Bleaching your hair can be a daunting task, but the results are beautiful when done correctly. However, bleaching your hair can potentially damage the strands, especially if you do so frequently.
So, how can you make bleached hair silky and soft? First, you’ll want to minimize how often you bleach your hair. Next, you’ll want to deep condition your strands, infuse the hair with a protein treatment, and invest in a high-quality shampoo.
Also, consulting with a licensed and professional hairstylist can help bring your hair back to life. A hairstylist should be able to create a custom routine for your strands so you can continue nourishing them even when you’re not at the salon.
It can be time-consuming to repair your hair from bleach damage, so it’s crucial to have patience. You’ll want to be consistent with your hair care routine for an extended period to create soft and silky bleached hair.
Why Is Bleach Damaging To Our Hair?
Have you ever wanted to lift your natural hair color or become a blonde?
First, you’ll need to use bleach to ensure your strands can become a light blonde tone. Bleach is powerful enough to lighten your strands quicker than color. Bleach helps open the cuticle of the hair so your new color can shine through.
Also, bleach can affect the porosity and elasticity of your hair. The porosity affects how well you hold in water and how porous the hair is. Elasticity refers to your strand’s flexibility.
The porosity and elasticity of your hair can also determine its feel and texture. For example, if you’ve bleached your hair too often, it may feel like straw or brittle. This can indicate that your strands are damaged by bleach if the texture feels different.
How To Make Your Bleached Hair Silky And Soft
Your hair can become brittle and rough if you’ve bleached it often. If you notice any change in texture or physical characteristics in your hair, it can signify that it’s lost its integrity due to bleaching. However, you can still have healthy bleached hair.
How can you achieve soft and silky bleached hair? First, you’ll want to work with an experienced hairstylist to ensure you’re using the proper bleaching techniques. Then, you’ll want to combine salon visits with a high-quality hair care routine at home.
Below are some more best practices for making sure your bleached hair stays happy and healthy.
Double-Check Your Shampoo Ingredients
You’ll want to choose a shampoo free of any potentially irritating ingredients like sulfates. It’s crucial to choose a shampoo that meets your hair’s needs, whether it’s color protection, protein treatment, or dandruff.
You’ll want to nourish your scalp to promote healthy hair growth. Also, your hair growth is determined by the standing of your scalp, so you’ll want to keep it clean. This is especially helpful for people with bleached hair that want longer strands.
Did you know you can alternate shampoos? For example, you may rotate every other wash with a protein shampoo or an everyday shampoo. This will allow you to customize your ideal hair routine and nourish bleach strands slowly.
Deep Condition The Hair Weekly
We mentioned earlier that bleached hair could feel quite dry and brittle. You may notice that bleached hair can feel rough and straw-like. These hair textures can indicate that your bleached ends need an extra boost of hydration.
You can infuse the strands with moisture by using a deep conditioner, which is a conditioner that acts as a treatment on the hair. A deep conditioner will ensure that hair is adequately moisturized and increase softness.
To restore hydration, you can deep condition your bleached hair 1-2 times a week. You can find a deep conditioner that matches your porosity levels or one you can activate with heat.
Start A Protein Treatment
Try out a protein treatment if you want to restore strength in your bleached hair. You can get a hair treatment to use at home with Keratin, or you can consult with your hairdresser if a Keratin treatment at the salon fits your hair’s needs.
However, it’s crucial to proceed with caution if you use products at home infused with Keratin. While we need keratin proteins to rebuild our hair’s strength, too many proteins can weaken the hair shaft and promote damage or breakage.
So, use keratin or protein products sparingly at home or perform treatment at the salon. A protein treatment will restore the bonds in our hair to promote strength and elasticity, which is ideal for bleached hair.
Bleached hair that feels or looks gummy in texture may benefit from a protein treatment.
Avoid Hot Tools And Heat-Styling
Do you heat style your hair frequently? If so, it may cause unnecessary damage to bleached hair. Heat can also alter your hair’s health, texture, and integrity. However, heat styling is not always required, so avoiding it can help bleached strands.
Bleach can already be disruptive on the strands, so pairing it with heat styling or hot tools can increase the risk of damage. Excessive heat damage, especially from heat styling, can promote breakage, split ends, frizz, a rough texture, etc.
Turning down the heat on bleached hair will ensure that your hair has time to restore and heal.
Use A Leave-In Conditioner
You can lock in moisture within your strands by using a leave-in conditioner (like our favorite from Kenra). So what’s the difference between a deep conditioner and a leave-in conditioner? A deep conditioner will sit in the hair and be rinsed out, while a leave-in doesn’t need to be washed away.
A leave-in conditioner will infuse the hair with extra repairing and hydrating ingredients, and it won’t need to be rinsed out from the hair. Instead, you would spray a leave-in conditioner on damp hair before styling or air-drying.
Some leave-in conditioners can be formulated with heat-protecting properties or proteins. You can find one that caters to your needs, like curl retention or hydration.
Don’t Skip On The Heat Protectant
If you must heat style your hair, use a heat protectant. Check out this super effective one from Kenra, or take a look at our list of the best heat protectants for bleached hair.
A heat protectant will provide a shield to bleached hair during styling. This product will allow you to heat style hair without unnecessary damage. It will prevent rough and textured hair.
Bleached hair with little integrity shouldn’t be heat styled unprotected. Bleached hair that doesn’t have a heat protectant is more at risk of breaking or snapping. Heat protectants can also provide other benefits like a protein treatment.
Use A Toner
Another reason why bleached hair can get damaged quickly is that it can be tricky to maintain your desired color. For example, it can be challenging to keep a cool, icy blonde if you lift warm. So, you’ll want to use a toner (like this awesome one from Redken).
