How to save your bleached hair

At Queens, many students are blonde—and not naturally blonde.

I’m no exception. I’ve spent countless hours of my life sitting in a salon chair bleaching every last healthy cell out of my head to turn my dark hair to a light buttery blonde. I got to know split ends and damaged hair very well.

Rather than going back to my natural color like any sane person would, I’ve put together the best routine for maintaining a bleached look while prioritizing hair health.

Seven, eight, repair

When my stylist scolded me for my damaged hair, she encouraged me to buy products to fix what I’ve broken so badly. I originally thought their intentions were simply to make a profit, but after some persuasion I gave in and bought them – and I’m so happy I did.

The Olaplex No. 8 Bond intensive moisturizing mask saved my hair. Intended for weekly use, this mask is made with highly concentrated binding chemicals that repair broken hair and intensely hydrate any dryness. Apply while your hair is damp, leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse. As simple as that.

Not only can I feel the difference in my hair, I can actually see it – and so can my stylist after using it for four months.

I combine this mask with the Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil. It is a styling oil that adds shine to your hair while controlling frizz and repairing damaged hair.

All it takes is a few drops on your hand and you run it through your styled hair – not so much at your roots as at your ends. It supports protection and style.

If you are serious about working on repairing your damaged hair, these two products are my first suggestions. After using both I have seen a huge difference in my hair and you will too.

Fall in love with Kevin Murphy

Reset the basics: shampoo and conditioner.

Kevin Murphy’s Repair-Me Shampoo and Conditioner will be your new best friend. They are rich in amino acids and proteins that focus on moisturizing your hair, as well as a variety of botanical extracts that help strengthen damaged hair.

The downside to Murphy’s products is their higher price – although your consistent bleaching is more expensive. So more expensive shampoo with healthier hair, or split ends and bad detergents making it worse? Choose your battles, my friends.

Be your own stylist

Your biggest enemy is heat styling products. I know everyone wants to look their best every day, but you can achieve this without constantly straightening or frizzing your hair.

Instead, create a hair washing schedule that requires no more than 3 wet hair days per week.

In fact, washing your hair too often will strip it of moisture and regain oil faster. Washing your hair less often keeps it more hydrated, less greasy, and gives you less reason to blow-dry and use heat styling tools.

On days without shampooing, check out easy hairstyles on Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok so you can avoid applying heat. Simple styles like a low bun, a high ponytail, or two braids are perfect day three hairstyles that don’t require heat and still look amazing.

If you’re going to dance with the devil, at least do it right

I can’t convince you not to heat style your hair every once in a while – we all do. I only ask that you use the safeguards that prevent extreme damage.

Goldwell Stylesign’s Just Smooth Heat Shield is your lifesaver. A few spritzes before blow-drying is crucial, but if like me you’re doing your best to avoid damage, give your hair a few more spritzes before straightening or curling.

Finally, buy the right styling tools. A flat iron or hair curler that doesn’t work well and causes you to go over your hair more than once is not going to aid in hair regeneration. If you apply heat, make sure you do it in one go. One straightening iron that really gets the job done is the Mint Cosmo straightening iron.

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While we should probably unpack our desire to change our looks rather than get the artificial color, it’s important to keep your hair healthy.

Make the changes to improve the health of your hair. Trust me, both you and your barber will be happy.