Bleached blonde hair never goes out of style and is a great look all year round. But regardless of how much fun blonde hair can be, it’s difficult to maintain a bleached mane, especially when you’ve got naturally dark hair and are regularly lightening your hair. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to care for your blonde hair properly and keep that healthy shine.
1. Why does bleached hair tend to break more easily?
When you’re applying bleach onto the hair, the chemicals break down structural proteins inside the hair fiber. This can make the hair weak and render it prone to breakage. Bleaching damages the surface of the hair and that process cannot be restored. However, there are things you can do to boost hair health and avoid further breaking.
2. Avoid over-washing
Although it may seem like a good idea to wash dry hair more often, the process actually strips more moisture from the hair shaft. That’s because many shampoos contain sulfates which dry out hair. Keep hair washing to every three to four days and purchase a good, high quality shampoo. Because washing also strips the color, you may want to opt for a color-preserving shampoo.
3. Use a deeply nourishing conditioner
Hair loves moisture! Deep conditioning treatments are a must for bleached heads. Masks and special conditioners should be left on a little longer than recommended to replenish lost moisture. You can also make your own DIY hair masks to treat damage. One simple dry hair hack includes applying some olive oil to split ends.
4. Give your nutritional choices an upgrade
Besides making some general healthy lifestyle changes to boost your overall health, eating a balanced diet is among the most important things you can do to keep hair growing strong. Focus on some of the essential micro and macro nutrients to restore damaged hair including proteins, biotin, iron, omega-3, vitamins B, C and A and zinc. Foods such as eggs, green vegetables like spinach, legumes, berries and citrus fruit, seeds, nuts and carrots are all great choices to incorporate in your diet.
5. Minimize heat exposure
Heat is the enemy of bleached hair. Try to avoid blow drying stressed hair or using straighteners as these could damage your hair further. It’s best to allow bleached hair to air-dry. You may also want to swap your cotton towel for a microfiber one as these tend to cause less friction when drying wet hair. If you cannot avoid a blow dry, apply a heat protection spray to minimize further damage.