Ace the Massachusetts Cosmetology Exam 2025 – Style Your Success, Beauty Buffs!

The process of decolorizing hair is known as bleaching. This technique involves the use of chemical agents that remove color from the hair, typically by breaking down the natural pigments in the hair strands. The main active ingredient in bleaching products is usually hydrogen peroxide, which works to lighten the hair by not only removing existing pigments but also by lifting the natural color. Bleaching can make the hair appear significantly lighter than its original shade and is often a preparatory step for further color treatments or for achieving lighter shades of hair.

Coloring refers to the process of adding pigment to the hair rather than removing it, which distinguishes it from bleaching. Highlighting is a specific technique that involves adding lighter strands of color to create dimension and contrast but does not necessarily involve the complete decolorization that bleaching entails. Oxidizing is a broader term that can describe the chemical reaction that occurs during both bleaching and coloring processes but is not specifically the term for the process of removing color from hair. Therefore, the term that accurately describes the process of decolorizing hair is indeed bleaching.