- As with any coloured hair you must add a little extra protection in the bright sunlight that comes with summer (or if you’re in England then, a summer holiday) to stop hair becoming dry and faded. Hair that is pre-lightened has less melanin than darker shades. The UV rays will therefore penetrate the hair more powerfully and wreak more havoc! So always have a UV protectant spray on hand and cover hair during the hottest parts of the day.
- Feel like your forever battling the brassy tones which can curse the platinum bottle blonde? Well one of the best products you will ever use to preserve your colour is a violet/blue shampoo. In that lovely silvery, grey or white blonde hair the violet tones will neutralise the unwanted yellow and brass by overpowering them and giving an ash finish. A little lesser known ingredient which help keep yellow tones at bay are chamomile and lavender – so picking out a shampoo & conditioner with these ingredients is wise!
- Maybe a little worse than the creeping in of warm brassy tones in blonde hair is the greenish tinge! Yikes! When green hair is not on a bold, intentional scale a la Katy Perry it is entirely unacceptable. Harsh water sources that contain too much copper can be to blame if you’re seeing your hair looking a little green and scaly. You can help your hair out by going for an acidic wash after you’ve conditioned. Try 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with a pint of water or dissolve an asprin instead and use as a finishing rinse.
- As we’ve said before, bleached hair is especially weak and prone to breakage. In order to you’re your lengths nice and healthy a hair cure is ideal for intensive hydration and moisture to keep them supple. Hair cures provide active ingredients, which deeply penetrate the hair in a more intense dosage than masques or conditioners. Aim to have a cure after every bleach that your hair is subjected to.
- With dryness being one of the main bug bears of a bottle blonde you will want to reduce the amount of times you wash your hair by as much as possible, twice a week is a good routine. This will also keep your colour truer for longer so invest in a good dry shampoo to get you through the oily days.
- You need a professional applying your colour! By now you will have realised that we think of blondes as the most fragile of colours, needing the most care and knowledge to maintain effectively. Whenever your highlights are topped up the bleach should only be being applied to the regrowth of the hair and NOT the ends which have already been lightened, only an experienced professional will be able to do this safely.
- Before going for a swim or even just a dip in the pool or the sea, pour purified or bottled water over your hair to get it drenched. If your hair is already soaking wet when you go into a pool then it won’t absorb the chlorine in the water – less damage and green hair. Bonus!
- Go slowly! If you’re going to a lighter shade of blonde from a darker colour then be patient and be prepared to lighten up slowly over several visits to the salon which can take several months. If you aren’t patient and try to simply get lighter with the strongest products out there then you may have no hair left by the end of your colour! Lightening hair takes time, patience and professional products to maintain it so if you want good condition in your hair then prepare to invest.
- Avoid all heat styling where possible and when it is necessary then use a heat protectant spray before letting any heated styler come near you! As we’ve said, blonde hair is extra dry and fragile so the last thing it needs is more drying out – make sure you also get a trim every 6-8 weeks to keep split ends at bay.
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