A few weeks back I posted a review of
Tigi's Copyright Colour bleach, revealing just how incredible a job it does of bleaching the hair yet still leaving it in good condition. The thing is, you can never be complacent with hair, particularly when it has been bleached. So I feel it only right that I look after my lovely readers by treating them to a mammoth post on haircare!
My fellow pastel princesses, mermaidians, unicornians and bleached bombshells will understand the struggle and the pain of bleached, damaged, brittle hair! The photos may look all glam, and beautiful and effortless, but ladies: THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.
So no matter how pretty coloured hair looks, particularly brights, pastels & blondes, I can tell you now, the bleaching process will more than likely leave you noticing your hair feels parched, split ends will appear all over and sometimes your hair will even snap right off (though Tigi has reduced all three).
One of the key reasons people are put off from bleaching their hair is the maintenance, they'll have to do the roots every 6 weeks (or when they can be arsed, like me) and retouch the colour every week etc. Whilst those can both be irritants, the real maintenance comes with caring for your luscious locks - however it needn't be such a laborious chore. There are some hair-rescuing, life-saving products out there that make it so much easier.
I've gone from turquoise ombre, to full on ocean-blue turquoise hair to cotton candy, to white blonde and now to lilac. And as you can imagine, all that change can take it's toll on the hair. However, I am pleased to report that my hair is in pretty decent condition!
The hair junkie in me has tried out a zillion and one products out there and it was difficult to pick just 10 products out of the 395828593 I love. Whether your hair is mushy, severely damaged or extremely dry there's something for everyone in my top 10 picks!
Macadamia Natural Oil Flawless
Cast your mind back to the 90s for a second and the good old 2 in 1s by Wash and Go. Now if you imagine it was upgraded for the 21st century, you won't be a million miles away from this great product. It's a cleansing conditioner, and it does pretty much what it sounds like it should: it cleanses and conditions your hair - at the same time! You'll need just 1 or 2 pumps of this thick foamy stuff, emulsify this in the palms of your hands and apply to your parched locks whilst in the shower.
To help it spread all over my hair, I tend to apply a tiny bit of water to the hair to loosen it up which makes it a lot easier to get full coverage and massage into the scalp. Basically, just apply like a normal shampoo but leave it in the hair for 5 minutes. Just note that it won't lather in the hair, it feels pretty much like a conditioner but I always look forward to using it.
Once the five minutes are up, rinse it all out and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easily your hair detangles by just using your digits!
Not only does this product take good care of your hair, it also saves you a lot of time. You won't need to go through your conditioning ritual after washing (as it's already done!) and your hair will feel silky smooth after. WIN!
Nothing's perfect though, and the only downside is that I've found I can't use it every time I wash, the reason being it tends to build up on your hair over time. For that reason I recommend using this every other wash.
It's a must-have for those of you with pastel or vivdly bright hair as it doesn't fade out the dye.
Clairol Shimer Lights Shampoo and Conditioner
Shimmer Lights is a violet based toning shampoo and conditioner, that I have to say is a frightening shade of deep purple, but don't let that fool you - it won't dye your hair, I promise! If you have blonde, white or silvery hair, this stuff is for you. These hair tones are susceptible to that horrible brassiness that can over time lead to Tweetie Pie style canary yellow.
When my hair was a white-blonde, I'd use this once a week, leaving the shampoo and/or conditioner in for 5 minutes and rinse. After that you'll find the brassiness has vanished and the hair looks generally brighter. The violet tones attack the yellows in your hair, leaving behind a wonderful ashy tint.
My only qualm is that the shampoo does leave the hair feeling a little dry and if I'm honest, the conditioner isn't exactly the best at conditioning either. But I'm only really interested in using this for the affect it has on the hair colour, so I tend to mix in another conditioner to get the sleek hair I so crave. If I'm being really honest, I'd also have to call out just how heavily perfumed it is, it can get a little overwhelming.
