The Secret to Soft Hair After Bleaching: 10 Expert Tips
You’ve hit your perfect level of blonde – now, how do you make that bleached hair soft again? Whether you’re working an all-over shade, highlights or balayage, you’ll know the condition is just as crucial to your look as the colour. So, let’s explore 10 stylist-approved steps to soft and silky hair, so bleached blondes glisten from root to tip. Here’s your must-follow guide…
Before the Bleaching Process Starts
The secret to softer yet stronger hair starts before bleach touches your strands. How your shade is lifted will have a big impact on hair health in the days and weeks that follow. First of all, we always recommend you leave this job to a professional, so head to our Salon Finder to discover your nearest Wella Professionals salon. Then, ask your colourist to use BlondorPlex. It’s our ground-breaking, bond-strengthening pre-lightener, which not only reinforces bonds during the lifting process, but also reduces breakage by 97%*. As for colour results, it gives you up to nine levels of lift, so your Wella Professionals colourist can unlock the blonde hair shades of your dreams.
Maintaining Healthy Hair After Lightening
Image Credit: @anderrateliehair
1. Wash with a Gentle Shampoo
After lightening, the last thing you want to do is strip the hair cuticle of natural, essential oils. Hair needs cleansing, but a gentle approach is key to maintaining the right balance of nutrients. So, reach for a nourishing wash, like ULTIMATE REPAIR Shampoo. It's rich and creamy yet hard-working, removing impurities while respecting moisture levels. In fact, it even removes microscopic pollutants and dust particles, which may sound harmless, but actually lead to friction and, in turn, hair breakage. Massage the sumptuous cream into wet hair, paying extra attention to the scalp, and then rinse away to reveal clean yet conditioned strands. Bonus: this shampoo works for all hair types, from straight to coily.
2. Add a Purple Shampoo to Your Kit, Too
This step is less about softness and more about maintaining your shade. Bleached locks call for a purple shampoo to keep brassy hair at bay in between salon appointments. So, make sure you have one in your kit, preferably with a dose of nourishing ingredients. Our top pick is INVIGO Blonde Recharge Cool Blonde Shampoo, which harnesses a violet tint to counteract unwanted warmth.
If your hair is feeling dry, you could also try a colour-depositing mask. Color Fresh Mask in Pearl Blonde acts like a purple shampoo, and works fast to revive your blonde hair colour. Use it in place of conditioner by applying it to clean, towel-dried hair and leaving it on for 10 minutes. Once rinsed, your blonde tones will appear cooler, fresher and revived.
Image Credit: @brianacisneros
3. Rehydrate with a Deep Conditioner
A conditioner is essential for lightened locks. It gives brittle hair a much-needed boost of moisture, and if you choose the right formula, it helps to reinforce internal bonds as well. ULTIMATE REPAIR Conditioner is your go-to, with a skincare-inspired blend of AHA and Omega-9 to repair hair from the inside out, so it feels 12x smoother** with 99% less breakage***. To get the most out of this hard-working conditioner, squeeze excess water out of your hair before applying, then let it absorb for 2-3 minutes, so your blonde hair can soak up the creamy formula.
4. Apply a Bond-Building Hair Mask
The bonds in your hair are responsible for texture, shine, strength and elasticity, so when they're impacted by chemical treatments (like bleaching), you need to give them some support. Asking for BlondorPlex as your lightener will help, and you can also boost its effects at home. Try WellaPlex No3 Hair Stabilizer, a deep conditioning treatment that reinforces bonds, while strengthening and smoothing damaged, dry hair.
Use it after shampoo, while in the shower, by focusing it through the mid-lengths and ends of your hair. Let it absorb for five minutes, and then rinse thoroughly. Bleached hair will feel instantly softer. Want extra nourishment? Try a treatment bun. While the mask is still on, slick hair back into a nape-hugging bun and secure it with a silk scrunchie. Leave it in place for a few hours, and then rinse thoroughly. It's a great option for wash day styling with major health benefits.
