Hair rescue tips FROM A LONG-TIME BLEACH DEVOTEE
Emily MacCulloch has been bleaching her hair for 16 years. She’s learned a hair care trick or two along the way
I very clearly remember the first time I had my hair fully bleached. It was 2008, I was 26 years old, and I’d been wanting to go platinum for years. It was love at first lighten. I was thrilled that my new blank white canvas allowed me to dabble in any pastel or rainbow colour I wanted in the years that followed. But maintaining bleached status takes its toll on strands. I had breakage, rough texture, dullness and split ends, plus the looming fear that one day my strands would simply snap in half.
Eventually, I started to wonder if I’d need to go back to my (literal) roots, but I was also noticing changes in the hair care industry. In 2014, Olaplex launched its in-salon treatment that helps minimize damage during bleaching, and at-home leave-ins and masks were getting makeovers to include super hydrating ingredients like argan and avocado oils that actually made a difference for suffering strands. These product innovations are a big reason I’m still bleaching my hair 16 years later, but there’s more to it when it comes to caring for a fragile, damaged mane.
WHAT CAUSES HAIR DAMAGE?
Think of hair damage as starting with a beautiful, thick rope — and then taking a hacksaw to it (as in, bleach, flat irons, blow dryers, etc.). That’s the image Harry Josh, celebrity hairstylist and Kerasilk brand ambassador, described to me at a recent Kerasilk event in Montreal. “You basically have the integrity of something great and then you ruin it to make it look better,” he said, gesturing to my bright-white hue. “Yes, it may look better, but the hair is now weaker.”
Certified trichologist Bridgette Hill (a.k.a. the Scalp Therapist) explains that hair fibre damage comes from both inside and out. Internal causes include medication, diet, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, age and hormones, while external factors can be colouring and lightening the hair, certain hair care products, heat-styling tools and UV damage. “These factors alone or together can be direct causes of damaged hair,” says Hill.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE DAMAGED HAIR
Frizz Though some frizz comes down to your DNA, it can also be a sign of hair-fibre damage, says Hill. When the hair’s cuticle (the outside layer) lifts (blame heat-styling, colouring, etc.), moisture passes through and causes the hair shaft to swell, resulting in frizz.
Breakage We’ve all spotted those frayed ends or short, stubby pieces along our hair line. According to Hill, breakage is categorized as shortened hair fibres that are damaged from the mid-shaft with fissures and tears. “With breakage, hair is not being lost from the scalp like it does with shedding, but it can lead to hair loss, thinning and slow growth.”
Hair loss and hair thinning While shedding is a natural and normal part of any hair growth cycle, finding more hairs in your brush or in the shower after shampooing could be a sign of damage at the scalp. A wider hair part and more scalp showing along the hair line are also signs of thinning hair due to damage.
Can damaged hair be fixed?
“Anything you do to the cortex of the hair (the part inside the cuticle), whether that’s through colour, through manipulation of texture — curly or straight — whatever it is, you’re damaging it and you’re weakening that strand,” says Josh. And once that damage is done, it can never be truly repaired, says Hill: “The only option is to superficially and temporarily mend the hair fibre with proper hair care, techniques and tools,” she says.
HOW TO FIX DAMAGED HAIR (OR AT LEAST, HELP IT)
“Prevention is the biggest key to avoiding breakage,” says Hill. It’s true — with my hair’s fragile state, if I slack on my routine (like skipping my deep conditioning mask or leave-in), I almost instantly notice more frizz, breakage and dullness. While I know that I’ll never be able to repair my strands to their former unbleached state, the goal is to prevent further damage and keep it looking and feeling as healthy as possible. Here are my hard-earned secrets for caring for damaged hair.
Focus on your scalp
Trichologists and dermatologists have been talking about the connection between a healthy scalp and healthy hair since … forever. “All nutrients the hair fibre needs are supplied through the scalp,” says Hill. By properly caring for your scalp, you’re helping your hair be as strong as possible, so when you do inevitably weaken it with colour treatments or heat, at least it’s in its most optimal state to be able to handle the damage as best as possible. You can try a pre-shampoo scalp oil to help nourish the skin, and you’ll also want to treat the area gently by avoiding excess heat and rough handling — just like your strands themselves.
Say no to tension and friction
While we love a slick, sky-high ponytail as much as Ariana, these types of hairstyles create a lot of tension on the hair and can exacerbate already fragile strands. Tight braids and cornrows are other styles that fall into this category. “Try to avoid putting too much tension on the same area day in and day out,” says Hill. Switching up your styles will help to avoid the same hairs getting pulled tightly, so opt for a low ponytail one day and a higher one the next. Just like tension is bad news, so is excessive friction, as it can cause small tears along the hair shaft. To keep the cuticles of each strand laying smoothly overnight, swap out cotton pillowcases and scarves for silk. Curly, coily and textured hair types will benefit from sleeping in a bonnet, or Hill recommends “pineappling” your hair, where you gather it at the top of your head and slip on a silk or satin scarf or scrunchie to lift curls away and help keep them smooth while you sleep.
Introduce a bond builder
Bond-building hair products have become a major hit in the decade since they were launched. They work by doing just what they say: going inside the hair shaft to repair broken bonds due to heat styling, lightening and more — essentially any act that makes the hair more fragile. They help to build up its resilience and shine and get my hair health at least somewhat closer to where it was pre-bleach.
These days, you can find bondbuilding technology outside the salon, too: in shampoos, conditioners, masks, leave-ins and more. I’ve been using Kerasilk’s new Strengthening Bond Builder since Josh introduced it to me. It’s a leave-in cream that works on all hair types with no rinsing required. “It allows you to layer your styling products right on top of your bond builder so that there’s no lag time,” says Josh. This quick one-step has made it easy for me to stick with it as part of my regular routine so I can stay ahead of that straw-like feeling.
Minimize your wash-rinse-repeat routine
Hair is in its most fragile state when it’s wet. That means each time you shampoo, you’re making your hair susceptible to even more breakage. While this is easier said than done for some hair types over others, try to cut back on how often you wash your hair during the week.
You will likely find your hair is just fine with less lathering, but a loose updo, new headband or a spritz of dry shampoo can help with the transition. “This one change in habit allows the hair fibres to slowly mend and feel and move better,” says Hill.
Get strategic with at-home hair care
Everything that touches my hair has a sole purpose: to hydrate and heal. When your hair is damaged, you must make the most of every product in your routine — both in and out of the shower — to help get your mane back to manageable. Look for ingredients like proteins, humectants (especially glycerin), lipids and fatty acids. For colourtreated hair, Hill recommends using a pre-shampoo treatment ahead of your next dye job. This will provide a hydrating boost and will help your colour adhere more evenly.
Hill also talks up leave-in treatments as the star player in any regimen. “I like to think of leave-in conditioners as a hand cream to be used daily and as many times as needed depending on hair type and texture.” Not only do they give hair a healthy dose of gloss, but they’ll also help to fill and seal any spaces between the cuticles in dry hair while binding moisture to each strand. For finer textures, reach for a water-based leave-in that won’t make hair too greasy or weigheddown.
Become besties with your stylist
Over the years, I’ve forged some deep relationships with my hairstylists and I know that I can trust them to tell me when I need to give my hair a break or a chop, or how to best navigate its ever-changing fragile status. A great hairstylist knows how to recognize the distress signals in your hair and can make recommendations to help get it back on track, along with making a realistic game plan with you if you want to make a big, damage-inducing change.