How does bleach damage your hair and cause fried hair?

We all know that bleach ban have disastrous effects, but have you ever wondered exactly how it leaves your hair feeling fried? Bleach opens cuticles and causes strands to swell. While this can leave your hair ready to accept a fun new shade, open cuticles can leave your hair feeling rough and looking fuzzy. On top of opening your cuticles, bleach increases porosity by breaking through the cortex of your strands and destroying melanin. Too much porosity makes it impossible for your hair to hold any moisture, leading to dried out strands that are difficult to manipulate. Bleach can lead to the cuticle layer of your hair completely breaking off, especially if you frequently heat style your lightened strands. The result is visibly split ends that can travel farther up the hair's shaft if left untreated.