Keeping it Blonde

I’ve recieved a few emails on this topic, so I decided to make a bigger post this week. Going all-over-blonde in principle is relatively easy–but as you all know, it’s the maintaining part that usually is the most difficult and causes the most frustration. Part of the reason for this is because the hair’s pigmentation is so sparse that the color can’t have a long lifespan inside the follicle. Another cause is the health of the hair after surviving singular or multiple bleaching sessions. The truth is, there is no quick fix. Hair, of all colors, is maintenance, period. The particular type of maintenance, however, will vary based on a few things, but staying blonde is in its own separate category altogether.

Here are few common questions from blonde or blonde-to-be’s:

How do I stop my hair color from fading?

Well, you won’t technically be able to stop it. Regardless of what color your hair is dyed, and what type of dye it is, it will fade. However, you can do a few things to prevent your hair from fading as quickly. For one, you can use sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. Even if you don’t have color-treated hair, you should be using this anyway. See my post on it here. By avoiding products that contain sulfates or any of its derivatives (such as ammonium laureth sulfate or the like), you will be able to hang on to your color a little bit longer. Avoiding heat tools is an obvious one, but I know it’s not realistic. Just try to keep it to a minimum and use silicone-based protectants to help prevent heat damage. Shoot for prolonging the fading until you’re about 6-8 weeks in because that’s when you would probably have to touchup your roots anyway, and it’d be easier to just do it all in one session. If your hair color is fading a lot faster (due to crappy color, exessive use of heat tools, etc.) then you might need to use a toner or a toning shampoo in between touchups. Wella makes fantastic toners as they are deposit-only and pH balanced. If your toner requires more than a 10 volume developer, look somewhere else. Most of all, NEVER EVER use box color from the store!! I don’t say that based on a personal bias, I promise you. The chemicals they have in those grocery store box kits are horrendous and must be avoided at all costs. Go to Sallys or go to a distributor of professional haircolor and get something GOOD for your hair! Please!

I have dark roots and a dull blonde color, how can I get blonde again?

This will happen with all blondes, regardless of your shade or how much you take care of your hair. When you have hair like this, you’re most likely due for a touchup and root-filling (sounds like a dentist term, eh?). First, measure exactly how much virgin hair (or “roots”) is showing. If you’re new at this, the longer your roots, the easier it will be to fill, so I would say about an inch to an inch and a half would be preferable, if not longer. You will want to apply bleach to your roots only and leave the rest of your hair alone. Redken Levitation Oil bleach is what I’ve experienced to be the absolute best, just make sure that the bleach has the consistancy of “lotion” so that it doesn’t drip nor feel like cookie dough. The rest of your hair will only need to be toned (aka a deposit-only color) since it’s at the right level already. Bleaching doesn’t fade, thankfully There’s two ways you can do this… you can 1) either apply bleach directly to roots first for x amount of time (read the instructions CAREFULLY and do a strand test to determine the amount of time it will need to sit on your head), then rinse, then apply your toner (a semi or demi permanent color) to your lengths. OR, you can apply toner to your lengths, wait x amount of time (the processing time difference between the bleach and the toner), then apply bleach to your roots. Note that the heat of your scalp speeds up processing so you will need the toner to be applied first before you apply bleach your roots. Just make sure they both can be rinsed off at the same time, otherwise one part will be done when the other isn’t, and it might be tough to rinse off

My hair is overprocessed and dry, how can I get healthy and shiny blonde hair without it being frizzy?

This is also a very common problem among blondes because bleach does a big number on your hair. Bleach is only needed when you’re lifting 3 levels or higher, otherwise normal color would probably be sufficient. And if you’re going light blonde or platinum, you’re in the light yellow stage of the hair, and that’s teetering on white which is where the hair is completely unstable and will fall apart. I’m not trying to scare you by any means, I just want to emphasize that bleach is powerful stuff and isn’t something you should use over and over again on hair that’s already been bleached. This seems obvious, I know, but this is the main reason why hair is overprocessed: reapplying bleach, or color with a high volume developer (volume 20 and above), over previously treated hair. That is what kills it. Even when you’re doing your roots, if you “overlap” onto hair that’s already been bleached, you’re causing damage to your hair. Now, some overlapping is unevitable, otherwise you might get a nice ring around your head consisting of virgin hair you missed. But it MUST be minimized to prevent your hair from being overly porus. Applying jojoba oil or olive oil to your hair before bleaching can help restore some of the moisture too. If you have black hair and have dreams of keeping your hair blonde, while it’s physically possible with multiple bleachings, your hair’s health will be the cost.

My blonde hair has turned purple/orange/green, how do I fix it?

If your hair is one of these colors right after you apply your toner, then you formulated your toner wrong. Check out my Hair Color 101 post for formulation help. If it’s green, then there’s too much ash or not enough red, if it’s orange, then there’s either too much red or too little purple, and if it’s purple, then there’s just too much violet But don’t worry, all hair color washes out. Even the permanent stuff. Just pick up some crappy shampoo (the crappiest you can find) which is probably full of sulfates (to your advantage in this situation– it fades color fast!) and shampoo your hair, over and over again, taking 30 minute breaks and applying a deep conditioner in between. This might take all day, just as a warning. This is a lot easier on the hair (and cheaper!) than most color stripping formulas.

What are the best products I could use for my hair?

I’m working on writing a review, it’s coming soon so check back!