Reader question: “How do you hydrate hair that has been bleached, colored, and recolored? My scalp is dry too!” —@calliugraphic For the longest time, I thought that having healthy bleached hair was an impossible oxymoron. While I did opt for the occasional coloring session, I stressed that my stylist never touch bleach. Unfortunately, that also meant that the lightest shade I could ever achieve was dark caramel. Eventually, my dreams of going blonde grew too strong, and I caved. But I did my research, and surprisingly my hair is in pretty good shape today. I attribute this to my expert colorists, of course, who made sure to equip me with plenty of advice. But I also make sure to take care of my strands as if they were insured. The right maintenance can help reverse the negative effects of bleaching—even after back-to-back sessions—but that does mean more time commitment, and potentially product investment on your part. Here are some tips to help keep bleached hair healthy. Unlike other hair treatments that add moisture and shine to the outer layers of your hair, bond-building treatments work on the molecular level to repair broken disulfide bonds that make up our hair. If you have any bleach-blonde friends, chances are you’ve heard of Olaplex, a patented technology that works on the inside of hair to relink and strengthen broken disulfide bonds, making hair permanently healthier until damage reoccurs. If you don’t want to splurge on the entire routine, I recommend starting off with No.3 Hair Perfector ($28; sephora.com), which is meant to be used as a pre-poo treatment before shampooing. In the shower, I like to use Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo ($30; ulta.com) and Conditioner ($30; ulta.com), a pH-balanced formula featuring citric acid (an AHA that reinforces weakened bonds within your hair). After the shower, a personal fave is K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask ($29; sephora.com), another patented peptide technology that reconnects broken keratin chains in hair. Keep in mind that you don’t have to use all of these bond-building products at once (pick the ones that fit your lifestyle best), but it’s worth replacing your current lineup if you’re not using a bond-building product already. Although “chemical burn” sounds worse than it is, chances are you will notice a dry, flaky scalp after the session. This can be differentiated from dandruff because the flakes will resemble white specks that fall down like tiny dust particles, while dandruff are chunky and tinted yellow. The best way to counteract this is with a scalp treatment containing natural oils to help restore lost moisture—even better if the oil is heated. “Applying a hot oil hair treatment to your scalp can help stimulate blood circulation and release flaky, dry skin sitting on top of the scalp, leaving your scalp moisturized and refreshed once it’s washed out,” says Jana Rago, a hairstylist and owner of Boston-based Jana Rago Studios. And it has hair benefits, too— “A proper hot oil hair treatment, including a scalp massage and allotting enough time for the oil to seep into the hair and scalp, can result in shiny, smooth strands once washed and dried.” When you get a split end, it runs up the hair fiber like a rip in your stockings. If you don’t snip it ASAP, the breakage will either snap the strand completely or travel all the way up to your roots. Either way, it will result in needing a shorter cut. Now here’s where it gets a bit tricky. There is no universal number for how often you should cut your hair (sorry!). But the rule of thumb is every six to 12 weeks. The exact number will vary depending on factors like heat-styling frequency, along with your hair type (fine hair is more prone to breakage).
