Keep Bleached Hair Healthy With These Expert-Backed Tips

Alternate Your Shampoo and Conditioner

When it comes to recovering or maintaining the integrity of blonde hair, finding a happy and healthy medium between protein and moisture is the name of the game.

Alternating between moisture and protein—and not overdosing on either—is the most important thing for blondes, says hairs colorist, Tabitha Dueñas. This goes for youe hair at any stage, "no matter how long it’s been since your last appointment or how severe any damage is." Her ultimate shampoo ritual recommendation is to alternate "between a sulfate-free, protein-rich formula, and a sulfate-free, moisture-rich formula.”

Use Purple Shampoo

Not only is it hard to keep blonde hair healthy, but it’s also difficult to stave off that almost inevitable brassiness. If you’re on major damage control, a purple shampoo isn’t going to save your strands, but if your blonde hair is on the healthier side and you’re looking to maintain the tone as much as possible post-salon visit, consider adding a purple shampoo to the mix. Jut be careful of adding too much. Instead, use it once every few washes. We recommend the Kérastase Blond Absolu Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo as it softens, hydrates, and boosts volume in the hair.

Sleep On a Silk Pillowcase

Believe the hype you hear surrounding silk pillowcases because they truly make all the difference in maintaining your hair's integrity and preventing breakage. While the Slip Silk Pillowcase is an investment, it’s a worthy one where your hair is concerned, especially if you have super-lightened strands. Made from the highest-grade mulberry silk, this kind of pillowcase wins out over cotton cases as it lets your hair slip and slide instead of stretching, pulling, and breaking. Not only will your blowouts last longer, but you'll notice significantly fewer split ends and breakage over time.

Bet On a Bond Builder

Dueñas points out that at-home treatments and masks are of such high quality these days that going into the salon might not be completely necessary. She recommends asking your stylist to use Olaplex during the color process (No. 1 and No. 2 are done in-salon and help rebuild and reverse damage and breakage as your hair sits) and picking up a bottle of No. 3 to take home with you.

Don't Overdo the Bleach

“Overlapping the bleach is the most common reason for disastrous damage,” says Dueñas. She shares the importance of minding your hairline (where we have super-fine hairs) and being mindful of how long the color is sitting on each section of the hair, too.

Style With Care

This one might not come as a surprise, but it’s important nonetheless—be mindful of your ponytail habit. Not only can pulling a ponytail too tight (or wearing one to bed) cause breakage around the hairline, but it can also weaken the section of the hair that is secured with the tie.

Alternate Treatments

Apart from using Olaplex, incorporate a high-quality mask into your hair care regimen. Dueñas suggests alternating between a protein and moisture mask in lieu of your normal conditioner. We recommend Davines' Hair Building Pack which boasts a nourishing and reparative formula that leaves hair feeling soft and looking shiny.

Use Silk Hair Ties

Similar to using a silk pillowcase, silk hair ties are more gentle than traditional hair bands. Not only will they prevent creasing, allowing you to preserve your style, but they also cause less friction and therefore less breakage.

Don't Skip Haircuts

Dueñas highly recommends frequent trims to keep hair looking healthy. Her rule of thumb: Get a cut or trim immediately—or at least within a week—after getting your hair colored to seal the ends. Then make it a habit to go in about every eight weeks afterward.

“An analogy I always use about hair is that it’s like a rope. Once the ends have been torn or damaged, they’ll start to unravel. The same goes for your hair—once your ends are compromised, that damage will continue to work its way up the strand, and there’s really no product or remedy that can truly seal that," she says. "A cut is the only option.”

Stretch Out Washes With Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is particularly key in the first three weeks after your treatment, as the hair is already weak and susceptible to breakage and shampoo has the potential to strip the cuticle even more. Celebrity hairstylist, Sheridan Ward, recommends shampooing every three to four days, tops. So, as an alternative to traditional shampoo, dry shampoo can come in handy.

Keep up With the Conditioning

This doesn't mean you should abandon your haircare entirely. In fact, make up for your lack of shampoo with hydrating conditioners and masks. "The idea is to fill in the extra porosity of the hair with protein and moisture," says Danny Jelaca, a celebrity hairstylist, adding that it helps rebuild strength and add shine. The bottom line is that bleach leaves strands very dry, so don't skimp on a color-saving conditioner in the shower, such as Pureology's Hydrate Conditioner.

