Blonde Hair Recovery - help and advice PLEASE!

[ELSmith12]

HELP! :) I’ll start with my hair history.. I have naturally super thick & curly ginger hair that has been bleached for years.
In October 2022 - went from bleach blonde to copper - had it dyed copper twice and HATED it so had it bleached back to blonde in Dec 2022. Note - I had it dyed copper and bleached back by a hair dresser - I’ve done nothing to my hair myself!

I had FOUR bleaches in one session (aaahh!) which had led to a lot of the top layers to snap, they’re regrowing now after 2 years, but slowly!
It’s definitely thickening back up and the longer ends are in quite good condition but there are multiple layers of snapped hair + those awful dead bits you can see on your top after you’ve brushed it/straightened it etc.

I HATE it naturally curly, so need to find something that’ll protect it and help it recover/grow but also provides heat protection.

I wash it 1-2 times a week, and use a Dyson airstrait to dry it and straighten it from wet, + GHDs to maintain the straight throughout the week.

What products do people recommend to help my hair recover from the bleach + heat treatment? I have about £100 budget - I so desperately want it to grow, but also appreciate it’ll take time with the heat + it needs a regular cut + lots of love.

I don’t know anything about Olaplex really, open to opinions/advice!?

I used the L'Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Molecular Strengthening trio last year which helped a bit but I didn’t love it. My hair felt like straw a little after

I’ve been reading about the Redken Acidic Bonding products - any reviews!? Thoughts!?

Sounds like your hair needs moisturising products rather than protein. I don’t rate olaplex. Start taking supplements with biotin in them. Rub castor oil on your hair and leave overnight to help with growth

Kerastase. Shampoo, conditioner, serum, oil and heat protectant. It’s the only thing I’ve used since my hair melted in 2020

Try the Cantu products

And Garnier banana hair mask and shampoo

The heat is killing it more than the after effects of the bleach - can you look to buy products that enhance your curls rather than kill them?

I'm a pretend blonde with curly hair - I air dry with balm wherever possible and if I need to look super smart I straight-dry my fringe and pull my hair into a high bun. But on days off, curly girl the whole way, beachy waves with a bit of saltwater product.

Thank you all so much for your replies!

I do sometimes embrace my curls and it does look nice but I can only tolerate it for a day or two, or when it’s too hot and it just goes frizzy and huge!

Which kerastase type would people recommend? I used one a few years ago that was nice but it didn’t feel like it did anything overly special to my hair, but I’m not sure if it was particularly for dry/bleached hair.

thank you!

I have been in a similar position to you, my hair is quite thick and wavy and became over processed from bleach, add heat onto that my hair was getting quite damaged.

Naturally I am a level 4/5 brunette and years of bleaching brought me to a level 9 blonde. I fancied a change anyway. The first thing I did was to let my roots grow out quite a lot. Then I went an all over brunette colour close to my natural colour. I then used K18 on the parts that were frazzled by the bleach and after a couple of uses they were not frazzled anymore. I do occasionally use Olaplex too and I always have it added to bleach or dye when I get my hair coloured.

That gave my hair a break. I also bought some cheap Remington straighteners as my GHDs were frying my hair so I could style my hair at a much lower temperature. I turned the heat down on my hair dryer as well and where possible allowed it to partially air dry. I cannot use my GHDs on bleached hair at all anymore. My hairdresser even told me they were damaging my hair.

I wash my hair twice a week and one wash I leave it naturally and I am learning to embrace my curls and then the next I will straighten it. The break from bleaching has made my hair in a much better condition than it was and I am able to slowly incorporate some highlights back into it. When my hair gets frizzy I put it in a bun.

Satin scrunchies are advisable if you don't already use them. Invest in good products I like MilkShake (but only order from them directly), Pureology, and a good hair masque is a must. Leave in conditioner too. MilkShake and ColorWOW have some great styling products. Moroccan Oil is another brand.

I personally, have never got on with Kerastase and L'oreal Professionel. Doing the above has made my hair grow super long and the thickness is coming back.