So, you've had your hair bleached... now what?

it's okay to not know what you are supposed to do to take care of it, especially if you have never had blonde hair before.

that's where I come in.

I have been in the salon industry for over a decade and have been blonding focused for most of that time as well, and in that time, I have done nothing but collect data, knowledge and hair secrets that I'm ready to now share with you.

first, it's important to determine what type of blonde you have.

some tones are much easier to maintain than others, is your hair cool tone or warm?

cool tone blondes

• icy

• white

• silver

• grey

• beige

warm tone blondes

• honey

• caramel

• golden

• buttery

• old money

if you have cool toned blonde, you can expect your hair to eventually turn brassy over time.

why does this happen? let's break it down-

the very nature of hair is warmth, underneath the color on top is called our

"underlying pigment"

as you can see above this is a swatch of our underlying pigment-the color that lives underneath.

the left side is the color we see, and the right side is what lives below the surface.

hair has many layers to it and those layers have to be lifted/bleached through to get your blonde to the desired shade, once we get it lifted high enough then we use what's called "toner" or "gloss" to cover and cancel out the underlying pigment to get your hair to the desired end color.

why can't you just lift the hair past the warmth, so you don't have to tone it at the end?

well because that's when you fry it off babe.

your hair has to have at least a little natural warmth left over in the hair or it has been way too over processed.

HOWEVER, TONER OR GLOSS IS A SEMI-PERMANENT PRODUCT AND SINCE IT IS ARTIFICIAL IT SIMPLY CANNOT LIVE IN YOUR HAIR FOREVER SO EVENTUALLY IT WILL WASH OUT REVEALING THE NATURAL WARMTH UNDERNEATH.

THE LONGEVITY OF YOUR COLOR WILL DEPEND ON HOW YOU ARE CARING FOR IT AT HOME BUT YOU SHOULD STILL BE MAKING VISITS TO THE SALON EVERY 4-8 WEEKS DEPENDING ON YOUR EXACT COLOR AND PLACEMENT STYLE

(ON SCALP BLEACH/HIGHLIGHTS OR BALAYAGE)

that being said with proper at home maintenance you should be able to keep your blonde absolutely beautiful until it's time to get those roots touched up.

cool tone blondes at home Maintenace guide

• weekly clarifying shampoo

  (shampoo ends-scalp)

  
  

• twice a week purple shampoo

  (Shampoo ends-scalp)

  
  

• uv/heat protectant is a must

  (heat can make your blonde brassy without protection)

  
  

• only use clear hair products because any color in them will stain hair over time

  
  

warm tone blondes at home Maintenace guide

• shampoo only once or twice a week

  
  

• do not use purple shampoo as it will cancel out the wanted warm tones

  
  

• uv/heat protectant is a must

  
  

• shine spray will enhance the color when styling

those are my small tips for optimal color

but how about keeping your blonde hair healthy & strong?

any hair color that requires bleach/lightening is going to need moisture put back into the hair to help keep it healthy.

blonde hair is always going to be "compromised" which just means that it's had moisture and protein removed from the hair during the lightening process, even with the healthiest hair this will be true.

that means everything you do to your hair should be done with care or eventually you will see breakage starting to happen.

what to avoid with ALL TYPES OF blonde hair

• wet ponytails or buns

  
  

• sleeping on wet hair

  
  

• ripping through hair with brush without any leave in conditioner

• swimming pools

• lake water

• excessive use of hair spray

  (high alcohol content)

• amber colored hair care products such as argan oils

recommended hair care for ALL blondes

• weekly deep conditioning mask

  
  

• use a leave in conditioner product after every wash before brushing

• uv protectant if you spend time outside

• heat protectant before applying any heat to your hair

• low temp on flat iron or curling iron

• always clean your hot tools because product buildup can discolor your hair

I hope this has helped you feel empowered as a blonde babe and I hope that you see the quality of your hair improve greatly after applying what you have learned.

preferred product list

• amika-soul food deep conditioning mask

  
  

• amika-the kure deep conditioning mask

  
  

• amika-hydro rush leave in conditioner

  
  

• amika-bust your brass purple shampoo

  
  

• malibu-undo goo clarifying shampoo

  
  

• chi-know it all uv/heat protectant

• biosilk-silk therapy clear hair oil

• KEVIN MURPHY-SHIMMER SHINE SPRAY

PEACE, LOVE & GREAT HAIR - ALICIA