Essential Home Care for Bleached Hair
- Dimitri Vourlos
- May 1, 2018
- 3 min read
If you are like many women, you spend a lot of money to have your hair colored or highlights put in, right? And with that amount of a financial investment, you need to take proper care of your investment. No matter how good of a color line your stylist may use if you don't take the proper care of your hair once you leave the salon then your hair color will fade and the highlights become dull and brassy within days of your very expensive salon service.
Believe it or not, 90% of how your color and highlights hold up lie within your hands. I've developed the following guidelines to help you get the most out of your salon service and help you to keep your hair looking bright and vibrant until it is time for you to return and have your next appointment. Follow these simple steps below and you will have hair that will turn heads!
Hair is more brittle after it has been processed with bleach and therefore, more susceptible to breakage. Try to decrease the amount of breakage by decreasing the frequency of washing your hair for the first 3 weeks. Instead, switch to a dry shampoo to help prolong your style between washes.
Although you may be washing less frequently, you will want to condition your hair more frequently. You can wet hair and apply conditioner without shampooing first. Bleach will leave your hair dry and it will need to be nourished to remain healthy. A premium conditioner will help to restore the softness, shine and luster to your hair that the bleach will try to steal. You can also use a Leave In Conditioner to help prevent breakage of strands.
As I mentioned above, hair that has been bleached is dry and brittle so you will want to avoid any unnecessary roughness! Use a microfiber towel to soak up excess moisture. This will prevent damage to the cuticle (which leads to frizz!) and breakage of the hair strand.
Split ends don't have to be a fact of life if you have bleached hair. Find a product that selectively targets and heals your split ends and any micro damage of the hair strand that may lead to breakage down the road. This will strengthen your hair while leaving it silky smooth.
In addition to using a regular conditioner on your hair you will want to do a deep conditioning mask once a week. Once applied, leave it on at least 30 minutes (60 minutes would be ideal!) before rinsing with cool water.
Heat is the enemy of bleached hair. If you absolutely can't break up with your flat iron or blow dryer then you will need to turn down the heat and absolutely use a silicone free heat protectant on your hair! Nothing will cause damage or breakage faster than high heat on already stressed and brittle hair. If you can manage to avoid those heat tools then you may want to check out an Air Dry Cream that will provide texture and reduce frizz.
Many of my clients live in rural areas where they have water that is supplied from wells. Did you know that well water is full of minerals and deposits that may end up in your hair? Ever wonder why your hair starts to turn brassy? It's your water (and some of the products that you are using that trap these things in your hair!). In order to combat these elements you should use a good Purple Shampoo once a week. This will rid hair of the buildup and get you back to the color you love.
Finish off your style with a few drops of a high quality oil (as always, silicone free!). Rub a few drops in between your palms and smooth over your dry hair to combat frizz and give a little bit of shine to your locks. Be careful, use too much and you will look like a Greaser from the '50's.
There you have it....my road map to success for keeping your bleached hair looking gorgeous. Follow these steps and your hair will be the envy of all your friends!
