As a natural brunette college student who has been highlighting her hair since middle school, I can confidently say I know a thing or two about managing the effects of bleach. If you’re anything like me, you already know what the cycle looks like: desiring a brighter blonde look, bleaching your roots, then being burdened with the horrifying results of your dry hair. I’ve spent countless years complaining about my blonde breakage and listening to my peers tell me to “just dye it back to brown.” I would be lying if I told you I’ve never considered their advice, despite loving how the blonde looks. Dealing with the consequences of covering up my dark brown roots, also meant there were numerous times where I felt like my highlights weren’t worth the health of my hair. What I didn’t know, for many years, was that helpful products and a proper hair care routine could actually mitigate the issues I was experiencing.Â
Products
My hair started getting to the point where each time I would bleach it, the strands became drier and more easily destroyed. I had always thought that a hair mask or hair oils would solve the problem, but hydration wasn’t the root issue I was facing. According to the basics of chemistry and hair science, bleaching hair leads to the opening of the cuticle, the outer layer of our hair strands that protect them. When this occurs, we often see frizzy and dry hair, flyaways, visible breakage (especially upon brushing) and a dull look. Since the origin of these troubles was based solely on the harmful chemical process of bleaching hair, I knew that I had to aim for using products that had been developed for my specific complications, so here are some of my best recommendations:
1. Matrix Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo
Matrix’s shampoo design for broken blonde hair is generated to revive damaged hair and soften dry ends that result from the bleaching process. This product contains citric acid, which restores shine and brings the hair back to life.
2. K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Mask
If you finish reading these tips and tricks and decide to take only one thing from it, let it be this hair mask. Although it is leaning more towards the pricier side, the K18 hair mask has worked wonders in restoring my hair’s health. After using this product for just a few weeks, applied to wet hair after washing it, my hair became significantly shinier, easier to brush through without breakage and overall much stronger.
3. Olaplex Oil
Oftentimes, even after a thorough washing routine, our hair still needs a little pick-me-up after it dries and is styled. The Olaplex hair oil is the perfect hair smoother to tame flyways, promote shine and restore bonds. Unlike many other oils, this one is fairly lightweight and doesn’t result in a greasy appearance. This product is perfect to finish off a freshly curled or straight head of hair and is the cherry on top to the best hair care routine.
Routine
One constant in my hair care routine that stuck throughout many years of my blonde life was the presence of heating tools. This typically included my Revlon hair dryer after a shower, or using my curling wand to ensure a perfectly styled head for a few days. I began to rely so heavily on hair tools that only made my damaged bleached hair worse. However, I soon found that days when I let my hair naturally air dry after washing it, resulted in a much shinier and healthier appearance. After finally learning the ropes and starting to get a few things right, I curated a simple yet effective routine.Â
1. NighttimeÂ
The first thing that completely transformed my bleached breakage was washing my hair a few extra hours before going to bed. This way, I ensure my hair has ample time to air dry instead of laying my wet hair on a pillow. Then, instead of using a regular cotton pillow case, I opted for a satin one to promote hair shine and reduce frizz. In between those steps, while my hair is still wet, I made sure to use the products listed earlier, to help maintain bonds that may have been broken during the hair bleaching process.Â
2. Daytime
Once my hair is dry after the application of these products and I have a night’s rest, I usually see a head of healthy hair when I wake up in the morning. So now what do I do about styling? As I previously stated, heat tools haven’t always been my blonde hair’s best friends, but I still desired a put together look. Once I realized how damaged my hair was getting, I took a month off from any heat on my hair, but also came to the understanding that it wasn’t going to be entirely sustainable. I love curling my hair and trying new things and didn’t want to have to sacrifice that. Therefore, I now limit myself to using heat on my hair only a few times per week and instead try heatless curl methods I find on social media. Altogether, these few changes I have recently made have been game changers for my hair and allow me to express my personal look freely, without the fear of killing my hair forever.