Abstract: A method of bleaching hair comprising:(a) providing a bleach packet comprising a predetermined effective amount of bleach composition to bleach a person's hair, enclosed in a water soluble enclosure;(b) providing an activator solution comprising water and an effective amount of activator to activate the bleach;(c) contacting the bleach packet with the activator solution, to thereby dissolve the water soluble enclosure and activate the bleach to form a bleach solution;(d) applying the bleach solution to the hair to thereby bleach the hair.The preferred water soluble enclosure is a water soluble polymeric material comprising polyvinyl alcohol and compositions similar thereto.It has also been found that damage to hair attending the coloring or bleaching process may be prevented or retarded by treating said hair with a solution of the water soluble polymer.