Your hair won't be pristine, but you can still keep it in pretty good condition. So now, let’s talk about me for a sec. % of people told us that this article helped them. This process is very quick, so if you blink, you’ll miss it. Here is what bleach does to hair. References. But there are ways of doing it to minimise the damage, and I think my hair is proof of this. You can tell in some of the pictures that they were pretty short. When washing, use sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners so your bleached hair doesn't turn brassy. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. Start combing through the tips and slowly work your way up. Remember the three primary colors that make every other color are blue, red and yellow. Lemon juice is one of the best natural bleaches for hair. It will take longer to process than 30 or 40V, but healthy hair is more of a priority than speed. Also, do I have to get a trim every six weeks? If you don’t have access to professional products, Sally Beauty Supply sells some pretty legit toners. The higher the level, the faster it works and more lift you will get, but it’s also more damaging. This is because shampoo strips your natural oils really bad. You want a mask that will deeply hydrate your hair and give it an injection of moisture and life when it's starting to feel a little dry. If you are just bumming around home, who cares what your hair looks like? This article has been viewed 58,251 times. Through these experiences we have compiled a good amount of tips that will help you avoid the snapping, stretchy, and brittle dryness bleach can cause. If you want to really know how to keep bleached hair healthy, know that you are going to need some good products. Especially when your hair is wet, you should use a wide tooth comb to gently comb through it. It’s possible to make your hair shiny and beautiful, even when it’s been bleached quite extensively, just by applying a home treatment to your tresses. The strength of your hair has been compromised by the bleach. If you wear your hair in the exact same ponytail every day, on the exact same place on your head, the rubber band will start to cause breakage. Well if you over-process your hair, the cuticle won’t lay back down, which leaves the hair dull and susceptible to more damage. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. Hair that has been lightened is really porous like a sponge. Blondes seriously have more fun… or at least that’s what I usually tell everybody. After you've bleached your hair, you should to do a protein treatment to strengthen your hair. If you have bleached your hair too many times and it’s starting to break, I have all the answers right here. I try to go as long as possible in between processes to give it time to heal. [ su_highlight] The only way to go back to your natural hair color is to let it grow. There is no guarantee that you can return to your original shade of blonde." The higher the level, the faster it works and more lift you will get, but it’s also more damaging. He has been cutting, styling, and coloring hair for over 17 years. Where can I find purple shampoo that's not from a salon? If you find that it tones your hair too much, simply use a clarifying shampoo the next time you wash your hair to strip out the toner. Unlike our brunette friends, a good bleach job requires lifting and using stronger peroxides so I therefore would never advise doing it yourself. A really good leave-in conditioner for bleached hair is the It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-in Plus Keratin. “The changed chromophore molecules either reflect no color or a color outside the visible spectrum. Most people know that bleaching chemically relaxed hair is very risky, as it’s putting chemicals on top of chemicals. Otherwise, you can find protein treatments in the haircare section of a supermarket. This article was co-authored by Michael Van den Abbeel. Next, the red molecules start to come out. It basically works by penetrating the hair cortex and removing all color pigment. Since you are using a low peroxide, and only processing it for a short time, it won’t be too damaging. One fine example is an olive oil hair treatment. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Here are some super useful tips on how to keep bleached hair healthy. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. If you bleached your hair at a salon, ask the stylist to do the treatment afterward. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Let’s talk about how to keep bleached hair healthy! If you really want to learn how to keep bleached hair healthy, you’ll have to try some of these. However, keep in mind that it’s not going to take your hair from orange to white. If your hair starts looking really yellow or dull, a toner will freshen it right up. After bleach has compromised the strength of your hair strands, chlorine can compound the issue and make your hair even weaker. