After being a hairstylist for 8 years, and the entire time I have bleached out my hair completely. I loved it, and I love being blonde. The downside to such a harsh chemical treatment for so long is that, you can't grow your hair long. It keeps damaging, roughing up the cuticle, weakening it, and breaking off. Leaving me with never longer than shoulder length hair (without extensions).
My journey to healthier hair, so that I can grow it has consisted of these helpful hints:
-First, I stopped with the all-over bleach and tone. I will never be ready to give up my blonde locks completely, but I started to do a foil weave instead, I had to put some of my natural color back in. Get a little bit of pigment back in there (No worries! I'm still mostly blonde! :))
-Second, you MUST start deep conditioning your hair, ONCE A WEEK. No exceptions. I do this every Monday, on my day off. While showering, shampoo your hair, then saturate your hair really well with "Its a 10" Mask. Clip it up, and put a shower cap on. Finish the rest of your showerly duties, get out, and go about your chores in the house. I like to keep this in my hair for a good hour or so.
-Third, Rinse with COOL water. Hot water opens the cuticle, cold water closes it. You want your cuticle to close around the conditioning goodness you just did!
-Fourth, gently towel dry your hair, spray in the "Its a 10" miracle leave-in conditioner. You can see a picture posted in a previous post. I use the leave-in specially formulated for blondes!
-Fifth, I always follow up with Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum. Protect my strands from the harsh weather, heat, and whatever else we put our hair through. Apply evenly through the shaft and ends. You don't want this stuff on your roots, it will appear greasy. It smooths, seals, protects, and smells amazing!
Sixth, healthy diet and exercise. Duh, we all know this. What we put in our bodies, show up what is on the outside. Exercise stimulates blood flow. I also add this supplement to my daily diet and routine. Yes, that's Biotin 10,000mcg, the highest dosage you can get. What can I say, I'm desperate for my own long lovely lady locks! The happy nails is a bonus..
-Seventh, I use the blow dryer next to never. Except for my bangs of course. If I don't, well you know how it goes, they get a mind of their own, and we can't have that. Otherwise, I just let my hair air dry. I typically shower at night so that this is possible. In the morning, I kinda just take a curling iron in some places and go with the wave and curl that sleeping on it gave me. The less heat the better. Luckily we live in a time where accepting and working with your natural texture is the thing to do. Embrace it! Learn to work with it, and if you can't figure it out, call us at the salon. Schedule a styling appointment. We will help you figure out how to love your natural locks.
These are the most important steps I have noticed to be of big help in my quest for lush long hair, and still be as blonde as possible. Hope some of these tips help! :)
-Hailey Broadhead
Salon on the Avenue
Provo, Utah
