We’ve all bleached or chemically treated our hair at least once in our lives. Whether it’s to just go platinum blonde or to rock some funky colors, bleach and hair-dye can damage your hair really bad. Bleach strips your hair off its essential oils that keeps it moisturized, causing brittleness, split ends and hair that breaks off easily. If you’re experiencing this, it’s important to start deep-conditioning your hair to restore it back to a healthy state and get rid of the dryness.
Here are eight tips and tricks to help you bring life back to damaged, brittle hair.
1. Test Your Hair Before You Bleach
Some people are sensitive to bleach and hair-dyes and the reactions can be severe, so a strand test is compulsory if you have sensitive hair. A strand test does not only help you see the color you can achieve with the bleach or dye, but it also shows you if your hair is susceptible to serious damage. You can also snap a strand of hair to see how quickly it disintegrates before and after the chemical process. This is to tell whether your hair is suited for the commercial dye process.
2. Nourish Your Locks with a Mask
Bring some nutrients back into your hair with a hair mask every once or twice a week. Let it sit in for 15 minutes and rinse thoroughly. If you’re worried about putting in more chemicals in your hair, make a natural hair mask by beating an egg and mixing it with a tablespoon of honey, then apply and leave on until it dries. An egg has the potential to enrich your hair with protein, so do it as often as you can.
3. Do Not Over Wash
It’s hard to avoid washing your hair with all the Malaysian weather condition, but washing your hair constantly can dry your hair out even more. Go for a mild shampoo or conditioner if you need to wash your hair daily, and if you have oily scalp, invest in a good dry shampoo and conditioner and use it when you’re on the go. If you suffer from a itchy scalp, make your own hair spray by mixing some 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of rose water and 4 tablespoons of water. Spray it in your scalp when it’s a little itchy, and massage it in your scalp. The lemon juice helps rid your scalp of loose dry flakes, while the rose water moisturizes your scalp while leaving it smelling fresh.
4. Keep it Away from the Sun
If you’re going to be exposed in the sunlight for a while, invest in a good UV-protecting scarf and wrap your hair in like Rosie the Riveter. Just fold it half till it forms a triangle, then bring the two long edges under you scalp, and tie a knot. Then bring the excess fabric above the knot and then secure all three edges with another knot. It’s a very retro look, but still stylish and it protects your hair too.
5. Swim with a Cap
If you love swimming, it’s recommend to protect you hair with a swimming cap when you’re in the pool. Chlorine can damage your hair without even try, and it’ll leave your bleached locks way worse than it already was. If a swimming cap isn’t your thing, then invest in an anti-chlorine shampoo when you take a dip in the pool.
6. Avoid Heat Styling
Limit the use of heat styling tools like blow-dryers, hair straighteners and curling irons as it only adds more stress on your hair. Give your hair a week or two to rest after your dye job. If you must use a blow-dryer, use it when its absolutely necessary and keep the heat low. If you plan to curl your hair, use bobby pins and create little knots. Leave it on for an hour and voila – curls!
7. Be Careful When You Handle Your Hair
Bleached and chemically treated hair are generally more fragile, and it is therefore important to handle you hair gently, and that even includes brushing, washing, detangling and styling. Use heat-protecting products when you style and always speak to your hair-stylist once a month to check out the condition of your hair. Get a treatment if you can afford it, or get a slight trim to get rid of your split ends.