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. I can’t even count how many times I started with platinum blonde hair, colored my hair black, just to go back to blonde again, and back and forth. If you haven’t heard of Olaplex yet, you really should. This article has been viewed 58,251 times. A-Bleaching lasts 6 months.B-Bleaching lasts a year.C-Bleaching is permanent.The correct answer, in case you still have doubts, is C. Bleaching is permanent. I recommend a high protein shampoo/conditioner system like Joico Kpak. Heat damage, like that caused by a blow-dryer, curling iron or flat-iron, wreaks havoc on everyone’s hair, but especially bleached hair. The first step is determining if your hair is healthy enough to bleach. It’s called a soap cap or color balancer. It just adds a tiny bit of purple pigment to neutralize the yellow. It looks healthy now, but believe me, it went through some tough times. In fact, learning how to keep bleached hair healthy and soft will be very empowering. This shampoo is meant to keep blonde hair looking fresh. This is important because if you don’t trim the split ends, you are gonna end up with major breakage. You need to be extra gentle when dealing with your hair, otherwise, you will break it. Yes, the aftermath of what my friends and I refer to as “the bleach apocalypse of 2013” may have been a traumatizing mess, but thanks to a trusted arsenal of products, rituals, hair goddesses—and, yes, a few healthy trims—my locks are back in tip-top shape. Purple and yellow are on opposite sides of the color wheel, which means they are complementary colors, which means they neutralize each other. The harsh truth is that the more frequently you bleach, the more bonds are broken, which has an effect on the appearance of your hair. In today’s world, roots are actually pretty popular. However, it doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom. It has to do with a build-up of minerals and other stuff that goes into your hair. This way, your hair doesn’t get too dark, and you can use that as a base color and gradually lighten your hair later. "By adding a purple shampoo to pale blonde hair, you're going to cancel out any yellow tones and get a more icy blonde.". Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Deep conditioners penetrate further into the hair shaft to help repair the damage, rather than just coating it. If you have relaxed, straightened, or chemically-treated hair, Yates says to avoid bleaching. Go to a good Salon. In between washes, try using dry shampoo to refresh your hair and keep it from getting greasy. There are different levels of peroxide. If it becomes damaged, the inside will get damaged too. It’s been blonde for about a year and a half now. If you absolutely must style your hair, always make sure to use a heat protecting spray. It’s hard to keep bleached hair healthy if you are constantly damaging it. Try using a heat protecting spray or cream. You can buy purple shampoo at beauty supply stores and online shops. Is it the same? I like platinum blonde so I use a purple based platinum toner. If your bleached hair is blond at the roots but orange or red at the ends, you could apply a chocolate brown color. Wella (which is one of the top brands that sells to the general public) makes a good toner that I would recommend. Which shampoo and conditioner would you reccomend? These oxygen molecules break up the chemical bonds of chromophores, the parts of molecules responsible for color. In the meantime, you can prepare your hair by nursing it back to health. The second thing you can do in between processes is to tone your hair. A color balancer is when you mix bleach, 5V developer and clarifying shampoo. The last part of the process removes some of the yellow pigments, which results in a pale yellow. Girls with bleached hair have some unique problems, but all of those can be resolved with the right care. However, by taking the proper steps, you can keep your hair healthy, hydrated and looking its best if you do decide to go lighter. The final thing you can do is probably the best way to freshen up your hair but also the most damaging. If you are just applying bleach to the new virgin hair, it will be fine. It is expensive, but it will really help your hair. My hair is bleached, as you can probably tell, but I take pretty good care of it with moisturizing treatments, Aveda products and protein. You definitely shouldn’t wash your hair every day in the state it’s in. I’ll love you forever if you share it with your friends on your favorite social media website! You do not have to get a trim every 6 weeks. If your hair is dry or damaged, try waiting a month or two before you bleach it. I’m just happier with blonde hair. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By making sure that the color used is compatible with the color you have already will prevent unfortunate results. Now that I have made the mistake of over-processing my hair, I want you to learn from it. After a few weeks of using just protein shampoo/conditioner, I would start to alternate it with a moisturizing duo. Generally, repairing extremely damaged hair back to its original health status requires some patience as it can take somewhere between 5 month to 1 year. Managing bleached hair and keeping its natural healthy state can be super hard if you don't have the right products. I’d love to read your feedback in the comments section below…. Hair lightening goes through a series of phases. Or maybe let your hair air dry (I like to just blow dry my roots for volume and let the rest dry). The first component of hair lightener is an alkaline, which lifts up the “scales” of the hair cuticle to allow the next step to happen. Yes, just apply what the article says to the portion of your hair that was bleached. Bleach damages hair, there is no escaping this. I realized after a while, that I am happiest when I have bleached hair. I probably do this about once every two months. Remember that the cuticle’s purpose is to act as a barrier and protect what’s on the inside of the hair. It deposits keratin right into your hair, which is needed for healthy hair. