The Blonde Path: How to Care For Your Bleached Hair

Blondes have more fun especially if they add some TLC to their haircare routine

Taking the plunge by bleaching your dark tresses is one huge commitment. We’ll say it again—one huge commitment! Your hair can experience a beating when the peroxide hits. Its impact on hair can leave your strands weak, dull, and even reveal breakage. That’s why you’ve got to give it the TLC it needs in and out of the shower.

Once you’ve gone home after your salon trip, the real work begins. You need to nourish it, get a touch-up here and then, and devote time to treatments. As always, we’ve got the low down on how to ensure that your hair stays healthy even with a stressful process like bleaching.

What does bleach do to your hair?

Bleaching is a dyeing technique that removes colour from your hair through a process called oxidation. It dissolves your hair’s natural pigments or melanin by going deep into your hair shaft. The longer bleach stays on your hair, the more colour is stripped off of it.

Depending on how light you want to go, your lightened locks may have a different payoff—a pale yellow or reddish shade—based on your hair’s natural tone. Your hair also loses its protective fibre and oils within your strands which can make your hair brittle and reveal split ends. 

Tips for a healthy bleached hair

No matter how tame you think you may go with your hair-lightening journey, bleach’s chemical makeup can leave hair with unwanted damage. Its texture will also be different from your once-darker hair. 

That’s why when you’re officially a blondie, you’ve got to create a new haircare regimen to bring healthy hair back into the fold.

Wash your hair less often

After going through tremendous work on your head, your hair is still vulnerable even three weeks after your bleach trip. Cut down on washing your hair and schedule wash days. Your hair, at this point, is really dry and using shampoo can just further damage it.

Bleached hair can make your hair limp and potentially lose its much-needed volume (depending on the damage). A volumising dry shampoo to refresh your newly-lightened hair like O&M Dry Queen Dry Shampoo can add shape to your mane. It also removes unwanted oils and odours from your strands so that you’ll have a more clean and natural-looking hair.

Fight brassy tones with purple shampoo and conditioner

Over time, bleached hair can turn your strands yellow or brassy. In the world of blondes, that is a huge no-no! Once a week, swap your regular shampoo and conditioner for purple-pigmented shampoo and conditioner.

The Keune Care Silver Savior Shampoo and Conditioner is a cleansing-slash-moisturising combo that can neutralise those unwanted orange hues and yellow tones. They both have Pro-Vitamin B5 which can make your hair shiny and healthy and wheat proteins to strengthen your weakened hair.

And of course, while waiting in between washes, you can add an intense moisturising duo like the Nak Nourish Shampoo and Conditioner. This will restore your bleached tresses and add shine to them without any fading at all!

Have a weekly hair mask treatment

More than ever, your mane needs a regular dose of hair mask treatment or deep conditioners. Bleached hair can lose moisture quickly as it is porous. As your hair cuticles are raised, your lightened strands can be caught in tangles easily. 

Got time for a Netflix series binge? Get a spa day at home and add the Olaplex N°8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask while you’re watching a show you’re high-key invested in. The mask is the perfect partner for your blonde locks as it adds moisture even when your hair is at its driest! The Olaplex N°​​8 will give that deserved TLC so your hair feels brand new after each use.

Sleep on a silk pillowcase

If you’ve ever doubted that a silk pillowcase could do wonders to your hair, end that hesitation today ‘cause they are totally worth the hype! Silk pillowcases are actually gentler on your hair strands, unlike other fabrics.

The VANI-T Bed Head Beauty Pillowcase can work its magic while you’re in deep slumber. It also has anti-static properties so waking up to knots or frizzed hair will be a thing of the past!

Skip the heat if possible

Bleached hair shies away from heat. By using hot tools, you expose your already-vulnerable strands to damage. Even if it takes quite some time, air drying chemically-processed hair is still the way to go.

But okay, just in case you really have to, don’t forget to apply a heat protectant. We repeat, do not forget to apply a heat-protecting spray like the Paul Mitchell Clean Beauty Heat Styling Spray! This is important if hair styling is also important to you. Bleached hair can fade especially when you use a straightening iron or curling iron.

Be patient with bleached hair

There are no instant solutions to chemically-treated hair—for real. It can take some time for your hair to get back in its groove and let the damage grow out over time. If you aren’t happy with the finished product, give your hair a needed rest of at least 6-8 weeks before correcting its tone.

They say, “blondes have more fun.” For newly-minted blonde girls, the new look gets even more exciting when you practise a new hair routine made especially for your champagne tresses.