Hey guys, this is part TWO to my guide to bleaching asian hair, so if you haven't read part one yet (about how to actually bleach/dye it) then click right here! If you're ready to get to goss on the gloss, read on.
Section two: caring for your bleached hair
Yippee so you’ve got the colour of your dream, you can finally #hair on instagrams loud and proud. But how can you rescue that soft wet mush in your hands whenever you wash your hair? Well buddy, you can’t really ever undo the damage, but at least you can keep it under control. Here are some tips, tricks and products that have kept my hair looking manageable till now.
1) Don’t wash your hair
...EVER. Just kidding. But if you do want to protect your hair and keep your colour looking good, you have got to wash as little as possible. I can go 2-3 days, sometimes even 4 during colder days. Before you go on an angry rant about how unhygienic and gross I am, let me explain! After you bleach your hair, the scalp as well as your hair is completely dried out. They need time to regenerate so to speak, and unless you have EXTREMELY oily scalp, chances are your hair won’t even become greasy after just one or two days. Let your head rest and heal before you go scrubbing shampoo on it. Rule of thumb for me is, only wash when you can’t stand the greasiness (tops after 4 days). If you need a little help smelling good, go buy a can of Batiste dry shampoo from Sasa/Bonjour/Mannings, it works miracles and keeps you smelling flowery and takes away the greasiness for just about a day more!
P.S. even my stylist told me to try to not wash (especially for the first two days) so the colour can sink in better. Also some suggests rinsing with conditioner on non-shampoo days… but to me that just sounds like making your hair greasier plus washing the colour away quicker… (shrugs)
2) Smother on them treatments!
I think this would appear to be common sense to most people, so I shall not blabber on about how treatment works and all. However I would like to recommend two products that doesn’t burn a giant hole in your wallet, so you don’t have to pop by the salon every week, or have to give up lunch for a bottle of Moroccan oil.
*drum roll* Number one is Joico’s K-Pak Revitaluxe Bio-adanced Restorative Treament. Despite it’s extremely long name being really hard to remember, it has worked magic restoring strength to my hair after a really intense bleach job. It’s around $90HKD when I bought it around a year ago, but it shouldn't have fluctuated a lot. You can look for this in most hair product shops that carry salon-only products (there are a couple along Wan Chai Road you can try, Mongkok has tons and I’ve spotted a couple in CWB too!)
The other I swear by is Essential’s Ultra Honey & Shea Butter Rich Premier hair mask/treatment. I use it every other week whenever I feel like my hair needs an extra boost. It makes my hair super smooth and silky! Not to mention smelly absolutely heavenly… (Note: I’ve read that this product does coat your hair with silicone to make it silky, so if you’re not a fan of that, then stay away!)
USEFUL TIP: do squeeze out as much water as you can after shampoo before you smother on the treatment/mask of your preference. Target the ends first and go light-handed when it comes to roots and the upper bits. Pin your hair up and wrap it up with a shower cap or a towel. Disregard time recommended on the bottle and let it sit for at least 15-30 minutes. Rinse out and enjoy!
3) Do I need special shampoos and products for coloured hair?
For me the answer is a definitely N-O. It is definitely going to wash out and fade, and at most those colour-locking/securing/vibrancy-promising products only delay the process by an unnoticeable amount. But if you don’t mind dishing out the cash on trying some new shampoo while you’re at it, be my guest!
There is ONE exception I believe in though. That is special shampoos for artificial blondes. Daddy-O shampoo by LUSH does a good job of keeping brassiness away by lightly tinting your hair purple to counteract the nasty yellow from ever coming back! (because yes, bleached hair can turn darker naturally!)
Alright, make sure you stay tuned for a possible part three on the aftermath... And good luck with your shiny new hair!
Love,
xx
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