A toner will eliminate unwanted undertones from your strands while hydrating your hair. So if you want yellow streaks to disappear without damage, try toning the hair every couple of weeks. Toning will help you maintain your color without having to dye it more frequently.
Less bleaching and hair color sessions can help bleached hair feel silkier and softer. So, you can prolong your next color appointment at the salon if you incorporate a toner into your hair regimen.
Incorporate A Repairing Oil In Your Routine
Hair oils (like this one from Moroccanoil) are quickly gaining popularity because of their versatility.
Hair oils can help tame frizz, boost moisture, and protect your strands from harsh external elements. They can even offer heat-protecting properties or nourish the scalp and follicles.
Hair oiling can increase scalp circulation and help promote healthy hair growth. Also, these oils will lock in moisture on the strands and eliminate frizz. That extra layer of hydration can also create an external protective barrier for bleached strands.
You’ll notice that hair oils will increase your bleached hair’s softness, shine, and resiliency. A few drops of hair oil are all you need to promote soft strands, even with bleached hair.
Visit Your Hairstylist Frequently
Restoring your hair at home can be a time-consuming process, and it can be challenging to determine if your hair care routine is working. So, one way you can nourish your hair correctly is by working consistently with a professional hairstylist.
A hairstylist can alter your routine based on its needs and progress and will ensure that your hair is growing and getting healthy properly. You can also perform restorative treatments at the salon.
Working with a stylist to repair bleached hair can help it feel luscious and smooth. You’ll learn how to care for your hair while creating soft and silky strands.
Best Products To Restore Softness And Shine In Bleached Hair
What products can you use at home to promote soft and smooth hair? You’ll want to invest in restorative hair care items like deep conditioning masks, protein-infused products, and high-quality shampoos or conditioners.
These products below are used by professional stylists in-salon. So, not only can you make brittle, bleached hair feel silky – you can also bring the salon home! Consistently using high-quality items can produce smooth and lush hair results.
1. Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil
Olaplex was originally formulated to work with bleach to ensure the lightning process isn’t as damaging.
However, Olaplex has expanded into an entire hair care line that you can even use at home. One product to help bleached hair is the No. 7 Bonding Oil.
This is a refreshing styling oil that’s designed to increase softness and color vibrancy, especially for bleached hair. This oil is very versatile. For example, you can use it to infuse the strands with hydration or prep your hair for heat styling.
Olaplex claims the No. 7 Bonding Oil will strengthen and protect your hair’s texture, ideal for overly bleached hair. You’ll notice the texture of your hair improve with time, and you’ll offer your strands heat protection up to 450°F.
2. Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar Treatment
Redken is a professional haircare brand that graces the shelves of many salons.
Redken has an entire product line dedicated to restoring and repairing bleached hair. One must-try product is the Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar Treatment.
Redken’s Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar product will act as a rinse-out treatment and a conditioner in one bottle. It will instantly detangle rough bleached strands and eliminate brittle textures. Redken calls this a “warming-liquid” treatment.
This product contains Cica and Gentle Conditioning Complex to promote soft and silky strands. Finally, Redken’s Extreme Bleach Recovery will lock in hydration so you can enjoy soft, bleached hair all day long.
3. Verb Hydrating Hair Mask Vegan
Sometimes, it’s best to elevate your hair basics. Most hair routines need a few staple products to see results.
Also, not everyone needs a 20 step hair routine, and keeping a simple regimen can be easier to follow. So, Verb has a high-quality hair mask for you.
A hair mask is a deep conditioning treatment you can do at home. Verb’s Hydrating Hair Mask will promote shine with the help of Babassu Oil. This hair mask will be beneficial for bleached hair looking to hydrate the strands frequently.
To gain the most benefits, you’ll need to let this mask sit for five minutes before rinsing. Then, you’ll notice a softer and smoother head of hair. However, you can sleep with this mask on overnight for bleached hair that’s highly brittle.
A few staple products is all you’ll need to make bleached hair feel silky smooth.
Related Questions
Bleaching hair can be a daunting project, and in some cases, it can take months or years to reach your desired level of blonde. So you might be wondering what exactly makes hair feel different after bleaching.
Why Does Bleached Hair Feel Dry And Brittle?
We mentioned earlier that your texture could change while bleaching it. Your hair can feel particularly brittle if improper techniques were used. Brittle and bleached hair is a sign of dehydration and an altered texture pattern.
Damaged cuticles will affect your hair’s porosity and elasticity level, explaining why your hair can feel dry. Some of the best things you can do to promote soft, bleached hair are minimizing color appointments and heat styling, and focusing on conditioning.
Summary
Thankfully, there are numerous methods and tricks you can use in your hair regimen to improve the look and feel of bleached hair. Bleach comes with risks, and overdoing it can cause excessive harm to your strands. However, with patience, you can restore your hair.
It’s best to focus on therapeutic treatments that build proteins or lock in hydration. You’ll want to avoid coloring and heat styling. Instead, you’ll want to invest in a high-quality shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, and deep conditioning mask.
Suppose you must heat-style your strands, do so with a heat protectant. Lastly, consult with a professional hairstylist that can help you on your hair care journey. Soon, you’ll have soft and healthy bleached hair in no time.
Bleach can damage your strands if it’s not handled with care. However, you can still achieve healthy, bleached hair with the right coloring techniques and at-home hair regimen.
Before you go, if you’d like even more tips and tricks for taking care of your bleach blonde hair, take a look at this video from Francis Lola on YouTube.
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