I am someone who is very particular, especially about my hair. I spend a lot of time and money making it exactly what I want. I am finally so happy with my salon and stylist who get me leaving my appointments with a confident smile on my face. But what about after those appointments? I was terrified that the blonder I chose to go, the harder and more expensive it was going to be to take care of my hair and maintain the color. However, I’ve found that this is not the case and found some amazing and affordable products that really work for me!
To Wash, or Not to Wash?
I am a very oily person, and when I was younger I used to wash my hair every single day. I just didn’t feel clean unless everything was scrubbed, and my scalp and hair would be so oily that I felt I needed to use shampoo and conditioner every night when I showered. I was told all the time that it’s healthier to wash your hair every other day but I never listened. That is, until I started coloring my hair blonde.
In order to prevent the color from fading or turning brassy from over-washing, I decided to cut down on how often I wash my hair. I started out with every other day, and realized that my hair was not nearly as oily as it had been when I was washing it every day. As I started to go lighter and lighter with my hair color, I received advice from several friends who had platinum hair to wash my hair only once or twice a week. I was hesitant at first, but after giving it a try I found that this might be the most important part of maintaining the integrity of my blonde hair color.
I now wash my hair once or twice a week, a few days a part of course. On the days I don’t wash my hair in the shower, I just throw it into a bun to keep it from getting wet while I wash the rest of my body. When I do wash my hair, I use specific products to prevent brassiness, dullness, and keep my hair healthy.
My Go-To Products
My first must-have product for taking care of blonde hair is purple shampoo. This L’Oréal Paris Ever Pure Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner are amazing! They are sulfate free, and have anti-brassiness, anti-fade, and UV light filtering properties. I definitely attribute my hair staying as vibrant as it is to these products. I choose to use them once a week. When I use them, I first wash my hair by massaging the shampoo in for two-to-three minutes and then rinsing, followed by massaging in the conditioner, leaving that in for about a minute, and then rinsing it. And the best part? It’s less than $10 per bottle! Check it out here!
When I wash my hair a second time during the week, I don’t like to overwhelm my hair with the purple shampoo and really like a deep clean to help maintain my oiliness. This shampoo and conditioner from Suave Professionals is perfect for that purpose. These are specially formulated for different hair concerns, and I picked up the “color care” edition for “color treated and dull hair”. These two products allow me to maintain healthy hair despite color treating, and they keep my blonde hair vibrant with no brassiness. And what makes them even better is that they are $3 a bottle at Target! Check them out here.
The final product that I use consistently with my blonde hair is dry shampoo. On days throughout the week where oils are coming through, I use a dry shampoo to help maintain my hair and prevent it from looking dirty and slick. I really enjoy this one by Sexy Hair. Their Hair Laundry Dry Shampoo is actually a powder, which is really unique and really works well for me! It is formulated with a lot of unique ingredients like mimosa flower extract and moonstones! I have had this little bottle forever, so even though the price is a bit more compared to the products above, I think it is well worth it! Whenever my hair is a little oily, I part my hair into small sections, spray a little bit of the powder into each part, run my fingers through my hair to mix it all in and then brush my hair out. It works like a charm. But beware: do not wear a black shirt when spraying this white powder as it will show up and smear onto the shirt! It washes out, but you don’t want it to interfere with your outfit! Check out this dry shampoo here.
Styling My Hair Throughout the Week
Last but not least is how I like to style my hair throughout the week to keep it from looking dirty. For the most part the products I featured above keep my hair pretty clean and less oily. However, there are obviously days where I get sweaty or more oily than others and still don’t want to over-wash my hair. Therefore, I have a series of what I typically do with my hair based on when I wash it.
Because I shower at night, normally the first two days following the shower where I wash my hair I like to wear my hair down. These are normally the days where my hair looks the most fresh. The third day I normally throw my hair into a ponytail or braid to keep it from looking slicked down to my head as it might if I were to wear it down. Following that day and depending on if I washed my hair on day four or chose to only wash my hair once that week, the remainder of those days are normally spent either repeating the cycle or wearing my hair in a messy bun or top knot. These styles are fast, easy to do before work and events, and still let you look super cute while making sure your hair looks clean.
All of these styles are subject to change due to certain circumstances. When I have time, I like to straighten or curl my hair for some added volume and texture. There are also obviously days where I don’t want to spend a lot of time on my hair, and I throw it up into a messy bun on day one after washing my hair. I have also really been into hair accessories lately, like scrunchies and hair scarves that add some extra style to your outfit and hair! I found a whole bunch of cool hair accessories at the closing sale of PacSun at my local shopping mall. The options are endless, and completely up to you, your hair, and your personal preferences!