This week a number of Snapchats came through about hair colour and essentially how to maintain a bright blonde. If you’re dark blonde to a very light brown then this is quite easy to achieve and maintain. If however you are naturally dark like me, then you do need to put time and effort into keeping it that way. Today’s post should hopefully answer all of your questions about hair colour from condition to staying blonde effectively.
What kind of colour process do I get done? I use to get an all over coloured directly applied to the roots. My hair grows so quickly that I was back in a salon every three weeks. I also found that bands of colour were starting to appear and the blonde was starting to get slight orange tones. To combat this you can get highlights and lowlights applied to break up the orange, provided your hair is strong enough to absorb it. Overall highlights have proved to be a better option for me as the colour is more reliable, which is really important for modelling jobs. I’ve always been conscious of my hair condition so I was lucky colour could take to it. How often do I get colour applied?: On average every 4-5 weeks. I’ll usually get a full head of highlights applied, then four weeks later I will get either a T-Bar ( just the hairline and down my hair parting) or a half head of highlights. I always try to avoid a full head of highlights back to back as doing that regularly will definitely weaken your hair. What salon do I go to? McAuley Scanlon on Baggot St. in Dublin Do I use hair extensions? Yes, I use Great Lengths but only on one side. If you follow me on Snapchat, I mentioned the other day that my hair has grown unevenly for around five years now. One side is extremely thick and long while the other never matches up, regardless of how much I even out the length. The Great Lengths create an even look but it’s still important to look after your locks even with some extra help. If you want more details on extensions I’ve written a full post here. How do you keep blonde hair ..ermm.. blonde!? Keeping blonde hair fresh can cost time and money but if you are mindful of some do’s and don’ts it will make life much easier in the long run!
Do’s and Don’t list:
* Don’t use products with strong orange, oily or brown tones – this will grab to your colour and alter it slowly making it appear darker in shade. * Ask your hair colourist about a product called Olaplex. This a fairly new product which enables people to go blonder without the fear of damaging the hair too much. My hair colourist has used this on my own hair for a number of months and it works brilliantly. * Try to opt for shampoos and conditioners that are white in colour or transparent (with exception to purple/silver shampoos, see further down this post for more info). * If your hair is quite weak aim to use conditioning treatments and hair masks twice to three times a week. * Speak to a professional hair stylist and voice your hair issues / concerns. If you have attended your colourist for a long time they will know your hair history and will be able to recommend a really good treatment to suit your needs. *Be careful with oil based products such as macadamia and Moroccan oil’s as this can alter your hair colour. Instead look to oils that are transparent or are specifically aimed at bright blonde hair. *Don’t apply the same repair products over and over to your hair. Strike a balance, i.e vary your hair as you would with your skin. More detail on this below.
Strike a balance : Moisture & repair
To keep your hair strong you want to invest in it’s condition, especially if your aim is to have long hair also. The best way I have found is through hair masks. Mix hydrating masks and treatments into your routine every few washes and a repair treatment on another day. All repair treatments contain protein to help rebuild hair cells. With too much of this on a regular and continuous basis, your will beging to feel hard and could start to break as it’s too much protein. Good hair is all about the balance.
Some of my favourites :
Joico Moisture Recovery
Redken Blonde Idol
Kevin Murphy Angel Masque
Joico K-Pac
Budget quick fixes
While the high end products will make a noticeable difference, I have found these have been quite good too as a quick fix. They would be good to also balance in between a more expensive item if you were to use masks twice a week. My budget favourites: L’Oreal Elvive – Full restore
John Frieda Sheer blonde
Schwarzkopf – Essence Ultime
Prevent built up: Purple shampoo
If you want to keep blonde hair blonde in between salon visits then you need to look up purple also known as silver shampoos. This is essentially a hair cleanser, over a period of time, days even, everyday hair products like gels to hair sprays, thermal sprays and even perfume can create a build up on your hair which dulls your blonde. Purple shampoos are ideal to use once a week. Too much and you can over cleanse both the hair and colour which is why just once a week is perfect. Brushes and hair ties:
We all love a good bargain but when it comes to your hairbrush it’s worth even paying the 10 euro mark and upwards for it. If you want to prevent breakage, then you want to look at items that are soft on the hair fibres. Things that are too rough with your hair can instantly weaken it. The same applies with hard ties, scrunches, bobbins ( whichever way you to like to call them). I now buy hair ties that have no metal piece featured because they catch the hair and put extra pressure around the surrounding area. Another new amazing invention are these plastic swirl hair ties which put next to no pressure on the hair. Remember weak hair = Colour will weaken it even more. Keeping you hair well kept means you can keep up your regular hair visits.
Hope this has been of help to you ladies. Any questions leave a comment below or be sure to find me on one of my social media channels. Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Snapchat – @StyleMeCurvy Lou xx