Use Multi-Tasking Formulas

When it comes to caring for damaged hair, a simple styling strategy will ultimately be in your hair’s best interest. Therefore, finding quality products that can kill two birds with one stone is key. To keep it simple, Dueñas recommends using Unite’s 7Seconds Detangler. “It does everything,” she says. “It gives shine, it detangles, it’s a heat protectant, and yet it’s lightweight enough so that it’s pretty impossible to overdo it. You can be quite liberal with it and it’s one of the best things you can put in your hair.”

Hair Oil is Your New Best Friend

You don't need a full DIY recipe to reap the benefits of natural beauty. Instead, opt for nourishing oils to nurse your bleached hair back to health. Look for ingredients such as Argan, almond, marula, and castor oils.

Be Patient

“If you have just received a lightening service and you’re not happy with the color or something needs to be adjusted, it’s best to wait at least a couple of weeks so that your hair can get a break—you just can’t highlight your hair so close together in time," says Dueñas. "Instead, wait it out and then go back and see what the options are for color adjustment without using bleach. There are plenty of ammonia-free options that can brighten or change the tone."

Use a Shower Filter

If you have blonde hair, water can be the most frustrating of enemies, thanks to grime, minerals, and chemicals that can expedite brassiness, dehydration, and breakage. But, installing a filter in your shower can help preserve your hair’s color and integrity, Nine Zero One offers one called the Raindrops Luxe, which boasts a thorough, six-step filtration system and an easy-breezy setup.

Opt For a No-Poo

If you absolutely must wash your hair in some form but find yourself reaching for the shampoo bottle way too often, it's time to invest in a natural, essential oil-based cleanser. You might know it by the name, "no-poo." It won't strip your hair in the same way a shampoo will. Instead, it balances out the oils on your head. We like Hairstory's New Wash Original

m as it does it all in one simple step.

Not all Towels are Created Equal

Investing in a microfiber towel is never a bad idea for any kind of hair (color-treated or untreated), since the ultra-soft, absorbent feel helps strands maintain their natural texture without frizzing or causing damage. But when your hair is especially at risk for breakage, it's essential. Just make sure to gently squeeze or scrunch your locks rather than rub them with the towel to prevent potential damage.

Tone it Up

It's helpful to use a purple shampoo and conditioner so your hair doesn't get brassy, but considering you'll be going days without washing your hair, you might also want to have something else on hand. Enter: IGK's Mixed Feelings Purple Drops that you can add to nearly any hair product for a little toning help. Put them in your conditioner, your mask, your leave-in treatment—wherever you can think of.

Stay Away From Heat

Using a straightener or curling on just-bleached hair is kind of like sunbathing when you already have a bad sunburn—you're exposing dry, vulnerable hair to even more damage. (In fact, it's wise to avoid direct sun exposure for two weeks post-bleach to protect hair). Air-drying is the best way to go, but we understand that's not always realistic. If you must use heat tools, repeat after us: I will use a heat protectant. We like Alterna's Caviar Bond Repair Leave-In Spray .

Turn Down the Heat

If you must use hot tools, make sure to only use the temperature your bleached hair can withstand. While many people believe that higher heat yields faster, longer-lasting results, most hair types only need to use medium heat when using hot tools.

Invest in a Gloss

By smoothing out rough cuticles and filling in any holes, a gloss will help to seal and protect your color and feign shine when your hair isn't healthy enough to reflect light on its own. Typically stylists will add a glossing treatment at the salon after coloring your hair, but you can also incorporate an at-home version such as Rita Hazan's True Color Ultimate Shine Gloss in between visits.

Watch Out for Environmental Aggressors

Chlorine, salt water, and pollution can all weaken delicate, bleached hair. If you're hopping in a pool or the ocean and don't have a cap, drench your hair in untreated, unsalted water beforehand so your strands absorb that moisture versus more damaging water. You can also add in a healthy-for-your-hair mask for extra benefits.

Add a Little Shine

Revive dull, brittle hair with the help of a shine spray or serum. It'll make hair look healthier, shinier, and will make it feel softer. We recommend the Moroccanoil Treatment Original as it works overtime to nourish brittle strands while giving them megawatt. shine.