How To Care For Damaged Bleached Hair

Damaged bleached hair can be tricky to take care of. The chemical agent ‘bleach’ is an excellent tool for lightening your hair colour and creating a dramatic transformation, however it can lead to dry and damaged hair if proper aftercare is not followed.

Bleach works on hair by altering the melanin inside each strand. However, to do this process it must penetrate the protective cuticle around the hair shaft, which can strip essential proteins and oils and leave your hair feeling dry and fragile.
Consistent colouring or changing shades can take its toll on hair – especially if bleach is involved. If you’re noticing excess breakages, brittleness, or frizz, you might be dealing with damaged bleached hair. You might also notice that your colour isn’t lasting as long as you want or becoming brassy or distorted quickly.

We’ve put together a quick guide to hair care after bleaching. From your shower and hair-washing routine, to protecting your hair on sunny days and other styling tips – you can minimise the appearance and feel of dry bleached hair.

Signs of Bleach-Damaged Hair

To know if your bleached hair is damaged, check for texture, shine, and volume changes. Key factors to look out for are:

 ● Breakage and split ends:  your bleached hair begins to snap or the strands of hair are splitting at the ends.
 ● Brittleness: your hair feels fragile to the touch and is prone to breakage when brushing or styling and has lost its elasticity.
 ● Dullness: your hair has little shine and appears lifeless.
 ● Dryness and tangling: your hair feels dry and is easily tangled.
 ● Frizz: you’re experiencing more flyaways and frizz that becomes difficult to maintain.
 ● Rough texture: your hair is coarse to the touch.
 ● Colour fading: blonde hair may appear brassy or with an orange tone.

In cases of severe bleach damage, you may experience your hair breaking off when wet or your hair falling out, leaving it thin and uneven.

How to Repair Bleach-Damaged Hair

Fortunately there are solutions to help repair bleached damaged hair. These treatments range from specialist shampoos and conditioners to hair masks for bleached hair and leave-in treatments.

A pro-keratin hair mask like the Elvive Full Restore 5 Masque can reinforce the fibres of your hair to provide added strength, while bond-repair leave-in treatments such as the Elvive Bond Repair Leave-In Serum provide added structure at the same time as offering heat protection.

You can further help recover dry bleached hair by minimising the use of heat tools, refraining from brushing your hair when wet1 (when it is more prone to breakage), and by getting regular trims to remove split ends.

Use colour-safe products

Make sure your colour stays fresh and vibrant with colour-safe products that are specially formulated to work with dyed hair. Highlights and blonde tones can become brassy over time if not properly cared for. Look for shampoos and conditioners that are designed to neutralise any yellow or orange tones that might try to sneak out. These help to counteract any unwanted undertones and help hold on to your chosen shade for longer.

Our Anti-Brassiness Purple Shampoo deliberately uses a colour from the opposite side of the colour wheel to even out your hair tone. This formula has been designed with highlighted brunette, blonde, and grey/silver hair in mind and can be used once a week to complement your regular routine. Make sure to leave it in for 1 – 3 minutes before washing out to get maximum benefits. Pair it with our Anti-Brassiness Purple Conditioner to complete your bleached hair care and leave your locks feeling smoother and softer to the touch.

For extra protection, add our Anti-Brassiness Purple Mask into your weekly routine. This is designed for a deeper treatment and should be left on for 5 minutes before rinsing well. The highly pigmented formula is great for naturally darker hair whilst conditioning colour-treated hair, helping to leave it looking smoother and softer.

Use a rinse-out treatment for bleached hair

A common complaint about damaged hair is the lack of shine. A rinse-out hair treatment can help your hair to appear reinvigorated and bring back that natural glow quickly and easily. This is a treatment designed to be applied and rinsed out quickly and can be complemented by your usual conditioner – just one small step to your routine that can help your hair in need of some TLC.

Our Colour Protect Wonder Water is designed to give you a hair makeover in just 8 seconds! It’s specially blended for coloured hair with breakthrough lamellar technology that restores the surface and an acidic formula that helps optimise bleached hair’s PH balance. Apply it after your shampoo and follow up with your ordinary conditioner if needed. Finish by blow-drying to get maximum results!

 

Use a leave-in treatment for bleached hair

 A leave-in treatment is a great way to help lock in hydration – which can be a big problem with bleached hair. While some are designed for wet hair, others can be applied directly onto dry hair or work on either. Work a leave-in into your everyday routine or as a precursor to any heat treatment to make sure your hair feels healthy and protected.

Our All for Blonde 10-in-1 Bleach Rescue Leave-In Spray can be applied whenever works best for you: after shampooing, before styling or just before you head out of the door. It addresses split-ends and breakages by helping them to appear reduced, while also reinforcing your hair by up to 99% less breakage* and increasing shine. It’s also designed to make detangling easier so you can treat your hair more gently and it also provides heat and humidity protection.

Protecting bleached hair from the sun

There are also steps you can take to protect your hair from natural stressors. While sun can sometimes bring out blonde shades in natural hair, it can also degrade the natural pigment and cause your colour to fade or distort. You can help protect your hair from the sun by making sure you cover up when out for long periods of time, whether you choose a sun hat or a stylish scarf.

Whether you’re looking for lasting colour or added shine, we’ve got you covered. Head over to our coloured hair range to find our best products for damaged bleached hair.

1https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/insider/stop-damage

Damaged Bleached Hair FAQs

What are the best shampoos for bleached hair?
Go for shampoos that help protect your bleached hair and counteract any brassiness. Our Purple Shampoo from Elvive Colour Protect works to neutralise yellow tones and revive bleached hair.
What are the best hair masks for bleached hair?
Opt for a mask that delivers intense nourishment to dry hair. The Elvive Colour Protect Masque is enriched with a Colour Protecting Elixir and UVA/UVB filters to help protect hair from environmental aggressors and keep it silky, smooth, and easier to tame.
Why won’t my hair take colour after bleaching?
When your hair has been bleached and the protective cuticle around each strand has been damaged it becomes more porous. As the hair cuticle is more open now, colour often washes out faster.