Coloring your hair has become a right of passage for many people. I myself started dabbling with hair color at the wee age of 12. I created the most lovely shade of carrot-top orange just before school photos. Needless to say, we didn’t get the school photos that year … but much has changed since then.
I have colored my hair from one side of the spectrum to the other – blonde to black and back again. It’s easy to go darker when you have blonde hair. Not so much the other way around. More often than not it requires multiple processes, depending on how dark your base hair color is, and how fast it lifts.
Of course, when I am done processing my hair – the tone of the blonde I achieve is never what I want. It is always too gold or yellow. In this case you need to use a purple shampoo (not blue). I have tried a few, and they are not all created equal. If you use the wrong ones they can actually cause a lot of damage to your hair and even cause it to break off/ come out.
What can you do to prevent damage, restore dry and brittle hair, tone and de-frizz hair, after you have basically killed it with over-processing? Check out the tips below.
1.) Prevent damage before you lighten/bleach your hair
The first thing you have to do before bleaching or lightening your hair is assess its current condition. Is it damaged or already colored, thinning, brittle, full of tangles, frizzy — or is it healthy and strong, shiny, soft and silky? If your hair is not 100% healthy you should do a pre-color conditioning mask before you lighten or bleach your hair.
Note: Damage doesn’t just come from coloring or bleaching your hair. If you use a blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron (anything that applies heat to your hair), get Keratin/straightening treatments, perms, go in the sun often, try home “highlight” remedies like lemon juice or beer in your hair — all of this also damages your hair.
I have done all of the above to my hair, including bleach and color. I tried so many different types of conditioner masks. It is really hard to find a good one that lives up to its claims. I finally found one I really like for my pre-color treatment. I use the CrazySmooth Anti-Frizz Treatment Masque before I color/bleach my hair as pre-color nourishment. It seems a little pricey, but it will last you a long time (depending on hair length!).
As I start my hair-color cycle, I typically first apply the Nexxus Color Assure Pre-Wash Primer to all of my hair. This helps protect your hair from the water, as too much water, too often, is also drying for your hair!
After that soaks in, I wet my hair and gently massage and walk the masque very slowly from my scalp to the ends of my hair with my fingers. Less is more when it comes to applying this masque. Be careful not to pull on your hair too much, or comb the masque through tangled hair, unless you are okay with breaking your hair off before you even start.
Once every hair is coated with the condition-y goodness, I leave the masque on for about ten minutes and then rinse it out. If you need a more intense treatment you can leave it on up to an hour.
Try not to blow dry your hair after a pre-treatment because the point of this is to repair damaged hair as much as possible before you damage it more…
2.) After the heavy hair lifting and/or bleaching is done
Okay. You’ve managed to get your hair color up to a yellowy gold blonde in some spots, and really pale yellow in others. Well. Congrats on lifting the color at least! But wait, there’s more. If you hate gold and brassy yellow like I do, then you are definitely going to be one of the purple people treaters.
It is called “purple shampoo”, but there are sets that come with shampoo and conditioner, and even some leave-ins. There are varying degrees of how well any one of these shampoos will work. First, they will dry your hair more. Be prepared for that. You will need to baby your hair a lot after you do it.
One of the most popular and easily accessible brands for this is Clairol Shimmer Lights. You can grab a bottle at your local Sally’s. This works pretty well, but it will take a few times before you typically get your desired results, unless you are just looking for a subtle tone. I usually only use the shampoo, not the conditioner in the line.
There is one brand you should stay away from, and that is the Naissant Purple Shampoo. I had so much of my hair break and come out after I used it. I never had that happen before. My hair was severely dried by this product. So. Don’t walk away, RUN away from Naissant Purple Shampoo.
After toning I use a really intensive, deep conditioner. The Macadamia Ultra Rich Moisture Masque is a great post-bleach, color or tone masque. Love it.
This miracle masque has Macadamia oil, Argan oil, Mongongo oil and Shea Butter. Lots of vitamins and lipids take a hold of your hair and start rebuilding the strands from the inside out.
I am pretty sure there is no other masque I have used after doing something damaging to my hair that made my hair more healthy so fast.
One thing you might want to keep in mind when applying this masque, is that it works best if you have removed the excess water before you put it in your hair. It can grasp the hair better. Do not twist your hair or ring it out though. Gently squeeze from the bottom up. No pulling.
I usually like to leave this on for at least 20 minutes. Sometimes I will use this to just give my hair extra nourishment and I have left it on for four hours whilst wrapping it up on my head in a plastic hair thingy. It always feels amazing afterward. It takes the straw feel, and the tangled rat’s nest away.
3.) Detangle, Moisturize and Kill the Frizz Monster!
Once your hair has been rinsed clean it’s time to carefully towel dry it. It’s important to remember: push don’t pull. When you are towel drying your hair gently wrap it around your ends and push up while lightly scrunching your hair upward with your fingers. Do not ring out your hair, do not pull or squeeze the water from your hair in any way.
