a professional hair dresser.