My tip with this stuff is to use the conditioner shortly after bleaching, particularly if your hair is looking a bit yellowy. It will really sort out that tone for you. If you're keen to try this out, I'd recommend just buying either one of them as you don't need both to get the benefits. Personally I've had my eye on Fudge's Clean Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner for ages now, so once these are finished, I'll be giving it a shot!
Redken All Soft Heavy Cream
Oh lawwwwwrd! I'm gonna keep banging on about this, but I need to ram home the message here: the after effects of bleach can leave the hair feeling rather brittle. But fear not - Redken's Heavy Cream is your hair's best friend. It picks it up when it's at its lowest, smothers it in creamy love and transforms it from straw to super soft after just one use.
The product itself is a thick, heavy conditioner that you apply to hair after shampooing. You'll only need a small amount, as it contains Argan Oil applying too much can leave hair looking limp. If you have fine hair, you don't want that to happen! I spread this through the hair and leave on for around 15 minutes.
My hair suffers a lot in winter due to the effects of moving between the cold, icy outdoors and the nice, toasty indoors, and it begins to feel a bit like a haystack. So when I've got some time to myself, I'll go out on a limb and leave this on for a good couple of hours. I can't stress just how good Heavy Cream is, it completely transformed my hair! It used to sadden me how much I'd have to struggle to get a comb through my hair, but after the first use it was like a hot knife through butter.
Whilst this is definitely your hair's best friend, it's not likely to be your debit card's. At £21.95 for a 150ml tub, it ain't cheap but it's worth every last penny - plus Lookfantastic have offers on this from time to time at £15.90. My opinion? GET. IT. NOW.
Mark Hill Colour Hydration Bomb Intensive Treatment
Mark Hill's range is seriously underrated, but this mask is perfectly named. It doesn't just inject moisture into your hair, it goes off like a bomb on it! I stumbled upon this in Boots whilst on the hunt for some increasingly elusive protein-free treatments, and I honestly didn't expect to have anything to write home about. Sorry Mark, I of little faith!
As for protein, I don't have a problem with it as such, but overuse of protein filled products can overload the hair and cause severe breakage. What's worse, is you probably wouldn't ever suspect it's your protein-based products causing it and you'll be mystified! Given protein seems to be in almost everything, it's crucial to get a balance between protein and moisture to keep the hair in tip-top condition. Mark will help with that!
I found Mark Hill's Intensive Treatment on the bottom shelf in the haircare aisle, and took a quick look at the ingredients. I found that it was aimed only at dry hair, not the whole 'dry/damaged' malarkey which would usually be crammed with protein - this is just pure moisture.
The formula is reassuringly thick and smooth, giving the feeling that it's really going to slather quite nicely over your hair and make a difference. I'll apply to the hair after shampooing, leave on for 5 minutes, and voila!
Not only does it feel like it's going to do something, it actually follows through and delivers, my hair always feels super-hydrated afterwards and detangles like a dream. Give it a quick blow-dry, and damn - you've got yourself smooth, shiny hair! Mark also says this can be used as a conditioning mask to be left on overnight, and he's the expert so I often take him up on that advice when my hair feels particularly dehydrated.
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisture and Shine Conditioner
Yes. That's right, Herbal Essences. But don't laugh, I adore this serum-infused conditioner with its gorgeous coconut aroma - but I've not quite reached the heights of the adverts yet, if you know what I mean ;)
I'll use this as a little cheat after rinsing out one of my various hair treatments, as it feels like it seals the treatment in nicely, adding that much needed slip to my hair.
Redken Anti-Snap Leave-In Treatment
Redken's Anti-Snap Leave-In Treatment is a protein-based product and my god. I LOVE IT. It's so good, that despite how much I heart the
Aphogee 2 Step Treatment, I've moved away from it completely now. As mentioned in the post, Aphogee works a treat, but takes too long to dry, and time is of the essence!
Fortunately I came across this though. It's a fluid-like formula, that you apply to damp hair and leave-in. I probably use it once a week due to the protein content and it doesn't really moisturise as such, but does leave my hair feeling stronger and gives some much needed elasticity.
