Ever thought of what it takes to keep salon-blonde hair looking fabulous? If you’ve ever gone blonde, you’ll know that success comes only with lessons learned. With beauty, most are armed with the hints and tips that lead to near perfection: use only clean make up brushes, to avoid breakouts; eye-shadows come with a short shelf-life and need to be replaced regularly; for a smooth application of cosmetics, cleanse, tone and moisturise first etc. Care of blonde hair, however, takes a little more skill. Why is this, you wonder? Because blonde hair seems to take an army of experts to maintain!
Hands up, all those bottle-blondes who’ve suffered the occasional unwanted yellow and brassy tones? Quite a few show of hands, no doubt! Fortunately, now, you don’t need to go to night school to find the antidote: we’ve consulted colour experts Suki Mahood, owner of Hair Sprits, and hairstylist to the stars, Jessica Lamb.
“Ash and Champagne blondes look more natural and expensive,” Suki says. “Yellow and brassy hair just doesn’t look right, it looks cheap and poorly cared for and it might not be the result of an inexperienced stylist!”
Other colours of hair are not so temperamental. Why is blonde so likely to discolour? There are two reasons. Anyone contemplating going blonde needs to appreciate that highlighted hair is very rarely the exact colour you’d hoped for. To approach anywhere near the desired colour, toner must be used to treat post-bleached hair. Jessica explains it: hair colour is like purple nail polish, and toner is like a clear glossy top coat of nail polish, that can eventually wear off, leaving a dull colour behind. This wearing can be avoided by reapplying your top coat regularly, to maintain that shiny surface and beautiful pigment; ditto toner.
The second reason is something that can be handled at home: “Blonde hair is more porous than most coloured hair and, over time, tends to become discoloured,” says Jessica. Water and other products, introduced to the hair, can all have an effect. Which means that, forewarned is forearmed: having the right tools to counter any ill-effects, can keep your blonde looking fabulous for longer.
Click through the following top 7 most common culprits of discoloration.
[accordion id=”my-accordion”] [accordion_item title=”Water Filters” parent_id=”my-accordion” open=”true”]Unless your blessed with an infinite supply of bottled mineral-free water, the minerals in your water supply at home might be the cause of discolouration. “Over time, the hard water in our showers permeates porous coloured hair and grabs at the minerals and metals, changing the colour of the hair,” Suki explains.
Jessica confirms that, “The best thing, to obviate this possible contamination, is to invest in a shower filter.” She says. “Older buildings have old pipes that pollute the water supply and churn out elements that interact with the colour and composition of the hair.” Hair filters are relatively inexpensive and are an absolute must for her blonde clients. “Take it like this,” Jessica explains, “Would you wear a deeply pigmented nail polish, without first applying a base coat nail polish? You’d be asking for the pigment to be left behind to stain the surface of the nail – the same applies to non-filtered water!”
Shower filters need to be replaced regularly, but are easy to screw on and off most showerheads. Jessica has located a good source for these: HERE
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title=”Pre-soak” parent_id=”my-accordion” ]Chlorine in swimming pool water can completely strip blonde hair of its toner. Even saltwater can discolour.
“Your hair can absorb any strong chemicals applied to it.” Suki offers a quick fix: “Your hair is like a sponge so, directly before your swim, completely soak your hair with clean water, so that your hair can’t absorb more of anything else, then seal with a little conditioner.” If you can’t shower, douse your hair in bottled water first and remember to also cleanse immediately after your swim. “Just be aware that chlorine is there to clean the pool and that’s what it does to your hair: it cleans the toner right off and just one exposure can completely change your colour and ruin your hair!”
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title=”Dry Shampoo” parent_id=”my-accordion” ]”Excessive washing speeds up the likelihood of the hair going yellow (for lighter blondes) or brassy (darker blondes or brunettes).” Suki recommends exchanging normal shampooing, which strips the pigments from hair and, instead, opting for dry shampoo, going for longer periods between washes. If it is untenable to go without the daily wash, rinse with water and condition, to revitalise without the severity of normal shampoo detergents, stripping the life from the hair and altering the colour to something less desirable.
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title=”Purple-popping” parent_id=”my-accordion” ]Overdoing the purple shampoo, instead of lightly toning, can have more of a negative impact than could perhaps be expected: you could find that the colour has distributed beyond what you’d expect even unfiltered water could achieve. You could find that you’re left with dull ashen, lilac and even grey hair!
So, go easy with the purple shampoo and conditioner – don’t use to excess and don’t leave it on for too long before rinsing. Jessica advises to limit using purple shampoo and or conditioner to only once a week. “Comb the conditioner through, only leaving on for two to three minutes,” she advises. Eventually, you can build up to a maximum of ten minutes, but don’t exceed this or you’ll have unwanted results. “If you’re looking to revitalise the colour, see your colourist for a top-up toning and gloss conditioning treatment, for best results.”
Suki prefers purples for blondes and Jessica opts for blues for more brunette highlighted hair. Both recommend Boots for a fabulous range of blonde shampoos and conditioners: HERE
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title=”Sulfate Dull-fate” parent_id=”my-accordion” ]You’ve probably heard the phrase “sulfate-free”. Suki explains the importance to blondes: “Sulfates are detergents that froth up the shampoo, leaving the impression of cleaner hair.” This is only the half of it. You need something more gentle on toned hair, to avoid lifting the colour. “Colour-treated shampoo is the key and sulfate-free is an absolute must for bottle blondes.” Jessica insists.
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title=”Over-blonding” parent_id=”my-accordion” ] Going too blonde can make the hair more porous. Too light or over-highlighting can make the hair too blonde and more porous. The last thing needed, in this case, is to reach for the wrong shampoo and conditioner: investing in lightening versions is a definite no-no, as this will alter the hair colour beyond what your stylist would be striving to achieve for you. “What you need is a product that repairs damage and locks in a protective layer to the cuticle.” Jessica suggests sulfate-free and non-lightening products and enthuses over the natural benefits of coconut oil that you can purchase from any good health store: HERE
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item title=”Sealing in the Gloss” parent_id=”my-accordion” ]Having followed all the previous advice, but still finding unwanted brassy or yellow locks? Jessica offers her final tip: gloss wraps. “At least once a month, go for a deep conditioning glossing.” The wraps close the cuticle, preventing colour fading and helping to block environmental, and other external factors, from affecting the colour and condition of the hair. Suki compares the gloss wraps with top coat nail polish: “A good quality clear gloss top coat protects the coloured nail polish from losing vibrancy. It also adds shine and chip-resistance, protecting your manicure in between salon trips. Gloss wraps serve the same purpose: locking in colour and offering protection from external damaging factors. Most high-end salons would offer this as an add-on treatment – make sure you take full advantage of this service, as your hair will reward you handsomely for it!
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Are you ready to go blonde?