After bleaching your hair, the bleach breaks down the fatty acids on the hair stem, leaving your hair dry, brittle and damaged and the damage is permanent. You must give your bleached hair more moisture and protein to nourish it and make it soft and smooth, repairing the damage. This article tells you how to make bleached hair soft and silky with tips and products.
How Does Hair Bleaching Work?
Hair bleaching begins by opening up the cuticle or outer layer of hair with an alkaline reagent so that the bleach can penetrate the cortical or intermediate layer. Once the stratum corneum opens, oxidants penetrate the hair cortex and dissolve melanin, giving hair its natural color.
Usually, the longer the bleach stays on, the lighter the hair will become. But leaving bleach on for too long can cause irreversible damage and even lead to hair loss.
Not only does bleaching cause split ends and breakage, the process also breaks disulfide bonds and protein loss in the hair. When enough of these keys are broken, it can cause your hair to become frizzy, dry, and unmanageable. Plus, it's more vulnerable to damage.
So if you're wondering why my hair feels like straw after bleaching, this is why!
Luckily, there are some ways to help repair your bleached hair and get it back to soft and silky.
How To Make Bleached Hair Soft And Silky?
Avoid heat
During bleaching process, oil is stripped from your hair stem, leaving it brittle, hard and prone to breakage. Extra heat pressure on the hair can lead to more severe breakage. To avoid this, hold off on heat styling for now, let your hair air dry, and if you must use heat, set it to the lowest setting possible.
Use hair mask
Bleaching can cause hair to feel dry, brittle or straw-like. Hair masks are a great way to inject moisture into your bleached hair, removing the damage caused by bleaching, heat, and over-styling. Look for hair masks that contain a lot of oil to moisturize your hair. Olive oil, argan oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter are commonly used in hair masks. They can rehydrate immediately.
Remember, you should use a hair mask immediately after washing your hair to restore the oil that has been lost in your shampoo. Apply a hair mask to your hair, cover your head with a hat and leave it there for 20-30 minutes, finish with a cold-water rinse.
Wash less
Bleached hair has dried during the bleaching process, removing the natural oils that make hair look soft and shiny. Shampoos are designed to remove oil and buildup, so you should shampoo your hair less often. Bleached hair can be difficult to repair if you wash it every day! So reduce the number of times you wash your bleached hair.
Use sulfate-free shampoos
Sulfates are harsh detergents that strip hair of its natural oils and make it particularly dry and brittle. Since bleached hair dries out, you should avoid shampoos that contain sulfates. Choose a sulfate-free shampoo that is gentler on your hair and will remove excess oil without peeling.
Deep protein treatments
If the bleached hair is severely damaged, you may want to opt for a protein treatment. Protein treatments can help strengthen fragile bleached hair. Most protein treatments contain ingredients such as creatine, keratin, collagen and vitamin B5, which rebuild hair cuticles, soften hair stems, reduce breakage and make hair easier to manage.
Pay attention to diet
In addition to using these products, you must also pay attention to your diet. Some foods are essential for hair growth, smoothness and silky.
Eggs are rich in protein. They promote hair growth and silky, as well as reduce hair loss.
Oats produce melanin, which prevents hair from falling out.
Salmon contains vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.
Green vegetables are rich in vitamins a and c, as well as selenium and iron.
Soy is a good source of protein for promoting hair growth and a smooth hairline.