5. Level Up Your Hair Accessories
Towel-drying, brushing, even sleeping... They're all culprits when damage is at play, and if strands are already vulnerable, they can dial up hair breakage and split ends. But, because they're all essential, you can't cut them out completely. Instead, upgrading your accessories will help. So, make these swaps to reduce everyday wear and tear, so soft hair has a fighting chance:
- Swap regular towels for a microfiber towel or cotton T-shirt. Switch up your drying technique too; instead of rubbing at strands, use your chosen towel to blot away excess moisture.
- Swap hair elastics for silk or satin scrunchies or even a claw clip. The fact that claw clips are trending is great news for your mane, letting you pin it up while putting less stress on the hair shaft.
- Swap cotton pillowcases for satin or silk pillowcases. Even the softest cotton can pull on processed hair, but strands will glide over silk or satin as you sleep, letting you wake up to a more manageable mane.
- Swap too-harsh hair brushes for a gentle, wide-toothed comb and a boar bristle brush. Use the wide-tooth comb to detangle damp hair, and the boar bristle brush to keep knots at bay on non-wash days.
Image Credit: @marianiliehair
6. Treat Hair to a Leave-In Conditioner Treatment
Bleached hair tends to be more porous, which means it's highly absorbent. This might sound like a good thing; surely this allows your deep conditioning masks to soak in deeper... right? But it doesn't quite work like that. High porosity hair isn't picky about the moisture it absorbs, meaning if the air is humid and damp, it attracts the water molecules and turns to frizz. What's more, gaps and tears along porous hair cuticles allow hydration to escape – and fast – so keeping processed strands nourished in between washes can be a challenge.
But there is a solution. Leave-in conditioners are great for highly porous hair because, unlike rinse-out treatments, they stay on strands for longer, lending nourishment that lasts. Try ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue which, as the name suggests, works miracles through stressed strands. The supercharged elixir repairs hair damage in 90 seconds****; all you have to do is mist it through damp hair and let it do its work. Apply generously, putting extra focus on the most fragile parts of your hair. Then, style as usual for hair that looks and feels healthier from just one use.
7. Dial Down the Heat
If you love using hot tools, there are two big changes you might want to make to your styling regimen. First up, use a heat protectant – but not just any heat protectant. Apply creams instead of sprays to give bleached, porous strands the TLC they need. ULTIMATE REPAIR Protective Leave-In shields hair against heat up to 230°C/450° F, while defying frizz with its lightweight formula.
Then, check the temperature on your heat styling tools. You may be using a higher heat than you need; the perfect level comes down to how fine or thick your hair strands are. As a general rule, you should aim for a temperature of 120-150°C/250-300°F for fine or damaged hair, 150-180°C/300-350°F for medium or wavy hair or 180-200°C/350-390°F for thick or curly hair.
8. Moisturise with Hair Oils
Instant smoothness and softness can be found with a drop or two of hair oil, and Oil Reflections Luminous Smoothing Oil is one of the most effective around. With a cocktail of Macadamia Seed and Avocado Oils, it tames frizz and flyaways in seconds flat, while giving lengths and ends a seriously silky look and feel. You can use it on damp or dry hair, so it's perfect for every stage of your hair care routine. Use it after a blow dry or in between washes to revive a morning-after mane.
9. Never Skip a Trim
Regular trims are always vital – but even more so after bleach applications. A cut is your quickest remedy for split ends, so check back in with your stylist every six to eight weeks. And, if you're at the point where your hair hasn't yet been bleached, make sure you add a cut to that appointment. It will seal your ends, so your hair is at lower risk for breakage and potential damage.
10. Keep Consistent
As with most things, consistency is key to keeping bleached hair healthy, so once you've locked in your regimen, stick with it. Your (now soft and silky) mane will thank you in the long run.
Looking for more tips to nourish your hair at home? Discover our complete collection of Hair Care Guides, featuring advice for every type and concern.
* When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex vs. BlondorPlex alone.
** Vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.
*** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue instrumental test vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.
**** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.