About two months ago now I woke up and decided to home bleach the sh*t out my hair. It kind of came out of nowhere but after two attempts at lighting my hair with a colour remover and still have brown hair dye in the length of my hair, I decided it was time!
Being a beauty blogger you may think I considered leaving it to the professionals or simply researching the best hair bleach to buy. But you would be wrong! I threw caution to the wind and picked up a bleaching kit for around £10 while food shopping. The results were pretty impressive but I still found the ends of my hair didn't match near to the roots so yes, you guessed it, I bleached my hair again!
The 2nd time round I will admit I was a little worried, so to keep damage to a minimum I didn't apply it anywhere near my scalp or hairline and washed it out earlier than it suggested. I've since used countless applications of silver shampoo and a semi-permanent dye to bring down the bright blonde finish and I'm now really glad I went for it. However, and it's a big however, the condition of my hair did suffer... I mean you are basically burning your hair when you put bleach on it!
The main damage consisted of my hair feeling dry and frizzy but what I wasn't expecting was for my hair to become stretchy! I developed individual strands stretching and then snapping and very odd micro tangles with overstretching protein-zapped strands. But over the past 8 weeks I have been able to repair my hair and I feel it's almost back to what it once was. So I really wanted to share with you the hair products that have contributed to this in case anyone else is suffering from the effects of bleaching their hair or is having a hair nightmare right now!
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Deep Conditioning Treatment
£16.15 for 75ml HERE / £29.70 for 150ml HERE
As mentioned one of my main concerns from bleaching my hair has been how stretchy/elastic it's become, leading to breakages and impossible to remove knots. This I've read is very common after bleaching the hair. So I opted for a tried and test pre-shampoo treatment that I crossed my fingers would work.
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is known for boosting both moisture and strength to the hair making the hair less likely to break and overstretch and while this pre-shampoo treatment doesn't instantly keep super nourishing in the shower it definitely does heal the hair when it's in poor condition from bleaching.
I've now been using Elasticizer once a week for the past month, with the first treatment left on overnight and I'm very happy to report that my hair doesn't feel stretchy when wet now and is having much fewer tangles. If you are also struggling to tackle elastic/stretchy feeling hair strands I highly recommend this treatment.
Coco & Eve Lika A Virgin Hair Masque
£15.90 for 60ml HERE
£34.90 for 212ml HERE
While my next step was to add both moisture and hydration back into my frazzled and frizzy looking hair I first gave my hair a small trim. I would highly recommend doing this with a pair of professional hair scissors or visiting a salon, simply to remove the very tips of the hair that will be the driest.
Then it was on with hair masks! I opted to use my favourite ever hair mask, Coco & Eve Like A Virgin, as it always makes my hair super soft and tangle-free however bad a condition it's in! Again, I went in first with an overnight treatment which isn't the most comfortable as the hair feels quite saturated but on washing it out my hair felt so much more hydrated and beyond smooth. I then went onto using it weekly for that extra dose of nourishment as it still definitely requires it.
If your hair has become frizzy or feels coarse or brittle when you definitely want to spend a little more on a good deep conditioner. While this conditioner in a favourite of mine I adore the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, I've used it for 5+ years and it's the most affordable yet effective hair mask money can buy in my opinion! I've also heard amazing things about Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector which is specifically designed for treating bleached hair.
Bleach London Reincarnation Mask
£7.50 for 200ml HERE
£17.00 for 500ml HERE
Then for my everyday conditioner, I decided to replace it with something thicker and heavy-duty. Which is why I opted for another favourite with Bleach London Reincarnation Mask. For the price, this is an amazing hair mask that while nourishing is lightweight enough to use every few days.
Another hair mask that leaves the hair smoother, shinier and definitely more frizz-free. I would say however the metal tube packaging is annoying to use once you have gone through half of it. So unpractical and difficult to squeeze product out in the shower!
Mane n' Tail Hair Strengthener
£11.99 for 178ml HERE
Just days after bleaching my hair, a new product from Mane n' Tail landed on my doormat. I've previously used both their amazing smelling and nourishing shampoo & conditioner so I was interested to start using their new strengthing and protecting spray.
It is always a little hard to know if a product like this, even heat protecting sprays, are working but I still find this one nice to use on wet hair as not only does it help to detangle but it smells really nice - I'm sure it's a strawberry scent!
I'd like to hope the strengthening spray is keeping split end at bay especially since my hair is now more vulnerable to them and another product that restores the condition a little.
MoroccanOil Treatment Original
£13.25 for 25ml HERE
£32.85 for 100ml HERE
I've used Moroccan Oil for as long as I can remember because while it's not the cheapest of hair oils you need so little per application (around a 5 pence piece size) and it simply works at really de-frizzing the hair.