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 58,251 times. It will add a layer of protection to help the hair cuticle withstand heat. At one point, I completely fried all of my bangs off. Also be aware that wearing braids, especially tight ones, in the same place every day will do the same thing. I seriously wash my hair like once a week. Heat-styling tools, like blow dryers, flat irons, and curling irons, dry out your hair and can cause damage. The first thing you can try is purple shampoo, which is formulated for blonde hair. Just remember that the oils are good, and if you don’t need to wash your hair, don’t do it. Hair toner is similar to purple shampoo, but a bit stronger. And since your hair is already weak, you should try to alternate where you place your ponytail every day. Bleached hair really only needs 20V to process (unless you are trying to bleach black colored hair, then you will probably need 40V). To keep your bleached hair healthy and happy, make sure you're washing it every 3 days with a sulfate-free purple shampoo. However, the longer you wait, the more your ends will split and the more your hair will look damaged. Bleach doesn’t just strip the color molecules in your hair… it also strips the protein, vitamins, and moisture. If you want to keep bleached hair healthy, it’s a good idea to stick with lower level peroxide. The more you apply bleach to the same area, the more damaged it gets. Healthy Hair Bleach Q: I had healthy and well over shoulder length brown hair and a couple of years ago I decided to become a blonde because my boyfriend repeatedly asked me to do so. These are skills that have taken us years to perfect, knowing how to keep the hair in its best condition, and any mistakes you make may be harder to fix in the long run. I only did the bottom half of my hair. So will doing protein treatments when you lighten, and handling your hair incredibly gently. Sometimes, I will even sleep with it in my hair. I used to wear a headband just to hold them down every day, so they didn’t stick up. Fortunately, with the right products and techniques, you can easily keep your bleached hair healthy and beautiful. It’s like the body’s natural conditioner. Unlike other oils like argan (which can be tinged yellow and stain bleached hair) or coconut oil (which has a hard time penetrating the follicle), Dueñas tells me that marula oil has the unique capability of penetrating deep into the hair’s cuticle for ultimate healing and repair. If you don’t have time to read the entire thing now, pin it for later! When styling, what can you use on your blonde hair before using a flat iron? The shade of toner you should use depends on what type of blonde hair you want. For example, if your now bleached hair has a yellow tone, and you plan to use a haircolor that has a blue base color, you could end up with greenish tint to the finished hair color. If you have long hair and you don’t want to cut it down, there are numerous things you will need to do, but they are quite involving. Lightening or bleaching your hair, takes a heavy toll, especially when you have curly hair. This process causes hair damage, and for the same reason, your hair needs to be in a healthy condition to be bleached (1). If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Your scalp produces natural oil, as you may already know, which is good for hair that has been damaged by bleach. Meghan's hair is bleached … Just try to minimize it as much as possible. Personally I've been bleaching my hair platinum blond and light beach blond for years now and I can tell you my hair hasn't been healthy since. Now you know exactly how to keep bleached hair healthy! Lightening slowly, over time, will help keep off some of the damage. Take Care of Bleached Hair Dealing with bleached blonde hair requires specific care, upkeep, and maintenance in order to keep hair healthy and blonde hair, well, blonde. Like I just said, your hair is not as strong as virgin hair…. Once a week, apply a hair mask to add more moisture to your hair. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. I am constantly reconditioning my hair in between processes. https://www.self.com/story/sulfate-free-shampoo, http://stylecaster.com/beauty/blonde-hair/, https://www.beautyandtips.com/hairtips/10-tips-on-how-to-take-care-of-bleached-hair/, https://myawesomebeauty.com/how-to-repair-bleached-hair-fast/, https://www.hercampus.com/school/oneonta/how-take-care-bleached-hair, http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/news/a13859/silk-pillowcase-hair-and-skin/, garder les cheveux décolorés en bonne santé, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The alkaline is mixed with an oxidizing agent, which allows it to penetrate deep in the hair shaft to the area where color molecules hang out. If you want to keep bleached hair healthy, it’s a good idea to stick with lower level peroxide. Don’t ever rip a brush through your hair. I usually just use conditioner when I am in the shower to freshen up my hair. You ideally want to start with healthy hair before bleaching. 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