A couple of weeks back I fulfilled my ombre hair dreams and took a leap into the land of bleach. Bleached hair needs a bit of extra attention as it can really dry it out, so here are some of my top tips and products for looking after your ombre.
Add moisture - bleaching can make hair feel very dry and look a bit frizzy. By adding a regular injection of moisture, this will help keep the ends of your hair in good condition for longer. Using an intensive conditioning mask once a week will help keep your hair feeling soft and stop those ends from breaking. My favourite is Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, which is packed with macadamia oil to help repair hair, and leave it feeling soft and manageable. Using a hair oil on the ends after styling will also help to add a bit of moisture, and make your hair look smooth and shiny.
Avoid SLS - SLS is a cheap foaming ingredient used in lots of shampoos, hand soaps and shower gels. Oh, and Fairy Liquid. It's used to help clean things, but can be very harsh and strip away natural oils on your hair and body. To help preserve any coloured hair, step away from the sulfates and try a more natural foaming agent instead.
Be gentle - nobody wants split or broken ends and bleached hair is quite fragile. My Tangle Teezer has become my new BFF, as it gets through knots without snagging and can be used on wet hair without breaking those precious locks.
Protect it from heat - all hair needs a bit of help when it comes to the heat. I like to think of my hair like I do my super pale skin - it doesn't do well in the heat without protection! As well as trying to reduce how often I use my straighteners, I always make sure I use a heat protector spray before blow-drying and styling. At the moment I'm using one from Toni & Guy which does a great job, without making hair feel sticky or weighing it down.
Step away from the elastics - regular elastics can snag hair and make it break off, leaving you with the 'broken hair halo'. To protect hair while still being able to create up dos, I use these non-snagging bands from Popband*. Not only are they kind to hair, but they work in a really clever way that doesn't leave you with a big kink at the back of your head when you take your ponytail down. Bonus.
What are your top tips for looking after bleached and coloured hair?
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