Blonde hair is definitely more fun- trust me! I’ve been a blonde for the better part of the last 19 years. I started highlighting my hair when I was 9, and except for a bad decision involving a box of red hair dye a few years ago, I’ve been a blonde ever since. However, keeping your blonde hair healthy, shiny, and free of tangles and breakage is decidedly NOT fun in the slightest- in fact, it’s a lot of hard work!
I’ve had a long journey to finding a good hair care routine. Back in high school, my hair was incredibly curly and frizzy. Remember The Princess Diaries before Anne Hathaway got her iconic makeover? Yep, that was me. In fact, my hair was so terrible I was cast in a hair commercial in high school to play “Bad Hair Girl.” I literally had to stare into a mirror and look sad, then look at a hair product, smile, and suddenly I magically had hair that didn’t look like I was recently electrocuted! (That commercial did wonders for my fragile high school self-esteem, let me tell you).
I had what was undeniably a fro. I washed my hair daily. To manage my curls, I spent almost 45 minutes detangling my hair after showering. Sometimes, I couldn’t detangle my curls on my own! There were a few times my mom had to help comb through my mats. I tried every product imaginable, from salon grade to whatever random brand I found in the men’s section of Walmart. I even tried chemically relaxing my hair, which had almost no effect whatsoever (besides making my wallet a few hundred dollars lighter, which for a college student, sucked major donkey balls).
As an adult, I had almost the opposite problem. Instead of having too much unmanageable hair, I had too little. I started to lose a considerable amount of hair when I was 22 years old due to stress, poor nutrition, and medical problems. At one point, I lost almost all of my eyebrows and I had a few bald patches on my head. Thankfully I was able to turn my health around and manage my nutrition better. Unfortunately, my hair grew back thin and very prone to breakage.
Now that I’m almost 28, I’ve finally (finally!) figured out how to deal with my hair without spending hours cursing at my hairbrush. Here are my blonde hair care tips and tricks. Hopefully they save you as much time and frustration as they have me!
Washing + Drying your Hair
Washing your hair too often can strip your hair of its natural oils. This can have many negative effects including, but not limited to:
- Dry hair
- A dry, flaky scalp
- If you dye your hair, fading color. If you bleach your hair, it can make your hair too brassy.
- Frizziness and lack of shine
- Split ends
Want to avoid all of those side effects? Try washing your hair less often! You’ll need to experiment a little to figure out what’s best for you and your hair type. I’ve found that washing my hair every 3-4 days works best for me depending on my activity level and the weather. Ever since I stopped washing my hair every day, I’ve found that my hair is shiner, has more moisture, and even grows faster!
When washing my hair, I alternate between three different shampoos. (I know, I’m extra like that). My “usual” shampoo is Olaplex No. 4. It’s a highly moisturizing, gentle shampoo which does a great job of leaving your hair healthy, lustrous, and full of shine. However, it doesn’t work as well if your scalp is oily, so it’s not the best choice if you’re several days in between washes. In that case, try using a small amount of OGX Biotin + Collagen Shampoo. It contains a lot of nutrients that leave your hair shiny and healthy, but it does a better job of breaking up oils than Olaplex, which is perfect for greasy hair.
Near the end of “dye cycles”, aka when I haven’t gotten my roots touched up in a few weeks, I start to work a purple shampoo into my routine to help tone up my color. This prevents my hair from turning “brassy” as my toner washes out. My favorite purple shampoo is Unite’s Blonda Shampoo. It’s by far the most effective purple shampoo I’ve tried and does a near perfect job of keeping my hair cool and properly toned until my next salon appointment.
Finally, I use Olaplex No. 5 every time I wash my hair. I’ve tried a lot of conditioners, but this one is by far the best. You don’t need a lot for it to be effective- just a dime-sized amount is enough! Make sure to comb it through your hair while you’re still in the shower to ensure even distribution. Also, I like to leave the conditioner in for about 5 minutes or so while I wash my face and shave my legs just to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Finally, I watch the temperature of the water as I shampoo and condition my hair. When shampooing, it’s best to use warm water. Warm water opens up your hair follicle, allowing for deeper cleansing. When using conditioner, use cold water. Cold water closes the cuticles of your hair follicle, making sure to lock moisture inside. This leaves your hair looking shinier than ever!
Avoiding Tangles
Bleach blonde hair is highly prone to tangles. I’m no exception to this rule. In fact, I’ve gotten some pretty gnarly mats in my time- so bad that I’ve had to cut a few of them out!
My best advice for dealing with tangles? Unite 7 Seconds Detangler. This leave-in conditioner is a godsend for bleach blondes. All you have to do is spray it on your hair right after getting out of the shower, let it sit for one minute, and then brush your hair with a Wet Brush.
My second detangling tip is to brush your hair right before you go to sleep and right after waking up. This ensures that your hair won’t develop any mats while you sleep.
Hair Masks
As a bleached blonde, keeping my hair moisturized is essential! Unfortunately, conditioning my hair every time I wash isn’t always enough- but hair masks help fill the gap.
Hair masks are essential to keeping your bleach blonde hair healthy and maximizing shine.. My two favorite masks are the Verb Hydrating Mask and Olaplex No. 3. The Verb mask helps restore moisture to dry hair, while Olaplex No. 3 strengthens bonds that are weakened during the bleaching process. As a blonde, both masks are essential to keeping my hair healthy and maximizing shine.
It’s best to apply both of these masks to damp hair. I begin by lightly rinsing my hair in the sink with cold water. I then brush my hair to remove any tangles. Next, I put a dime-size portion of each mask into the palm of my hands and mix them together. I gently apply the mask evenly to my hair, starting at the roots and finishing with the ends. Finally, I brush my hair one more time to ensure that the product is equally distributed. I wait 10-15 minutes for the mask to set in before washing my hair in the shower.
I use hair masks around once per week; however, you can apply them more or less often depending on your hair type! I’ve noticed that my hair tends to get dryer in low-humidity weather. When this happens, I like to apply the Verb Hydrating Mask every time I wash my hair for an extra moisture boost.
Sleeping
The best way to prevent tangles and breakage overnight is to put your hair into a high, loose bun or ponytail while you sleep. I like to use scrunchies to do this as traditional hair elastics are harder on your hair and increase breakage.
As you can see, keeping blonde hair healthy is a lot of work, but it’s achievable if you take the right steps! Shop my favorite hair products and tools below.
Note: This post was originally published on Ciao by Shay on March 30, 2020. It was migrated to Happy Health Stylish upon my blog’s rebranding.
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