BLONDE HAIR BREAKAGE: TIPS FOR MAINTAINING YOUR COLOR FROM CHRIS APPLETON
Is blonde hair definitely more fun? Most of you blondes will say YAASSSS. And if you’re NOT blonde, you’ve probably wondered what life would be like as a blonde. Because “Blonde envy” is a real thing! But taking care of blonde is also a lot of hard work, according to celebrity stylist, Chris Appleton. We know that chemically-derived blonde hair is exceptionally prone to hair breakage. But worry not, we sat down with Chris Appleton to get the full scoop on what causes hair breakage and how to keep your best blonde going strong!
“Everyone should experience being blonde at least once, but don’t underestimate it - caring for blonde hair is like looking after a child, it’s a full commitment,” says Chris.
What Happens When You Go Blonde? What Causes Hair Breakage?
Unfortunately, color processing can lead to hair damage and breakage, especially for blondes.
Going blonde means using peroxide (bleach) and that’s always harsh on your hair. In fact, the lighter the blonde shade you’re after, the longer the peroxide has to stay on your hair, and the more damage it does.
Here’s how:
Peroxide (which typically is pH 10 or greater) swells up your hair so the cuticles (outer layer) pop up and open wide. Once the cuticles are opened, peroxide goes into the strand where it can break the inner disulfide bonds that give hair strength and elasticity. Make no mistake: this is double trouble for hair because 1) The open cuticle makes your hair more porous, so moisture leaches out fast and furious, leaving your hair dry and straw-like. 2) Broken bonds will result in weaker, more fragile hair more likely to snap and break easily.
What’s Chris Appleton’s secret solution to fortify fragile blondeFlip the switch on your blow-dry routine. Instead of a “dry + fry” session that saps out moisture and snaps off strands as you style, make it a hair-rehab session that boosts strength in minutes.
Chris’ go-to solution for fragile, damaged, over-bleached blonde is Kale Cocktail. This leave-in treatment contains natural sea kale, which is rich in sulfur. The sulfur acts as a bond-builder to re-connect broken disulfide bonds. Clinical tests show Kale Cocktail reduces breakage by 50% with just one use! (Want to learn more about the Color Wow Cocktail treatments? Click here!)
Once you’ve gone blonde, you want to protect the integrity of your hair AND the integrity of your color. Chris’ biggest tip is to use the right products. A sulfate-free shampoo is essential, as harsh sulfates can strip your color faster. But it’s also important to make sure that your cleanser is made without any typical ingredients found in most shampoos that make your blonde hair look dull or dark…or worst of all, build up and lead to thinning and hair loss. To learn more about what ingredients to watch out for, check out this blog post.
Another big tip from Chris to keep your blonde looking first-day fresh? Tone it. While many people think the key to fighting orange or brassy hair is to go into a salon for a professional toning service, there are easy options to keep your blonde looking bright right at home. And no, we’re not talking about purple shampoo (you can learn everything you need to know about purple shampoo here.) Instead of toners or purple shampoos, you can use tinted stylers to keep brassiness at bay. Our pick? Color Control Purple Toning + Styling Foam.