5 Tips For Keeping Your Blonde Hair Looking Fresh

Blondes have more fun! A saying that seems to have been around for a while and possibly rose to more popularity after the song titled Blondes (have more fun) by Jim Cregan and Rod Stewart; Or could it be a defence for bad blonde jokes as a comeback for blondes to say “well we have more fun”? The answers to these we will probably never know.

Do blondes have more work in the bathroom to keep their lightly coloured locks healthy and moisturised? Yes, I think so.

Here are some tips I have learnt over the journey from being white blonde as a Child, to dark blonde and then as the greys started coming through back to dyed blonde. Having frizzy, naturally curly hair is also a downfall to when it comes time to keep blonde hair under control.

Firstly, lets start with what Bleaching actually does to the hair. How do you get your hair blonde and what is the process? Bleach reacts with the pigment molecules and strips the pigment from your hair shaft through oxidisation, this process is to break down the natural fatty acids on your hair shaft. Ammonia and Hydrogen peroxide are the most commonly used bleaching agents. They are often mixed together, because when used separately, they are unstable and very slow in lightening the hair. Hair colours are measured by a number scale, from 1 being Blackest of Black and 10 being platinum blonde. From these 1-10 there are different tones and shades that can be achieved. You could be a Black with a blue tint through, or Blonde with a golden tone. Bleach can lighten many shades although to go from a 1 (black) to a level 10 (Blonde) can be very difficult. This is damaging and also may take many attempts.

Moisture, Moisture, Moisture.

Stay away from sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate if you can avoid it. Yes, this is the foaming agent is that is so satisfying to bubble up and lather in your hair after a sweaty workout or a hot day in a humid summer. It helps to remove dirt and oil from your hair. This is also one of the easiest ways to strip your hairs moisture and therefore contribute to it drying out, possibly becoming irritated and brittle. Choose a quality shampoo that is sulphate free. It will still clean your hair and make it smell amazing without stripping any natural and essential oils from your hair.

A conditioning treatment is also a huge step in the process of locking in moisture. A good hair masque that can be slept in or left in for 10 mins. If you don’t have a good treatment, try making one yourself. There are many recipes online for good DIY hair masks examples of some of these are using Avocado, Coconut Oil, Mayonnaise, Banana, and Eggs.

Finish with a good quality conditioner, comb through using a wide tooth comb when the hair is wet, and thoroughly rinse. Leave in conditioners are great if you can find one you like, these are designed to stay in the hair, you can then dry and style as preferred. I like Milkshake – Incredible Milk, it also smells delicious. Try to avoid using budget or cheap products if you are trying to improve the nutrition of your hair. Some of these can contain cheap ingredients that are bulk made and can be full of mineral oils, un-natural fragrance and sulphates. Silicones in hair products (including dimethicone, cetyl dimethicone, cetearyl methicone, dimethiconol, stearyl dimethicone, cyclomethicone, amodimethicone, trimethylsilylamodimethicone, and cyclopentasiloxane) can also feel great after one wash as they coat the hair shaft with a stubborn silicone coating. These although can also make the hair brittle after time as it can block nutrition and natural oils from entering the hair.

Collagen Support

Collagen is a great supplement to add to your daily routine. Not only your hair but your skin and nails will benefit from collagen added into your diet. It is great for your gut health too. The amino acids in collagen help build hair protein which in turn can assist in strengthening your hair and the skin that holds your hair follicle into your scalp. As we age your body’s natural ability to produce collagen and elastin dramatically drops, therefore fine lines, wrinkles, brittle hair and nails and less plump skin are all effects of loss of collagen and elastin in the body.

Remember to talk to your health care professional to see if a collagen supplement is right for you.

Avoid Chlorine

Hair can be extremely porous, especially when damaged or chemically treated by lightening. Before diving into the chlorine filled pool with dry hair, try wetting it down with tap water. When the hair has already absorbed the tap water it has less chance of soaking up the high levels of chlorine into the cuticle of the hair. This can be damaging and very drying. Even better, you can put in some coconut oil or hair treatments in after wetting your hair down or even a leave in treatment that has an SPF or some kind of sun protection (just be careful with oil in the direct sun and wear a hat to protect your hair from the elements) This will give it a barrier and help to moisturise while you are enjoying the pool. Soaking up chlorine continuously can also turn blonde hair green. You will then need to use a red product (going back to the colour wheel) to neutralise this. Keep this in mind next time you are at the beach, salt can also be drying on the hair.

Purple Shampoo

Toning Shampoos are a great option to keep your blonde locks looking fresh and less brassy until your next colour appointment. This goes back to the colour wheel that you would recognise from School. The colours on opposing sides cancel each other out. For example, purple cancels out yellow tones and blue cancels out orange tones. In my experience these can be a little drying, although you shouldn’t need to use a lot. Follow the manufactures directions on the back of the bottle and don’t forget not to leave it on too long as areas in your hair that are very light can absorb the purple pigment and leave the hair stained. It is also a good idea to use gloves as it has the tendency to stain your hands and nails temporarily.

Minimize heat Styling

Like a broken record, we all have heard that heat and styling tools like wave wands and curling wands are not great for your hair health. They can dry out your hair, cause breakage and in some circumstances singe your hair. Try to avoid any heat if it is not needed or if you can reduce the temperature on your styling tools this can help decrease the damage. For myself; I reduce the heat on my straightener to 150 degrees. As mentioned earlier, I have frizzy, dry hair. I do get Keratin Smoothing treatments done on a regular basis to help to smooth the cuticle and reduce my straightening time. There are also a lot of products that are great to help protect the hair that you can apply before using heated tools.

In conclusion, I hope this has helped with some tips on how to keep your blonde looking fresh. I always recommend going to a professional Hairdresser that specialises in blonde. They have completed training and have the technical knowledge in colours and chemicals that are specialised for your hair. There are many different techniques and a trained professional will be able to advise the best shades for you and also help with aftercare advise with products.

When you dive into the world of Haircare there is so much to learn and remember that what works for someone else may not work for you. You will find your own system and routine and have shining blonde hair.