Long blonde hair…we all dream of it- I mean who doesn’t want Gwen Steffani or Brittney’s beautiful locks, but obtaining these dream locks is often more difficult than just bleaching the hair regularly. Bleach & lightening products may actually damage the hair shaft and make it more difficult to obtain the length you desire, but there are some things you can do to keep your bleached hair healthy and encourage faster hair growth.

Cut your hair every 6-8 weeks

Trim regularly to remove splits caused from bleaching and wear and tear. Find a stylist who knows how to do an “invisible haircut”. What this means is taking the broken splits up the shaft of the hair off and also remove the very tips of your hair to discourage breakage without taking excessive length. Hair grows on average a 1/2 inch per month, so trimming hair 1/8 inch every 8 weeks will keep splits under control but still allow for hair growth.

Choose Shampoos & products that are rich in moisture

Purple shampoo, purple conditioner , purple shampoo.. it’s all blondes ever hear.

Yes depending on the shade of your blonde you will want to be using some form of purple agent, but what you often aren’t told is purple shampoo can actually dry out your hair and cause it to be brittle. Make sure that when you are using purple agents that they aren’t super high in alcohol or colour agents. We often recommend Bain-de-Terre Lavender champoo and conditioner . This set has enough of a tint to do it’s job without drying out the hair.

Depending on your hair, your stylist may actually reccomend pairing your purple agent with a mask or moisture based shampoo and conditioner and working on a rotating washing schedule.

1, 2 Skip a Few

This is a saying that has floated around in our industry for years. It is deems a lazy stylist-lots of blonde on the top and some big chunky patches underneath where you cant see it so much…well…if a stylist is doing this what else are they doing or not doing?

The MOST important thing when it comes to growing blonde hair is bleach application. We highly encourage you to do some research into who you are visiting becase full strength bleach should NEVER be overlapped.

Regrowth is the only thing that should ever be hit with full strength lightener. If you are needing to lighten the ends, make sure you stylist has a weaker solution for the ends and is using a bond builder to protect your hair’s bonds.

Avoid/Reduce Heat

Heat is one of the worst things you can do to your hair. It not only dries your strands out, but can make your toners fade quickly and actually cause breakage. For long luscious hair that actually growns, take a break from heat.

When people think of heat, they automatically go to blow-dryers & flat irons but your shower water and the sun can be just as damaging. Opting for a cooler shower will help seal your cuticles and cause your hair to be less frizzy (your skin will also thank you).

Yes you should use a heat protector before any hot tool style, but we would like to point out the damaging effects of the sun on your hair. If you are sitting on a beach all day put heat protection in your hair after you come out of the water. Think of it as sunscreen for your hair. For anyone looking for heat protection that is not heavy and going to weigh down natural textures, we reccomend Bain de Terre thermal protectent. It is super light weight and you will never feel it in your hair.

Brushing your hair correctly

You can be taking amazing care of your hair with heat protections, cool showers and regular trims to turn around and break your hair with a hairbrush.

Wet hair has extended elasticity but can also snap if it is tugged upon to intensly. This is why you should only ever brush your hair wet with a brush or comb that is designed for wet hair. We reccomend using a wide tooth comb or the Wet Brush as the bristles are gentle enough to bend around any snags vs pulling on the hair.

Always start by brushing the ends first and then move towards the middle and the root.

Listen to your stylist

Lastly, the biggest tip when it comes to growing out your blonde hair is listen to your stylist, they are hear to create a custom plan for you to achieve optimal hair health. They know the products and the treatments that are best for your hair type and can see and prevent damade before it happens.