Revive and Repair Bleach Damaged Hair

If there’s one way to completely transform the way you look, it’s by changing your hair colour. If you’re bored with your current look and want to try something new, there are shelves and shelves of products in any grocery store, allowing you to switch up your look without breaking the bank. And for the most part, home dyes these days are very good- the actual colour you get will depend a lot on the starting colour and condition of your hair, but it is possible to achieve fantastic results. However, there’s one hair product you should always be cautious of dabbling in, and that’s bleach.

It’s incredibly powerful and in the wrong hands can cause disastrous results. It can quite simply fry the hair, leaving it so weak it literally starts snapping off (sometimes even right at the root). Plus, you’re probably not going to be able to achieve a good colour if you don’t know what you’re doing. Bleached hair generally takes a lot of colour correcting with different toners, to balance the yellow and orange tones that come from lifting a darker hair colour. If you have experimented with bleach and it’s gone wrong, chances are you’re looking to get your hair back to a reasonable condition as quickly as possible. Here’s what you need to do!

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Have a Trim

If the bleach has fried the ends of your hair, there’s nothing you can do to revitalise them. All of the conditioning treatments in the world won’t bring them back to good health. And to make matters worse, the ends continue to split making the rest of your hair weaker. Your first step is to have a trim, get rid of the dead and brittle hair so you can work on repairing the rest. Depending on the extent of the damage, this might be quite a bit. But it’s better to let it go than hang onto irreparably damaged hair, which will only break off eventually anyway.

Stop Shampooing

Even with the worst of the damage removed, bleached hair is very delicate and prone to damage. Even shampoo can make matters worse- since it removes product from the hair it’s always going to be slightly drying, even moisturising varieties. You might feel like you have no choice but to shampoo your hair to keep it clean, but actually, there is another option. Wash your hair using just conditioner– it can feel strange at first but surprisingly it does leave your hair clean, and you avoid anything that’s going to weaken it further.

Ditch The Heat

Another thing you need to quit immediately if your hair is bleach damaged is heat styling. Curling wands and straighteners should be way off limits, but even blow dryers shouldn’t be used until your hair is manageable again. Every time you add any kind of heat to your hair, it dries it further (for this reason, you shouldn’t wash your hair with hot water either) so be gentle with it. Bleached hair is very porous meaning it holds onto more water when it’s wet, for this reason, it will take longer than it used to when you air dry it. Something to bear in mind if you wash your hair in the evening, you don’t want to be going to bed with it still damp!

Go Gentle on Styling

Another damaging practice, especially when your hair is already fragile is heavy styling. Comb through very gently, ideally, use a gentle detangling brush like a Tangle Teezer. Avoid pulling or tugging at the hair or putting it into any style that’s too tight. Styles such as braids and buns can help to further protect your hair from the elements and more damage.

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Use The Right Products

Using the right products is essential when it comes to reviving bleach damaged hair. You need lots of rich, hydrating and nourishing products to help inject some life back into it. One of the first things to try is a protein treatment, you can buy expensive bottles of this from beauty supply stores, but it’s also easy to make your own. Whisk up two eggs with some extra virgin olive oil and avocado and apply to dry hair. Wrap your hair with cling film or a plastic bag, and the heat from your head will help the hair shaft to open up and the mask to get right inside. Leave for around twenty minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Since too much protein in the hair can actually have the opposite effect of what you’re after and make it brittle, it’s important to wait four weeks before going again. It’s also critical that protein treatments are followed up by conditioners. Speaking of conditioners, these are absolutely vital to adding moisture back to your hair. Invest in some deep conditioning masks and use them two to three times a week. Another useful product to have in your arsenal is hair oil. Extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil can both be useful, or you could try babassu oil. This is derived from the the fatty seeds of the babassu palm, found in the Amazon rainforest. It has been used as a beauty oil for centuries, but the effects are now becoming more widely known. When you’re not going anywhere, slick your hair with the oil of your choice and leave it to sit. There’s no denying that you will look greasy, but it will do your hair the world of good! You could also buy a post- wash oil. These are far lighter and can be applied to the lengths and ends after washing to seal in moisture and protect from further damage.

Nourish From The Inside Out

As well as protecting your hair from the outside, you could work on nourishing from the inside too. Eating the right foods and staying hydrated will ensure new hair growth is strong and healthy. It can even speed up growth if you’ve lost a good number of inches due to having the dead ends cut this is always going to be beneficial. There are lots of great, healthy ingredients which can help with this, you can also take vitamins too. There are vitamins that are formulated for hair, skin and nails or you could stick with a multivitamin. Biotin tablets and prenatal vitamins have both been shown to be useful for hair growth, so could be worth a try.

In Future, Leave It To The Professionals!

When you’re adding colour to your hair with box dyes, there’s not too much that can go wrong. But when you’re bleaching and taking that colour away, you need to know what you’re doing. In future, just leave it to the professionals. Save up some money and pay a hairdresser who knows exactly what volume developer your hair needs, how to lift the colour without damage and how to colour correct any brassiness. If your hair is very dark or has lots of layers of dark hair dye, then it may need doing in shades, but they will be able to advise you of the process they plan on using and the cost. Lots of people like to start by having highlights added and then have more and more added over the space of months. This allows you to lighten your hair gradually, keep it in good condition and you can stop when you feel it’s light enough.

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“Have you ever ruined your hair with home bleaching kits? What did you do to bring your locks back up to full health?”