Blonde Hair SOS

You may have been born with blonde hair, or perhaps, like me, you’ve decided to lighten up your locks at the salon, but either way blonde hair requires pretty specific maintenance routines. From stopping the colour from turning brassy, making sure your ends don’t totally dry out and also protecting your hair from UV rays, there are some really important things to take into consideration when you’re a blonde.
To help you care for your hair and keep it as gorgeous as possible, I’ve pulled together a few of my favourite tips for caring for blonde tresses.
Sun Protection for your hair.
It’s not just your skin that gets damaged by the sun, but your hair too. Blonde hair is particularly susceptible to sun damage so make sure yo use a UV protective spray. It’s even more important in the summer but also all year round, as UV rays can change the colour of your hair as well as drying it out.
Protect in the Pool
Before you go for a dip in a pool, use bottled water or fresh water from a shower to wet your hair. If you’re hair is already soaking wet before you get into a pool, it won’t soak up the chlorine in the water, which is what can turn blonde hair green! Not a good look!

Trust in your hairdresser!
Bleach contains some of the worst chemicals known to mankind, and as the name suggests, it’s a powerful stripping agent that pulls the colour out of your strands. But it’s not the bleach that helps you achieve the luxurious blonde hair, but the toning. Your hairdresser will know that the toner is what your hair needs to prevent it turning yellow, or brassy, or even green. For a blonde top up, my salon of choice is Joes Salon – a plush white haven on Sloane Avenue where you can entrust the experienced stylists to create the blonde hair of your dreams. Often armed with Pinterest pictures of what I’m trying to achieve, the stylists talk through their recommendations about which colours and styles will be most flattering to my skin-tone and face shape. The boutique salon also offers pampering treatments such as manicures and even makeovers – I love multi tasking so getting my nails done while my hair is tended to is such a treat. Colour treatments vary in price from £80 to £250.
Get Regular Trims
The more your hair is bleached, the more prone it is to breakage so dead ends need to be snipped on a regular basis. I try to get a trim every four weeks, and Joes Salon offer consultations so that you can tell the stylist about exactly what you’re trying to achieve and they will talk you through the best options to create a style that you love.

Tone at Home
Purple shampoo is your friend. Strange as it sounds, purple shampoo keeps your hair from turning brassy, which can happen if you only use shampoos that aren’t specifically formulated for blonde hair.
You wouldn’t want to invest in a fabulous colour just to see it fade or change just days after your trip to the hair dresser, so make sure you’re armed with products to help maintain your blonde locks at home. I use John Frieda’s Sheer Blonde range, alternating between their Colour Renew range and their Highlight Activating shampoo and conditioner. The Colour Renew products are bright purple in colour which helps your colour-treated blonde look even brighter. If you find that your blonde tones are looking a little yellowy after a few weeks then just a couple of uses of this stuff will re-balance your blonde giving you a salon-fresh shade.
Deep Condition Regularly
Bleached hair is often stripped of moisture as well as colour. If straw like hair is not what you were aiming for then use a deep conditioning treatment, and use it often. I’m currently using the twice a week; it’s incredibly indulgent, and I cover my hair in the buttery product letting it soak in for at least 5 minutes after towel drying my hair, letting it nourish and moisturise my hair. Afterwards, my hair is left noticeably softer and less frizzy as the hair surface is perfectly sealed and smooth.
But Don’t Wash Too Regularly
I try to leave it three days between washes because washing further strips the hair, and by leaving it longer between washes, you can preserve the colour and keep it looking more vibrant for longer. This means that you’ll probably need to find a dry shampoo that works for you – and Batiste make one specifically made for blondes which I always find works a treat.

Use a hair oil.
I recently did an entire post about why you should use a hair oil, and for blondes this is even more important. From the mid lengths through to the ends, applying an oil will keep your strands moisturised and nourished. The is a great option for dry damaged hair, as like the conditioner it works to nourish each strand leaving hair shiny, silky and healthy.
Ditch the Towel.
Towels can be a little coarse for fine blonde hair, so try using a plain T Shirt to squeeze the moisture out of your hair. Friction from the towel can cause frizz and unnecessary dryness but the softness of a t-shirt will keep the natural moisture in your hair.
& Protect from Heat!
Blonde hair is naturally more dry, so heat styling can really take a toll on blonde locks if you don’t use a protective spray. It’s wise to give the hair dryer a miss every now and then too, just to give your tresses a chance to recover.

Do you have any more tips for caring for Blonde locks?