You will know you are done when the water stops dripping from your head erratically. The drip, if any, should be slow and infrequent.
Now it is time to put in your leave-in conditioners. Yes, plural. I use different ones for different things. I have some for occasions where I want to weigh my hair down a little more so it doesn’t frizz out. For that I typically use a cream/lotion leave-in product like PlushLocks Leave-In Smooth.
If I want a little more nourishment, I might also use a spray like It’s a 10 or Biolage Advanced Keratindose Pro-Keratin Renewal Spray. Depending on how damaged my hair is, I might use a combination of both of those and then use the leave-in lotion on my hair if I need to smooth the frizzies later.
4.) How Should You Brush Wet Hair or Dry Hair to Prevent Breakage?
First things first. When have you ever had a good experience pulling your hair down from its roots with any brush or comb? Just don’t do it if you have medium to long hair. That is how you will incur a lot of breakage. If your hair is longer than the bottom of your ear, it is important to remember to brush or comb your hair from the ends, and work your way up to the roots.
If your hair is wet, make sure you use a very wide toothed comb. No brushes. No small toothed combs. Your hair is more fragile when it is wet. Be careful when doing any sort of combing out when it is in that state.
Once your hair is dry, you want to shy away from using combs. Instead, use either a bamboo brush or one with boar bristles. These will be the least likely to rip out your hair or cause static.
5.) Everyday Hair Maintenance Post Trauma
Let’s face it, if you are touching up your roots every three weeks like I am, your hair is probably always traumatized in some way. I have a few regular shampoos and conditioners I like to use. I switch them up on occasion so my hair does not get used to it. That helps the product perform better on your hair.
For shampoos I like to use CrazySmooth Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Hask Argan Oil Repairing Shampoo. I also have to add in my purple shampoo at least once or twice per month.
As far as conditioners go, I use CrazySmooth Anti-Frizz Conditioner if I need a very lightweight conditioner. Otherwise, I use one of the masques above and just deep condition at least once a week.
I recommend washing your hair every two-to-three days. This prevents you from over-drying your hair needlessly from too much washing (because it strips away your hair’s natural oils when you do it too often – making your hair more dry in turn).
You can use leave-in conditioners whenever you need to. It doesn’t matter if it is lotion, oil or spray – despite the label – you can put it on dry hair. It’s common sense really. If you want to detangle and do some light moisturizing, use a spray. If you want to have a great shine, do a little repair and resolve a small frizz problem, go for the oil. If your hair looks like your finger rested too long on a live wire, go for the lotion.
You can use a combination of the spray to detangle, and then use the lotion if your hair is too frizzy after you’ve brushed it out.
If you plan to flat iron your hair, or use any kind of heat on it, make sure you use a spray that protects your hair from heat.
6.) Healthy Hair – What You Eat Matters
Look, you can do all kinds of treatments and buy all kinds of “miracle” products — but if you aren’t eating right, it won’t matter much. Make sure you are eating foods high in vitamin E and C, as well as omega-3, Biotin, vitamin D and vitamin A (but not too much). If you do not get enough of these from your diet, then you can use supplements — but a healthy diet high in these nutrients is always more preferable.
7.) Exposure to the Elements Can Affect Your Hair’s Health
Wind, rain, the hot hot sun … all of these things can affect your hair in different ways, so prepare accordingly. Obviously, wind is going to tangle your hair. Make sure you have a spray bottle of detangling leave-in standing by. Rain will dry out your hair. A nice oil might do the trick to put the moisture back in.
And then there is the sun and humidity (usually you don’t get one without a percentage of the other). They are the worst (especially if you are already living in a tropical area – like Florida – ugh). Make sure you put something in your hair that shields it from the UV rays. Yea. Your hair needs sun screen too.
8.) Parting Thoughts, No Pun Intended
Your hair is a fragile thing. Always err on the side of caution when it comes to doing things to it that can damage it. Yes, most of the time it will grow back, but it takes a while for broken, damaged hair to grow back. And, the older you get, the more fragile your hair becomes. Yes, your hair ages too. Shocker.
One final word of warning before I sign off: Be wary of your cat when they come up behind your head and nuzzle you. They may just be chewing your hair and eating the ends (if you have longer hair this is more likely). And no. I am really not kidding. For some reason my cat loves to chew on the ends of my hair. I have seen other cats do this as well to friends, family, etc. Don’t let them chew your hair! It’s not that cute! It’s not good for them or you.
I write like I think—fast, curious, and a little feral. I chase the weird, the witty, and the why-is-this-happening-now. From AI meltdowns to fashion glow-ups, if it makes you raise an eyebrow or rethink your algorithm, I’m probably writing about it. Expect sharp takes, occasional sarcasm, and zero tolerance for boring content.