As soon as I step out of the shower I apply a small amount to towel-dried hair which seems to soak in well and reduces tangles and even the drying time. I then use it after drying and straightening my hair focusing more on the ends and any frizzy sections - this works a dream and doesn't make the hair greasy!
Since bleaching my hair I've noticed I can use a little more oil due to the drier texture and it just drinks it up leaving my hair frizz-free. However, if you do want to opt for something more affordable I highly recommend L'Oreal Elvive Exraordinary Oil which is currently on sale at Superdrug here for only £6.65. It basically feels a lighter version of the Moroccan Oil Treatment!
If my hair hadn't responded so well to all the products about I would have been giving Olaplex a try as I've heard so many amazing things about it but thankfully I'm feeling like my hair is getting back to what it once was pre-bleaching now.
Fee xo.
£16.15 for 75ml HERE / £29.70 for 150ml HERE
As mentioned one of my main concerns from bleaching my hair has been how stretchy/elastic it's become, leading to breakages and impossible to remove knots. This I've read is very common after bleaching the hair. So I opted for a tried and test pre-shampoo treatment that I crossed my fingers would work.
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is known for boosting both moisture and strength to the hair making the hair less likely to break and overstretch and while this pre-shampoo treatment doesn't instantly keep super nourishing in the shower it definitely does heal the hair when it's in poor condition from bleaching.
I've now been using Elasticizer once a week for the past month, with the first treatment left on overnight and I'm very happy to report that my hair doesn't feel stretchy when wet now and is having much fewer tangles. If you are also struggling to tackle elastic/stretchy feeling hair strands I highly recommend this treatment.
Coco & Eve Lika A Virgin Hair Masque
£15.90 for 60ml HERE
£34.90 for 212ml HERE
While my next step was to add both moisture and hydration back into my frazzled and frizzy looking hair I first gave my hair a small trim. I would highly recommend doing this with a pair of professional hair scissors or visiting a salon, simply to remove the very tips of the hair that will be the driest.
Then it was on with hair masks! I opted to use my favourite ever hair mask, Coco & Eve Like A Virgin, as it always makes my hair super soft and tangle-free however bad a condition it's in! Again, I went in first with an overnight treatment which isn't the most comfortable as the hair feels quite saturated but on washing it out my hair felt so much more hydrated and beyond smooth. I then went onto using it weekly for that extra dose of nourishment as it still definitely requires it.
If your hair has become frizzy or feels coarse or brittle when you definitely want to spend a little more on a good deep conditioner. While this conditioner in a favourite of mine I adore the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, I've used it for 5+ years and it's the most affordable yet effective hair mask money can buy in my opinion! I've also heard amazing things about Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector which is specifically designed for treating bleached hair.
Bleach London Reincarnation Mask
£7.50 for 200ml HERE
£17.00 for 500ml HERE
Then for my everyday conditioner, I decided to replace it with something thicker and heavy-duty. Which is why I opted for another favourite with Bleach London Reincarnation Mask. For the price, this is an amazing hair mask that while nourishing is lightweight enough to use every few days.
Another hair mask that leaves the hair smoother, shinier and definitely more frizz-free. I would say however the metal tube packaging is annoying to use once you have gone through half of it. So unpractical and difficult to squeeze product out in the shower!
Mane n' Tail Hair Strengthener
£11.99 for 178ml HERE
Just days after bleaching my hair, a new product from Mane n' Tail landed on my doormat. I've previously used both their amazing smelling and nourishing shampoo & conditioner so I was interested to start using their new strengthing and protecting spray.
It is always a little hard to know if a product like this, even heat protecting sprays, are working but I still find this one nice to use on wet hair as not only does it help to detangle but it smells really nice - I'm sure it's a strawberry scent!
I'd like to hope the strengthening spray is keeping split end at bay especially since my hair is now more vulnerable to them and another product that restores the condition a little.
MoroccanOil Treatment Original
£13.25 for 25ml HERE
£32.85 for 100ml HERE
I've used Moroccan Oil for as long as I can remember because while it's not the cheapest of hair oils you need so little per application (around a 5 pence piece size) and it simply works at really de-frizzing the hair.
As soon as I step out of the shower I apply a small amount to towel-dried hair which seems to soak in well and reduces tangles and even the drying time. I then use it after drying and straightening my hair focusing more on the ends and any frizzy sections - this works a dream and doesn't make the hair greasy!
Since bleaching my hair I've noticed I can use a little more oil due to the drier texture and it just drinks it up leaving my hair frizz-free. However, if you do want to opt for something more affordable I highly recommend L'Oreal Elvive Exraordinary Oil which is currently on sale at Superdrug here for only £6.65. It basically feels a lighter version of the Moroccan Oil Treatment!
If my hair hadn't responded so well to all the products about I would have been giving Olaplex a try as I've heard so many amazing things about it but thankfully I'm feeling like my hair is getting back to what it once was pre-bleaching now.
Fee xo.
