Care and Maintenance Tips for Bleached Hair

Have you recently dyed your hair, or at least thinking about taking the leap?

I’m not going to lie. It’s a lot of hard work, but all the work required to keep up with your new hair is totally necessary to not only ensure that the color is looking the best it possibly could, but also to maintain the health of your locks. Hair makeovers are fun, but hair health always come first.

Without further ado, here are all the tips to keep your bleached hair as beautiful and healthy as possible:

Use tinted shampoo & conditioner

Do you ever notice your bleached hair turning into red and orange tones over time? That’s a sign that you’re using the wrong shampoo. Unless they’re specifically for color treated hair, most shampoos tend to strip dyes, turning your hair brassy, whether you bleached your hair blonde or brunette. To avoid those brassy tones, you need to use a tinted shampoo and conditioner. For those with blonde hair or highlights, purple shampoo and conditioner are the way to go. And then for those brunettes, blue products will maintain the brown.

Wash your hair less

Regardless if you have the right shampoo and conditioner, the best way of maintaining the vibrancy of your bleached hair is actually washing it less. Not only does it prevent you from washing out your color, it also lessens the need to heat style your locks. So feel free to delay your washes and use some dry shampoo when your hair is looking a little too greasy. The natural oils are good for you, but the greasy look is a little off putting. You can also go for a high bun or ponytail to hide the fact you haven’t washed your hair in a couple of days.

Invest in a good hair oil

Bleaching leaves your hair really dry, so your hair can use all the extra hydration it can get. While weekly deep conditioning treatments are recommended to restore any lost hydration, you can also apply a hair oil as part of your shower ritual. Most people will apply the hair oil after the shower, but it also works as a pre-shower treatment, as it adds extra moisturizing elements to the shampoo.

Protect your hair from the sun

Just as the sun can change the pigment of your skin, the same happen can happen to your hair. And with your hair being lighter and all, it’s much more susceptible to the darkening effects of UV rays. Thus, when you’re out in the sun, remember to wear a hat.

If you’re not much of a hat person, you can also buy sunscreen specifically for hair. That way, you can spend time outdoors without worrying about your hair changing color once you go back inside. Just remember to reapply every hour or so.

Don’t forget your heat protectant

It goes without saying that a heat protectant is necessary for heat styling, whether you’ve bleached your hair or never dyed it in your life. But it becomes that much more important when your tresses are significantly lighter. Bleaching itself is already pretty traumatic for your locks, and may become more prone to breakage if they aren’t protected properly from the potential damage of heat styling.

Experiment with no-heat styles

Or better yet, if you want to step back on all the blow drying, curling and straightening, there’s always the option of no-heat styling. There are tons of tutorials out there, and with the help of braids, socks, t-shirts and headbands, you can essentially leave your hair to set overnight to cut down the time you normally need to get ready in the morning.

Add some shine to your hair

Glossy, shiny hair is much more evident on brunettes, so when you go lighter, the color tends to look a little more matte and flat. To bring that healthy shine back, consider finishing your hair with a shine spray. Bleached hair requires a lot of maintenance, if you haven’t noticed already, but the results are totally worth it if you take care of your hair properly.

For more hair care and other beauty tips, feel free to visit our section on beauty guides and reviews.