I have put off this blog post for quite some time. Not for any particular reason besides waiting for my hair to take its final form. Well, for now. I’m originally a brunette and three years ago I decided to shake things up a bit with some highlights. A year and a half later, my hair had more blonde than brunette. (Every six months, I would go back to the salon and get a whole head of highlights rather than just touching up my roots.) I loved the way it looked and in hindsight, probably should have kept up with my typical routine. However, I did not. Buckle up kids, this is where it gets interesting. 

I was working at Ulta when I decided I wanted to bleach my entire head. Like every single strand of hair. I had always wondered what I would look like as a platinum blonde and I intended to find out. So I made the fatal appointment at my Ulta salon. Employees get a 50% discount on hair services, so I figured at least if I didn’t like it, I’d be saving money. 13 milligrams of bleach later and my head was definitely blonde. However, it was also damaged, felt like straw, and quite literally coming out of my head in CLUMPS. 

Now, there was nothing wrong with the actual look of it. Once my roots grew in (which was pretty quick) my hair looked a lot more “natural” and that was easily when I liked it best. I probably would have at least tried to keep up with the blonde, except for the absolute unalterable damage that had been done. Having hair that looks good is one thing but, having hair that makes you feel like a scarecrow is another. My fellow Ulta employees suggested I buy a ph bonder and a restorative hair mask to try and counter these issues. I picked up the Redken pH Bonder Post Service Perfector (discontinued) and Living Proof Restore Treatment Hair Mask. 

Both of these products saved my hair’s life. The pH bonder pretty much locked my hair into my scalp, which sounds terrifying because it was. But like I mentioned, my hair was literally falling out of my head, which also scared the crap out of me. To use, I would simply wet my hair and apply generously, allowing the product to sit for 20 minutes. I always did this before I showered as the instructions recommended. I went through two whole bottles of this stuff before I finally decided my hair was ok enough to continue without. 

If you’ve read my blogs, you already know how much I love the Living Proof hair mask and still use it to this day. It’s definitely pricey, but the results are amazing. Even at my hair’s worst, it felt hydrated and stronger after keeping the mask in for ten minutes. I also attribute how healthy my hair grew in to this mask as well. When my brunette roots started to show, they were ridiculously shiny and honestly, healthier than ever. Even if your hair isn’t as damaged as mine was (good for you) I still recommend this product as a deep conditioning treatment or something to just keep your hair looking vibrant. 

I would have liked my bleached head to be a bit more platinum but, I managed to achieve that with some purple shampoo. To be more specific I used the Matrix Total Results So Silver Shampoo. Let me be clear about this though, I despise this product. Yes, my hair was already disgusting and damaged, but this shampoo made it infinitely worse. Every time I used it, (which was pretty much every time I washed my hair) my strands would feel drier than ever before. Did this shampoo turn my hair platinum? Yes. However, if you used too much of this stuff, (spoiler alert: I did) your hair pretty much turns purple and there’s no way of fixing it. Like literally you could keep your head under water for an entire day and the purple tint would remain. Eventually, I kind of just embraced it and let the purple shine through, which was fine I guess. However, if you don’t want that, I’d highly suggest trying a different brand.

I really wanted to let my hair grow out naturally from root to tip. Last summer, I pretty much walked around with a head full of half brunette and half platinum/purple hair. Not cute. Then I realized I’m impatient as all hell and I couldn’t wait for it to fully grow out. Instead, I decided I wanted to do something a little bit more spontaneous. I went back to my OG hair stylist and asked her to dye the bleached parts of my hair a dark blue. We were both excited for this transformation and a few hours later, I was instantly obsessed. I highly recommend dying at least a portion of your hair a fun color once in your life. It’s honestly a statement piece. However, with fun colored hair, there are some consequences. 

All hair dye fades over time, but colored dyes are more noticeable because they’re pretty. . .  unnatural looking if you will. I didn’t want to go back to the salon for touch ups because, let’s be real, I’m not made of money. Instead, I opted for a blue hair mask that deposits color back into the dyed sections of hair. The Joico Color Butter in Blue is not actual hair dye, which is the best part, because who wants a splotchy blue bathtub? Instead, you wash your hair like normal, apply this mask to the dyed portions of hair, and let it sit for 30 minutes. The instructions say 10, but that’s a blatant lie. Of course the color will never be as vibrant as when you first dye it, but this product definitely makes it more manageable. And considering this product is only $20, it will save you a lot of money in the long run instead of going back to the salon.

Six months in and I was honestly exhausted. It had been over a year of me doing special treatments to my hair in order to either keep it healthy or colored. I desperately wanted to take a shower without there being thirty minutes dedicated to just my hair’s needs. So back to the salon I went. In theory, I would have loved to put highlights in my hair, but I knew that would further damage the portions of hair that were originally bleached beyond belief. I stuck to brunette and after three hours of lifting, washing, and coloring, my hair had come full circle.

My hair is MUCH healthier now than it has been over the past two years. It still feels damaged at the bottom where brunette dye has covered the bleached portions, but infinitely better than before. Managing my hair has also become significantly easier since I don’t do anything drastic to it. Years prior to me even thinking about putting bleach to my hair, I had a severe dandruff problem. Thanks puberty! I did recently notice that I had some buildup on my scalp, but I’m sure it’s from the numerous products I used to keep my hair looking decent. A few months ago I started using the Shea Moisture Green Coconut and Activated Charcoal Purifying and Hydrating Exfoliating Hair Mud. Try saying that 10 times fast. All jokes aside, I love this product for exactly what the title suggests. The sugar granules exfoliate the scalp and actually leaves hair feeling softer than before. It removes the dandruff and honestly just smells really fresh, not that the scent lingers after following it up with the Living Proof hair mask, but you get the point. I use it just once a week to see results. 

That’s pretty much all I got for ya! Yes, it was an experience and there are obvious regrets, but on days where my hair cooperated I did like each individual look. If you have any other questions about my hair journey feel free to leave them in the comments below!

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