How to Keep Your Bleached Hair in Good Condition

The bleaching process can have negative effects on your hair’s health, leaving your strands fragile and susceptible to split ends and breakage.

To prevent further damage and an unwanted haircut, you need to take special care of your processed blonde hair. Below are some effective tips on how to handle regular bleaching/coloring sessions and keep your blonde hair in good condition.

After washing, don’t rub your hair with a towel, as this will roughen up the hair cuticle, causing tangles, frizz, and breakage. Instead, use a soft microfiber hair towel to pat dry your hair and soak up excess water without causing friction and damage.

Allow your hair to air dry as often as possible. Avoid excess brushing, as bleached hair is not strong enough to withstand too much manipulation without breaking off. Also, limit the use of hot styling tools. Use a heat protectant and keep your dryer in the lowest heat setting.

a sensual woman with bleach damaged hair

Before swimming in a pool, make sure to wet your hair with non-chlorinated water and wear a swimming cap. This way your hair will soak up fewer chemicals from the pool water. Also, make sure to rinse your hair soon after swimming.

Sunlight may escalate dryness and turn your hair brassy. Cover your head with a hat when spending long periods in the sun. Use sunscreen spray to protect your locks from overdrying and to prevent color fading.

Best Products for Bleached Hair

1. Shampoo and Conditioner for Bleached Hair

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To prevent overdrying, don’t shampoo immediately after a bleaching session. Instead, condition hair to get back some of its natural moisture. Wait a few days before going back to your regular washing routine and make sure to use a good moisturizing and sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.

Your lightened hair needs products packed with natural, highly moisturizing ingredients. Use products that are specially designed for dry, colored, or damaged hair. Avoid shampoos and conditioners that contain sulfates, as sulfate-based cleansers can be very harsh on fragile processed hair.

To retain moisture inside the hair, avoid frequent shampooing. Overwashing can strip the hair of its natural, protective oils and leave it feeling dry and brittle. Wash your hair no more than twice a week to allow the natural oils to form a protective coating around hair strands. Use conditioner generously every time you wash your hair.

Always use lukewarm water, as hot water can dry out your locks and make the color fade faster. If your hair feels greasy, use a dry shampoo to stretch out the time between washes.

To prevent the drying effects of frequent shampooing and to bring your hair back to its healthy condition, consider a pre-shampoo treatment. Many pre-wash formulas are made to preserve moisture and restore the elasticity and softness of your dry, overly-porous hair.

Olaplex Bond Maintenance Shampooir?t=softerhair 20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07D37PQGL and Conditioner set is formulated to repair bonds within the hair to undo the damage from chemical treatments and protect overly processed hair from further damage. This helps restore internal strength and reduce hair breakage after multiple bleaching/coloring sessions. This shampoo and conditioner set also eliminates frizz, improves manageability, and enhances hair shine.

beautiful blonde woman with healthy bleached hair

2. Purple Shampoos for Bleached Hair

Bleached hair is quite porous and prone to discoloration and turning brassy soon after coloring. To get rid of yellow undertones and combat unwanted brassiness, you need to use a purple toning shampoo once a week. Here are some good products that can be of great help.

Pravana The Perfect Blonde Purple Toning Hair Shampooir?t=softerhair 20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01DFK47EQ is a highly pigmented and very effective purple shampoo formulated to counteract yellow and brassy tones in lightened blonde hair. This sulfate-free purple shampoo gently removes excess oil and enhances brightness and shine, while keeping your blonde locks brass-free.

To prolong the time between coloring sessions, use temporary color products. The gentlest way to refresh the color of your bleached hair or temporary color very lightened hair is to use color-depositing shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, and hair color rinses.

3. Hair Masks for Bleached Hair

Regular deep conditioning will compensate for the loss of moisture, rebuild hair strength, and restore its original sheen and softness. To maintain softness and elasticity, make sure to deep condition your hair once a week.

1. Mon Platin Professional Black Caviar Total Blonde Hair Mask for blonde, bleached, or lightened hair is formulated to deeply condition, hydrate, detangle, and revive hair damaged by bleaching, coloring, and other chemical treatments.

2. amika The Kure Intense Repair Maskir?t=softerhair 20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07H33XCTK is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids, that repair damage from frequent bleaching and make hair stronger, shinier, and more manageable. It is free of harsh ingredients and is safe for color-treated and keratin-treated hair.

4. Leave-In Conditioners

You need to be especially gentle when combing your hair.  A few drops of moisturizing leave-in conditioner applied to damp hair help untangle strands and keep the breakage to a minimum. A good leave-in conditioner also provides the right amount of hydration to dry, overworked hair and may offer protection from the sun.

5. Protein Fillers

A protein filler is another must-have product if you regularly lighten your hair. This hair-repairing treatment will make your over-processed and porous hair feel healthy and smooth again.

Pureology Strength Cure Best Blonde Miracle Filler ir?t=softerhair 20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07GBGYJFTis a daily leave-in treatment for highlighted blonde hair. This product claims to make salon blonde hair 78% stronger with continuous use while making a noticeable difference after the first application. It works as a detangler, adds volume to fine hair, and reduces frizzing.

The Keravis –a vegetable protein in the formula, fills in gaps in hair’s cuticle, leaving your overprocessed, brittle hair feeling softer and healthier. The filler should be applied to damp hair before blow-drying and styling.

fashion blonde girl wearing a ponytail

6. Bond Multipliers

Olaplex Hair Perfector

Olaplex Step No 1 Bond Multiplier added directly to the lightener before application helps prevent damage during the bleaching process.

Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 ir?t=softerhair 20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00SNM5US4 helps reverse damage from chemical processing and protects hair from further damage and breakage. It is suitable for use at home between coloring seasons. Use this product once a week to rebuild and reconnect broken disulfide bonds and keep your hair strong and healthy.

Apply Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 to towel-dried hair, comb it through, and leave it in the hair for at least 10 minutes. The treatment can be left on the hair for longer periods to provide even better results, but it must be shampooed and rinsed out of the hair due to some chemical compounds in its formula.

Bonding systems are gaining popularity as more and more people are playing with trendy colors and need protection from damage during their color adventures.

Having such potent damage-repairing products doesn’t mean that you should stop caring about harsh environmental factors that can work against your hair health.

A beautiful blonde woman with healthy hair wearing a hat