My brittle bleach blond hair. Help me!

[snapnfarter]

I have quite long thick hair that I've been bleaching for about 25 years now.
I know that sounds grim, but I love the colour of my hair. It suits me and people always comment on my hair.

Anyway, a couple of years ago I stopped spending £160 in the salon and bought the products my hairdresser used and started to do it at home for less than £30. I like the results after a mixed start, but anyway.
Now my hair is dry as hell. It looks fine but feels dry to me and knots a bit round the nape of my neck during the day,

I heard Olaplex is good but also that Philip Kinglsley's Elasticiser will help? Any advice?
I've been putting coconut oil in my hair, Redken hair masks etc, and don't see a huge difference. Feel like shaving my bonce and starting again!

I've used Olaplex and PK's elasticiser and solid coconut oil.

IME the coconut oil is really as good as the other 2.

Use loads, stick a shower cap or clingwrap round your head to keep the heat in and keep it all on for 2 hours at least. Weekly. Or twice weekly.

I've used Redken hair mask and it didn't do much for me either.

My hair got like this and started breaking a lot. I stopped lightening my hair, and cut down massively on heat styling. It's the only thing that will get your hair healthy again. Aside from that I find redken extreme anti snap shampoo and conditioner good at helping to minimize breakage.

Here is the solution to the dry brittle hair here

At nearly £60 does become something of a wallet problem though! It is completely and utterly brilliant. Frustratingly.

@Laiste Must be a nightmare washing the coconut oil out after though?
I have the same issue as OP (except with fine hair!) and my hair is very long. I can imagine if I used Coconut Oil, I'd be in the shower for an hour rinsing it off!

@PersonaNonGarter Link isn't working

Redken anti snap is great

Trying again with the clicky link

Insanely good but expensive

Try these Pantene one minute wonder ampoules- I have very dry hair from bleaching and these are honestly the best thing I've ever found. They really make my hair so easy to manage again. I use one every time I wash.

I've also recently discovered Mane and Tail shampoo and conditioner which is a bit of a revelation - it's great for dry brittle hair.

What developer volume are you using when bleaching OP? If it’s too strong it could be causing the brittleness. You can switch to a lower vol developer but it will take longer to bleach to the required colour.

Are you using any toners between colours as well?

I haven't found that washing coconut oil out of my hair is a problem at all. I put it through the lengths of dry hair, plait it in one braid and go to sleep. In the morning my hair is pretty dry and not oily at all, suggesting to me that my hair has absorbed a lot of the nutrients.

I'm using a Koleston special blonde with 12% developer. I only put it on regrowth and after 50 mins I damp the length and comb through for a max of 5-10 mins.

I found the Bleach London Reincarnation Mask worked well, and is much cheaper than Olaplex etc.

This is why you should never bleach at home. It will probably start snapping. Go back to the hairdressers, get loads of fine highlights, it will still have the high lift that you like, but will looks millions of times better.

Pantene for coloured hair is really moisturising.

Just a tip for washing out coconut oil...put shampoo straight on the hair without wetting it and then rinse.

Pureology Platinum is a magic formula for bleached hair. Feelunique sell 1 litre bottles of shampoo and conditioner which is better vfm than the normal size but still spendy

Also purple shampoo in small bottles from the pound shop as recommended by my hairdresser is a great way to keep brassiness at bay, once a week

I use Olaplex over night once a week and Kerestase dark green ( helpful) mask instead of conditioner, leaving it in for a hour or so. Have to do both those once a week.

@Hollycatberry my bleached hair is snapping off its so brittle. My hairdresser uses olaplex & I use a Kerastase mask twice a week leaving it on overnight. I do have a toner after bleach & I use a shop bought toner every week to top up. Is it ok to use the toner every week? Anything else I should be doing to help?

Bleach affects/depletes the protein in your hair strands. Get a good protein hair mask (lee stafford one in a pink tub is good - it’s called ‘for hair that won’t grow past a certain length’). You’ll need to do a moisturising hair mask once a week too. A good one is coconut oil, Argan oil, olive oil and honey mixed in a bowl and warmed in the microwave. Apply to hair and wrap with cling film and leave on overnight (or at least a couple of hours). You may need to shampoo a couple of times to remove it all. Also on a normal hair wash, condition first, then shampoo, then another little dollop of conditioner. Rinse with a mix of apple cider vinegar and water for super soft results! But protein will be key - protein hair mask, or egg whites work well, once or twice a week. Try and lay off the heat styling. If you must, use a protective heat product, leave to dry naturally when you can or use low heat.

12% developer is 40 volume which is pretty strong. This is normally used for taking very dark brown hair lighter (not sure what your base hair colour is though!)
I'd try switching to 6% or 9% as it's much gentler on the hair but it will take longer to bleach and there's a risk you could get stuck in brassy orange depending on your base hair colour. But better to lift gently and then correct the colour after toner.

@pleasesleepinyourownbed can you say what toner are you using? Does it require developer to be mixed with it? If so, it could be causing damage. Does your hairdresser do the bleaching for you as well? If so, check what developer strength they are using, it could be too strong and Olaplex can only do so much. If you are bleaching, toning and then toning weekly you're hair is will be going through alot. If you suffer with brassy blonde it's better to use purple shampoos & conditions than tone every week.

I'm a hairdresser

We can talk about products etc but, to be perfectly honest, after 25 years of bleaching I would honestly suggest stopping, having a really good cut and starting again once your hair's recovered.

@Hollycatberry my hairdresser does the bleaching, I would never attempt that. Not sure what toner she uses but I use Jerome bblonde silver toner. It only lasts a couple days. Put it on then a shower cap then hairdryer for 5 mins. Leave 20 mins. I use Lloreal professional silver shampoo but just doesn't cut it to get rid of the brassiness. I use Lloreal lipidium mask as my conditioner every day. Kerastase mask twice a week.

It's just the issues with condition which are the problem for me. I love doing it myself rather than sitting in the hairdressers for hours on end. It looks good and costs peanuts. I really don't want a hairdresser to do my hair.
The last time I went to the hairdresser for a colour she used Olaplex and it felt nice afterwards, rather than the usual dry stressed hair I always got when I came out of the salon. It would always take a couple of weeks to recover, every time.