Hair Care for Bleached Blonde Tresses

Having never tried changing my hair colour (except a brief highlighting blip when I was 14), I’ve developed a slight addiction to bleaching my naturally black hair, lighter shades.

In the last 6 months I have bleached my hair four times and it’s now the perfect shade of dark blonde that I’ve been trying to achieve! But as anyone who has bleached their hair a couple of times can tell you, it requires work to ensure that your hair remains healthy, strong and protected.

Here, I’m sharing my hair care tips for bleached hair.

First, some background…

My natural hair colour is black and my hair type is greasy at the roots with dry lengths and ends which typically ends in a frizzy mess after washing. My hair texture is relatively straight with the underneath drying fairly wavy and curly in a few places. And my hair length is quite long, reaching to the small of my back.

Four bleachings later, and my hair is lighter, drier and frizzier than ever.

Tip #1: Oil treatments are your friend. I would recommend doing this twice a week if possible although I only manage to do it once a week, either Saturday or Sunday. I make my oil treatment day coincide with the day I am seeing my personal trainer - the reason being, once the oil is in your hair and you're sweaty (so your scalp is releasing heat), the oil will penetrate the hair shaft much deeper than it otherwise would.

I don’t necessarily always wash my hair on the same day that the two things happen above - but generally I try to make hair wash day the same day.

The oil itself does not need to be fancy - I am South Asian through and through, and I swear by the bog-standard KTC mustard oil which is available in most supermarkets, in the international aisle, for around £1 - £1.50.

Every weekend I massage this into my hair (warm it up in front of the heater first, don’t use it cold directly on to your head). Once the oil is in, the hair goes up in a messy bun or a plait, and off I go to the gym. Once I’m done, it’s hair wash time.

Tip #2: Don’t wash your hair too often. I only wash my hair once a week - this has been a habit since childhood so I never got caught up in the overwashing trap. Overwashing bleached hair will just leave it drier, frizzier and more brittle. Allow the natural oils of your hair to protect it throughout the week; just comb or brush through. If it’s getting to be a bit much, a messy bun or a sleek ponytail always works.

Tip #3: Purple Shampoo & Conditioner: always use conditioner. A purple shampoo/conditioner combo will prevent brassiness (when bleached hair looks red). There are a huge number of brands that offer purple shampoo at different price points - at the moment, I’m using the L’oreal shampoo and Fudge’s purple conditioner. Lather your hair in generous amounts of conditioner; I get in there with 3 pumps and fully coat the hair. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes before washing out.

Tip #4: Use a dry straight spray and a dry oil. I’m using the Colour Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Sealant which helps the hair to stay fairly straight when it’s brushed through the full length. I also spray two pumps of the Rituals Dry Oil VATA spray onto my hands and massage through damp hair.

Tip #5: Use a de-tangling brush / comb. I’m using the Tangle Teezer . It glides straight through without catching and pulling. You want hair care, not hair tear.

Tip #6: Leave your hair to dry naturally if you can. I try to limit the overall amount of heat I use on my hair so it generally dries naturally at the weekend and I straighten afterwards, once it’s dry.

Tip #7: After styling (or during) if you feel you need a bit more slip in the hair, spray another pump of the dry oil onto your hands and gently run your fingers through the lengths.