PSA: Whatever is going on in your life, leave your hair out of it. Popular culture has made hair the go-to avenue to display changes in one’s life. Want to explore a new personality? Change your hair. Getting over a heartbreak? Change your hair. Just bored and looking to try a new look? Change your hair.
This is precisely what everybody with a smartphone, a pair of plastic gloves, and disposable income did in 2020. To deal with pandemic blues, beauty enthusiasts splurged on Berina bleachers to strip their jet-black Indian hair of all its pigment and go platinum blonde at home. While our favourite K-pop stars would be proud, after-bleach hair care is crucial to avoid dehydrated, parched hair.
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What’s the deal with bleach?
First, let’s break down what bleach does to your hair. The process begins with the alkaline agent opening up the cuticles of your hair, followed by the oxidative agent stripping it of its natural melanin. While natural blondes can lighten to a level 10 shade with one round of bleach, jet black and deep brown Indian hair needs at least 2-3 rounds of bleach to reach the lightened tones that can then host shades of blues and pinks.
It's safe to say that these multiple rounds of bleach, paired with heat to speed up the lightening process, can significantly damage your hair. Bleach damage leads to increased porosity and loss of elasticity, leading to extreme dryness, roughness, and breakage. A holistic hair care routine for bleached hair will help maintain the look and feel of bleached hair because, let’s face it , it’s not likely to return to its healthy, pre-bleach self.
1. Cleansing:
Reduce the frequency of hair washes – your scalp’s natural oils are the best hydrators for dry, damaged roots. This is why touching up your roots on day 3 hair is ideal, as your scalp oils form a protective barrier between your scalp and the chemicals. Once you have oil-trained your hair to accommodate fewer washes, pick a hair cleanser that cleans while also repairing and restoring hair health. Look for keratin, fatty oils, and plant-based nourishing agents to avoid further damaging your strands. Use a purple shampoo once a week to neutralise brassy undertones in your hair.
Tira recommends: MADES Hair Care Repair Expert Shampoo Restore Strength
2. Conditioning:
Conditioner is vital for all hair types. Invest in formulations targeting bleached hair. You need nourishing oils like argan or avocado, protein complexes, omega-3 fatty acids, and organic butters. You can also look for hyaluronic acid, algae, or murumuru butter in your next conditioner. Condition after every wash, or simply co-wash to avoid drying out your bleached hair.
Tira recommends: Schwarzkopf Ultimate Oil Elixir Gliss Hair Repair Conditioner
3. Leave-In:
While untreated hair can survive on its own with a daily serum, bleached hair needs an intensive leave-in treatment to be manageable. Combine care and styling for your leave-in. Investing in a good plex product is the best way to do just that. Plex, the revolutionary formula that helps rebuild damaged disulphide bonds in hair fibres, is essential in every bleached hair care routine. They function like a ‘reset’, if you will, and help restore strength and improve the structure of your hair. Chemically treated hair is receptive to professional plex products, so use as and when needed.
Tira recommends: Revolution Haircare Plex 6 Bond Restore Styling Cream
4. Protect:
Another fact to come to terms with hair care for bleached hair is that bleached hair needs heat styling, especially to tame the unusual frizziness that comes with it as an eventuality. And, since chemical treatments have already damaged your tresses, don’t forget to protect them while heat styling. Invest in a heat protection mist and use it whenever you blow dry or straighten your hair.
Tira recommends: BBlunt Hot Shot Heat Protection Mist With Grapeseed Oil & Provitamin B5
5. Repair:
Bleached hair needs a more intentional hair care routine. Indulge in a deep conditioning treatment mask 2-3 times a week. Your goal should be to put back missing amino acids into bleached hair, which can also be done through a monthly in-salon protein or with hair botox treatments to keep the damage in check.
Tira recommends: It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Hair Mask
Cover Image : Instagram/@dessangemumbai