As a result of using this, in conjunction with Tigi's True Light bleach, breakage in my hair has reduced quite significantly, and I'm seeing less and less split ends to. If you're a fan of Aphogee's 2 Step Protein Treatment, but aren't a fan of waiting around for ages, Redken's Anti-Snap was made for you!
Kerastase Resistance Ciment Therminique - Vita-Ciment Topseal
So you go to all the effort of bleaching your hair and colouring it a pretty pastel shade or a fierce Nicky Minaj blonde and all you keep hearing and seeing is 'Don't use heat on bleached/coloured hair'. F**K THAT! Rules, common knowledge and popular opinion are all there to be broken or challenged and Kerastase's Ciment Therminique is on your side!
It's a leave-in milk that actually requires heat in order to work! I use this in rotation with Redken's Anti-Snap Leave-In, but particularly if I'm going to be blowdrying, straightening or curling my hair. After use my hair always feels super sleek, glossy and swishy - remember the old Pantene adverts? That's what it feels like!
On the other hand, this does absolutely f**k all for hair when not using heat. Which I'm hoping you'd gathered by now!
Creme of Nature Argan Oil Treatment
I came across this on one of those rare occasions where a sales assistant actually gave me some good advice. It was in the new-ish Paul's Hair World in Manchester's Arndale centre, after their other store was gutted by fire. The assistant made a compelling argument, and for £7 I thought 'Why not?' and snapped it up.
Boy, was I in for a treat! This, my dear friends, is a dupe for the famous Macadamia Heating oil which I remained fiercely loyal to for so many years. It has quite a thick texture, and I apply sparingly on damp hair and blow-dry. This absorbs really well into the hair, and after the blow-out I'm left with the feeling that my hair has been nourished. On top of that, I found that the split ends don't look quite so noticeable.
L'Oreal Ever Riche Oil Precieux
The Ever Riche Oil Precieux is a spray on hair oil from L'Oreal's Sulphate and Parabens-free range. The bottle always reminds me of 'Soul Glo' from Coming to America (awesome film!), but fortunately the product within is of far superior quality!
It's perfection for those of us with fine hair as it's quite lightweight and is very forgiving if you're feeling spray-happy and go waaaay overboard. This stuff won't weigh your hair down and won't make it look greasy either, two unexpected properties from an oil! I use this for blow-drying quite often, and find that my hair feels airy and volumised. Plus, as L'Oreal say, it gives my hair the 'Cashmere Touch'.
Also if I'm deep conditioning, I may spray a few pumps out into the palms of my hands and mix in with the conditioner. I'm not sure if there are any real benefits to that though, but my hair does feel even better afterwards!
Macadamia Natural Oil Nourishing Leave-In Cream
Last but not least, we have Macadamia Natural Oil'd Nourishing Leave-In Cream. It's a really thick, conditioning cream with an oily feel to it that at first sight actually made me a little bit wary of applying it to the hair. I feared it may leave my hair looking limp, but I went ahead anyway and was pleasantly surprised. In my opinion this stuff works best if you're going to leave your hair natural for a couple of days without any interference from anything else.
All it takes is two pumps applied all over damp hair and just allow it to dry naturally. Once it is dry, you'll notice that it's added body and texture, leaving your hair feeling nourished, moisturised, a whole lot thicker and it looks lustrous. Perfect!
And there you have it!
That was my Top 10 Haircare Products for Bleached, Pastel, Mermaid and/or Unicorn hair - it was really difficult to pick, because there are so many great products out there. These 10 though are the ones that have had the biggest impact on the condition of my hair, and I'd highly recommend them. I hope you've found this post useful and enjoyed reading it, I'm just glad to be getting back into the swing of blogging again!
Just to clarify though, I don't use all of these products at the same time! I tend to rotate around a bit to make sure my hair gets a balanced diet of protein and moisture, these are the key to keeping bleached hair healthy and as is the case with alcohol, make sure you enjoy these products in moderation!
If you have any haircare secrets or products that really do the trick, share the love!
Lima
xo
