In her book Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History Victoria Sherrow points out that blonde hair has been a revered trait and one of the ‘beauty staples’ from the dawn of time. As only about 2% of the world population have naturally blonde locks, it’s not a surprise that thousands of people bleach theirs. However, this treatment is highly damaging and often makes locks extremely dry and brittle. You’ll need to employ a variety of specialized haircare tips to make your bleached hair soft, healthy, and shiny.
4 Haircare Tips for Bleached Hair That Will Make Your Locks Soft as Silk
1. Condition instead of shampooing
Bleached hair is dry. No matter what type of locks you had before the treatment, the chemicals used to remove pigment from them cause excessive dryness. This means that washing your hair with a shampoo will compound the damage.
The most important of bleached haircare tips is to reduce shampooing to 1-2 times a week. You can use dry shampoo if the roots turn oily, but it will be much more effective to simply wet the locks and use a moisturizing conditioner. Additional hydration will ‘revive’ your locks making them more smooth and silky right away. With no shampooing you won’t be removing much of the natural oils that also help keep your treated locks hydrated and healthy.
[Also Read: Bleaching 101: How To Bleach Black Hair]
2. Tint instead of re-bleaching
When you dye your locks into shades of red or brown, the color will wash off leaving your tresses yellowish to some degree. Therefore, you have no choice but to re-dye the locks from roots to tips in order to return the color you want.
It’s different for bleached hair as it has the pigment thoroughly removed, so you only have to worry about slight yellowing caused by oxidation of the chemically treated hairs. Even then only those dyeing their locks into shades of silver, platinum, and ash will be affected by the issue.
This means that you can minimize the damage to your locks by only bleaching the roots as they grow out (every 6-8 weeks). After that, you can use a much less harmful tinting product to give your locks the shade you want.
Platinum blondes, who are more vulnerable to color changes, can stop the unattractive yellowing simply by using a shampoo with some type of a violet pigment. Be sure to learn about purple shampoo first. This way you will know which pigment to choose and how to use it with most efficiency for your color.
3. Make deep-conditioning a mandatory treatment
The majority of bleached haircare tips revolve around providing your treated locks with better hydration. As deep conditioning treatments are most effective for this, you’ll have to use them regularly if you want to be a blonde.
The good news is that you don’t have to get them in a hair salon every time. You can buy a professional hair mask to use at home. Choose one designed for bleached locks or a ‘neutral’ product for deep moisturizing and repair.
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You can also use some homemade treatments, but those might not be as effective. Consider using them to complement your haircare routine. For example, leave a professional deep conditioner for the weekend and apply a homemade remedy during the week.
Try hair masks made from avocado, honey, and/or eggs. These products are renowned for their ability to enhance repair and provide efficient hydration to damaged tissues. You should also try massaging your scalp with warm olive oil and covering the locks with a plastic cap for 20 minutes once a week. This simple procedure will enhance the shine of bleached locks and help make them less brittle.
4. Change your hairstyle
No amount of bleached haircare tips will help you make your locks soft and silky if you style them daily using a flat iron or blow dryer. It’s essential to minimize the use of hot styling tools or exclude them from your routine completely.
Choose a haircut that doesn’t require excessive styling and air-dry your locks as often as possible. You also need to use thermal protection spray every time you do use hot styling tools. Even then, set the devices to the minimal temperature.
Bleached locks require consistent and thorough care, which you should consider before going blonde. However, if you are determined, following these simple tips will help keep your locks as healthy, soft, and silky as possible.
