Bleaching my hair...thoughts?

I got some hair dye that has bleach in it. (Going from dark brown to platinum) and obviously this raises some concerns as I know things like that are very harmful to birds. I live in a small condo, with two rooms, a living room in the middle, and two rooms on the end. The point being my birds are in a room on one end, and the bathroom (where I’d bleach) is on the opposite end, as far as possible. Is it safe to use it in a bathroom with the windows open? And after washing the dye out, would it be harmful to let my birds sit on my shoulder or hair?
Thanks !

Just remember, when they see you, you are dead!

Call me paranoid, but I wouldn't do it. Go to a friends house if you must---that stuff has to sit on your head and it also is smelly after having been rinsed.

PS- your hair will likely look orange without the use of what they call a "stripper"--- dark brown to platinum is not easy without a knowledge of colors and a hair stylist.
I have dark brown hair and I had mine bleached to WHITE platinum a few years back. I couldn't have ever done it on my own and even the professional had to do more than anticipated to get it to "platinum". More recently, my blonde sister (mayyyyybe VERY light brown) attempted to use a home kit to bleach hers, and it turned orange...
It isn't as easy as the box makes it look because bleaching reveals hidden undertones...ALSO do not dye over bleach unless you know what you are doing because you can turn it crazy colors (not those advertised on the box)

Your new look will likely not be received well.

The hen in this house keeps trying to pretend that she's a pullet by dyeing her feathers.

No creature in this house understands it but her.

A family member is a Hair Colorist. The stories that she tells about what walks in wishing to salvage the dried to a crisp and odd colored messes will have you rolling around in laughter. The really sad ones come in with their hair breaking at different lengths and /or coming out in clumps. Add the effects of the chemicals in your specific water and orange becomes a common results because so very much of the water sources in our area is heavy in iron. Plus, very few people have any understanding of the reality of that color wheel thing.

Noodles Post above, really defined the realities.

Lots of people get lucky, but according to her, its only a matter of time.

Parrot safety: Not Safe! Depending on the product it can take several days for the chemicals to off-gas to a level of being semi-safe. Your Parrot may truly dislike it and could attack you when on your shoulder, which can be very painful.

Last Words of Wisdom by the Hair Colorist: The quickest way to wash-out even the best product and application is to use the wrong shampoo and hot water!

I dye my hair maybe every six months, it tends to go gray in certain spots so I find a color that matches up to my natural golden brown. I put the bird out on the porch and wash my hair really good and it's never been a problem.

As far as your hair turning orange, I don't know. If it's something you never tried before you might want to have it done at a hair salon instead of doing it yourself.

Or you could just forget about looking good at all and let your armpit hair grow out and stop wearing deodorant.

As an avid armpit shaver and deodorant wearer, I assure you, these comparisons are hardly valid.
Furthermore, at least one of those options involves far fewer chemicals.

You know what, I may just return it.
My mom talked me into it because I used to be a blonde but I'm growing out a pixie cut and the idea of a fried, orange, semi bob is....unappealing.
Haha thank you for all the input

LOL I bleach my hair and my parrots don't give a rodents behind about it.
(the african greys are supposed to have a hard time... nope, they dont care at all, even Sunny hardly blinked when I went from my normal tones to a bright fake blond the first time she was here.)

The first time I even had my hair bleachd it was in a salon- where they forgot about me and burned my scalp! (Thank you Kinky Hairdressers!)
After that I walked around with something like dessicated straw on my head for a a few weeks while it all healed up and got nice and scabby (yuck!) and afterwards had a clipper-trim (5 mm of fuzz left -> it was wonderfull! Apart from the fact everyone now assumed I was gay / really, some people! LOL)

So DIY was the safer option
If you want to go to full white -> use white haircolouring as well, otherwise with natural darker hair you will be stuck with light-yellow-ish.
And prepare to eat, drink and breathe conditioner for ever after

My case: the parrots live downstairs, my bathroom is upstairs.
So as long as the process is active- I stay out of their way (usuelly doing some cleaning etc.) BUT will walk past them to show them something is going on.

Maybe that is why they are so chill about it: I do not spring a surprise on them.
After washing etc. I consider it safe enough.
They do not preen my hair (usually) and don't spend hours on my shoulders right afterwards so I never give it much thought.

