Vida , a colorist at Devachon Salon in SoHo, which specializes in curly hair.

Q:I'm getting ready to bleach my hair. I've never put chemicals on it before but I know the bleach is going to be hard on it. Is there anything I can do to prepare my hair?

A: Bleach is hard on hair because it opens up the cuticles and changes the molecular structure. It completely strips the hair of its pigment. Before the service, deep condition your hair. You can do this at home by using a deep conditioning mask and leaving it on for about 30 minutes. Otherwise, you can go to a salon and have a stylist administer the treatment. Be sure to do this a couple days before. After bleaching, deep condition again to keep your hair at its healthiest.