Last Updated on January 28, 2023 by Gaga
Platinum hair color is always on-trend. It looks sophisticated and suits every hair length and texture. However, achieving this wintery white color isn’t easy, especially if your hair is naturally dark. Plus, platinum is one of the highest maintenance colors. That’s why you need to be well-informed about what this color transformation means to you before you make a final decision.
To get the best results with the least amount of damage, you should schedule an appointment with a qualified professional. Fortunately, thanks to innovative hair products, maintaining healthy platinum hair today isn’t as tough as it used to be.
The Common Problems After Going Platinum
When you leave the salon with that wonderful white hair, be prepared to adjust your hair care regimen. You should start focusing on how to maintain the color of your dreams and how to keep your processed hair in good condition.
The most common problems after going platinum blonde include dryness, breakage, and unsightly yellow tones. Platinum hair is sensitive to external factors and can easily lose its shine if you don’t take appropriate care of it. Too much sun exposure and hard water in your bathroom can dull the color and leave unwanted yellow tones.
To prevent or minimize these unwanted changes, make sure to adapt your hair care routine and use the right products.
Woo With Shampoo: How to Wash Your Platinum Locks
1. Skip the Drip: Wash Your Hair Less Often
Frequent shampooing can dry out hair. Make sure to shampoo only when needed. Use a dry shampoo to remove excess oil and try not to shampoo your hair more than twice a week. Avoid using very warm water to wash your hair as heat can open the cuticle and increase friction. Use pre-shampoo treatments to reduce the drying effects of hair shampoos.
2. Use Mild Shampoos to Prevent Over-Drying
For hair that has been bleached to achieve platinum color, you should avoid sulfate-based shampoos, as they can further dry out lightened hair. Choose formulas that are designed for colored hair. Purchase a shampoo that has hydrating and strengthening properties. Bond-building shampoos such as Olaplex No.4 have reparative properties and can improve the condition of over-processed hair.
Use a rinse-out conditioner after every wash to minimize friction and breakage.
3. Use Purple Shampoo to Keep Platinum Hair from Turning Yellow
The simplest and most effective way to eliminate yellow tones is to include purple shampoo in your hair care routine. Purple shampoos contain violet pigments that eliminate yellow tones and boost the brightness of platinum hair. Use purple shampoo once a week or as needed. Keep it in your hair for a while to give it time to work. You can use it in combination with a purple conditioner. However, be careful not to overdo it as too much purple shampoo can leave a purple hue behind.
Related product: RUSK Deepshine Platinum Shampoo is designed to neutralize unwanted yellowish tones and boost the brightness of platinum-blonde hair.
Purple hair masks are also effective. In addition to a mild toning effect, they offer nourishing properties which are essential for bleached hair.
How to Keep Platinum Hair Healthy
To keep platinum hair in good condition, it’s important to protect it from harmful influences and to use quality hair care products.
1. Be Gentle
When towel drying your hair, avoid rubbing it and absorb any excess water with gentle movements. This will reduce hair loss and the possibility of breakage. Avoid cotton towels to dry your hair. A microfiber towel absorbs moisture faster, creates less friction, and shortens the time required for blow-drying.
Be gentle when brushing your hair as too frequent or vigorous brushing can increase the chances of breakage. Use a wide-tooth comb or gentle brush like Tangle Teezer or The Mason Pearson Hair Brush. Also, avoid hairstyles that pull on the hair such as slick ponytails and tight braids.
2. Reduce Heat Exposure
Too much heat exposure can easily damage the delicate platinum hair and lead to split ends and breakage. Use hot styling tools moderately and make sure to invest in high-quality appliances. When applying these devices, set them to a low temperature that’s suitable for delicate hair. Blow dryers and hair irons with tourmaline ceramic technology are the gentlest options for fragile platinum-blonde hair.
Finally, be sure to use a heat protection spray.
3. Use Bond Restoring Products
The Olaplex system has revolutionized the processes of hair bleaching and coloring. Today, there are many products aimed to prevent and minimize damage due to coloring. The widely used home care product is Olaplex No.3, which can now be used in combination with Olaplex 0. This product line for home use has now been expanded to include Olaplex shampoo and conditioner and bond smoother. If you find the Olaplex products expensive, ask your hairdresser to recommend a more affordable one that repairs damaged and broken bonds.
4. Leave and Believe: Use Leave-In Conditioner
Leave-in conditioners are designed to add hydration back into dry over-processed strands. They help with detangling, provide protection from heat, and add shine.
Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother is a styling cream formulated with bond-restoring ingredients. It eliminates frizz and flyaways and helps to improve the condition of your hair over time
5. Install a Shower Filter
By investing in a shower filter, you’ll proactively eliminate problems associated with hard water. Hard water makes hair dry and brittle and can dull its color. The filter prevents chlorine, minerals, and heavy metals from reaching your hair. These substances tend to build up in the hair, making it look dull and lifeless. A shower filter is a small investment that can noticeably improve the appearance of your platinum locks.
Touchy Subjects: How to Retouch Regrowth
Over time, your natural hair grows back, so you’ll need to retouch the roots to keep your platinum color even. The optimal time between root touch-up appointments depends on how fast your hair grows and is usually about 6 weeks. It’s best to leave this job to a professional colorist, especially if your natural color is dark. To minimize the damage your hairdresser will pre-lighten dark roots and apply the color only on the new growth without overlapping previously dyed hair.
Your stylist may suggest a trim to prevent split ends from progressing and keep your platinum locks looking healthy.
If you can’t go to the salon, use temporary root touch-up products to hide your regrowth. This will also help to prolong the time between salon visits and reduce the use of chemicals in your hair care routine.
I hope this blog removes some of your doubts in between your white outs!
Gaga is a blogger and founder of the Softer Hair website. She often says that insomnia is to blame for her first blogging attempts. Being the night owl, she hated the morning alarm. She left her office job and returned to what she loved most - writing.