(I've had my hair every colour on and off the rainbow - going partly grey at 13 years old is not funny so had to make the best of it...)

Have it done professionally and make sure it's a salon that uses Olaplex.

I went from dark brown to silver platinum. It takes stages, so be patient. Plus, you don't have to worry about the chemicals harming your fid.

As someone who has naturally medium brown hair but has had very light, ash blonde hair for years and years, you just absolutely cannot use a boxed dye/lightener/highlighter etc. to go from any shade of "brown" to any shade of light blonde, least of all very light ash blonde or platinum/silver blonde!!! Just say no!!! Seriously, you have to have it done in stages, as stated above, otherwise you're going to end-up with either orange hair, or gold/yellow hair, or worse, no hair and a burnt scalp! When you're going from dark to light that is this drastic, is you try to do it in one shot it will never make it to light/ash blonde or platinum/silver. And that's exactly it, it just "doesn't make it", lol.

It's a royal pain in the butt the first time you do it, because you have to do it in a salon, and they have to dye it, wait, wash, dry, then dye it, wait, wash, dry, etc., until you get to the shade of blonde/platinum that you want. But after you do it once, it's much, much easier to maintain, but you have to stay on top of it and not let it grow-out, otherwise you have to do it all over again. But it's well worth the time and the money. And honestly, it doesn't cost that much to have it done, you don't have to go to a really expensive salon, any professional stylist can do it, and it should cost around $100 or so, not much more. Well worth it.

As far as doing it at home with the birds, you absolutely do not want to do it inside the house when they are inside, anywhere, as when the chemicals in those boxes/kits are mixed, it's actually ammonia that is released into the air, which is extremely toxic to birds. And even after you wash/rinse your hair after it's done, it's still stinks like ammonia for a good couple of days, whereas if a salon does it, since they aren't using such harsh chemicals with straight ammonia as a product, your hair typically smells much better than it does when using a home kit. But you just cannot expose your birds to ammonia fumes.

Nothing to add to the discussion, just this..



My sister in law, she always has her hair dyed!

Yeah I actually wanted to bleach it because I want to dye it a stormy blue color. I used to bleach and color my hair pink/blue/purple and I kind of miss it!
I'll have to put some more thought into it. I tend to be fairly impulsive with my hair, and its not uncommon to walk into the bathroom to me chopping my hair with scissors, LOL

We went to a hotel the other night and I used that as an opportunity to bleach my hair with no worry of hurting my birds.
So the deed is done. Hair is orange, but I kind of like it actually hahaha
Now the question is, after washing it twice and not letting them on my shoulders or hair for two days, can my birds be next to/play with my hair now?

If there is no conditioner etc present... why not?


I've been home-dying my hair for ages and never noticed any after-smell after the first 24 hours or so.
(unless henna -> I smelled like cow-patty for weeks afterwards, so no more 'natural dye' for me, thank you)

I have had orange hair all my life, due to no choice of my own!

This has been a very educational thread!

Bumping this thread because its relevant for me again!-

After this thread I did actually bleach it-at a hotel. And I liked it, but I need to bleach it again to get it lighter. This time, I would have to do it at my house.

So heres the scenario:

Open windows in bird room and place cages close to window with the door closed, open windows throughout the living room and bedrooms, turn on the kitchen fan, and bleach hair in closed bathroom (that is a bathroom connected to a bedroom, so its a closed room inside a closed room.)

What do yall think? Safe?
I'd really like to make my hair look better than it does now haha

I just keep my parrots away from the actual process (I prefer the ones without peroxide, but the fumes are just as annoying and sharp) and they are fine a floor below- I usually do a quick walkthrough past the cages so they know something is up.


I would not open a window in the birdroom -> you will actually cause a draft in their direction and draw more airborne chemicals their way.

I've been pondering coloring my hair. There's only one shade of one brand I would use, which I've used happily in the past. (It's been several years.)

BUT. My Sunny does love to style my hair. So I feel it would probably be unsafe entirely afterwards. I mean, if the color can wash out with the wrong shampoo, then it can also get in her mouth when she's hairstyling me. Right?