This Is How I Brought My Hair Back to Life After Bleach Damage
Bleach damage is more common than we think, but finding how to come back from it is less common than we hope.
When someone goes through a breakup, one of the first things they want to change is their hair. Sometimes it's a big chop, sometimes it's a fringe, and sometimes… it's bleach. That's what I did. In 2021, I ended a relationship and decided it was time for highlights.
I found a hair colourist (not to be named) who had been doing my friend's hair for years. Her hair looked fabulous — she had the perfect highlights and lowlights blended together and it was everything I wanted, so I decided to trust him. I booked an appointment immediately.
Let me start off by showing you the photo references. My hair inspo was Addison Rae.
I thought to myself, she has dark eyebrows like I do, as well as dark roots — a little bit of blonde throughout her hair looks so summery and perfect, I want to do the same. I showed the photo references to the colourist and he was on board. I even remember explicitly saying, "I understand my hair is super dark and that it may take a few sessions for me to go that light." He nodded.
He began getting to work. He made the bleach and started doing his thing. I saw bleach, foil, and two professionals working on my hair, so I didn't question a thing. After they were done, I had to sit and wait for the colour to lift. Twenty minutes passed, no one came to check. Thirty minutes, still nobody. Then, forty-five minutes later, they came to have a look. (I think it's important to mention at this point that I can be socially awkward in moments like this — I won't speak up and ask someone to do something because I don't want to overstep.) After nearly an hour of bleach in my hair, they finally took me for a wash.
His assistant washed my hair and even demonstrated that it was still healthy by pulling on a big lock to prove there was no gummy elasticity from bleach damage.
After they sat me down with my hair up in a towel and took it down, I gasped internally. I was impressed at how light my hair was. I thought to myself, wow, they really know what they're doing. I thought I'd have to do at least three sessions to get this light.
They began blow-drying my hair. What I saw was not highlights. I was pretty much completely blonde. Ash blonde. I thought to myself, oh no… this isn't what I asked for — but it's so fun and different, I love it.
This is what I looked like before the appointment.
This is what I looked like right after.
Honestly, I thought he ate. My hair was blonde, it was the most drastic physical change I'd ever had. This was everything.
It wasn't until my first wash that I realised the actual truth. When I got out of the shower, my hair felt like gum. I would brush my fingers through it and I could feel the elasticity — my hair would stretch out and snap back into tight, frizzy "curls." I let it air dry to see what it would look like and I was appalled. My hair dried like a bird's nest. I immediately learned: this is what bleach damage is. I didn't know what to do about it, so I decided to just let it grow out until I was ready for a chop.
What I forgot about, though, was the maintenance. I am a Middle Eastern woman with bleach-blonde hair. Not highlights — just blonde. My hair started to eventually turn yellow and orange, and it started to break. I couldn't brush or blow-dry my hair without ripping it out. I remember seeing small pieces of hair flying through the air as I blow-dried because they simply couldn't hold on any longer.
I needed a trim and a tone. I didn't want to go back to the same stylist, so I decided to go elsewhere. That was my second mistake. This time, the colourist (who I will also not name) gave me multiple shades of blonde to work with. I had yellow, orange, ash, and caramel in my hair — all at once.
I eventually had to get a bigger cut. I went for a wolf cut — not because it was trending at the time, but because that's how my hair was falling. I had no other choice.
This is when it hit me. I needed damage control. My hair's health was beginning to affect my confidence. I couldn't leave the house without styling my hair or wearing a hat. The damage was so prominent and obvious that I felt like everyone was constantly staring at me. I couldn't brush my hair or blow-dry it without choking up. I couldn't run my fingers through my hair without judging every single strand. I just hated everything about how I felt. The only upside was that my white hair growth wasn't obvious anymore since it blended in with the blonde. That's all.
I had moved past the stage where hair masks and scalp oiling would cut it — at this point, I had so much colour in my hair that I needed a colourist to bring everything together. I worried that meant bleaching my hair again, and I couldn't put it through that. I decided it was time to go back to my dark hair and work on bringing her back to life.
I went back to my natural hair colour and already felt so much better. The wolf cut also started to grow on me with the darker hair. From here, I decided to take things seriously and actually bring my hair back to life — because even though it looked great the day I got it dyed and blow-dried, this is what it truly looked like day-to-day.
The damage was still prominent (though less obvious than when I had fifty shades of blonde). So, how did I bring my hair back to life?
My main tips are: monthly trims, biweekly masks, weekly scalp oiling, everyday protection, and keratin.
Monthly Trims
Trims were an easy one for me because I was no longer attached to the length of my hair — I felt too repulsed by the texture to care. Each month, when I would go for a root touch-up, I would also get a necessary trim. Some trims were longer than others; some were barely noticeable.
Biweekly Masks
This is where I felt like I was finally giving my hair something to drink. I could feel the lack of hydration and knew it needed it more than anything. My go-to masks were (and still are):
Weekly Scalp Oiling
I know the damage was done to my hair and not my scalp, but I'm a firm believer that your scalp needs to be healthy if you want your hair to be healthy too. So, while I was doing the trims and masks, what was the point if my scalp wasn't feeling good?
I didn't have one go-to scalp serum, but I liked using rosemary oil on a weekly basis. I also used Saanté Strengthening and Nourishing Hair Oil on the mid-lengths to ends of my hair.
Everyday Protection
This is probably the step most of us tend to forget, but heat protection is so important. I was terrible when it came to using heat protection before styling and before heading out into the sun. I still occasionally skip this step when I run out of product, but it really is essential. My go-to is TRESemmé Protecting Heat Styling Spray.
Kertain Treatment
I know this isn't common and it is quite an investment, but I am a huge keratin treatment advocate. The process is time-consuming, but the results are always worth it. I've been getting keratin treatments done every five to six months since I was seventeen — I'm now thirty-two. My hair is naturally extremely frizzy and sits somewhere between wavy and straight. The second it dries, it dries big. It's not the most manageable, and I don't want to put heat on my hair every single day just to tame it. Keratin keeps me away from heat entirely for months at a time. That is the best form of protection.
After a few months, my hair started to come back to life. It was thicker, growing faster, and softer.
Today, I take care of my hair more than ever.
I'd say my hair is currently 90% damage-free. The remaining 10% is at the crown, where the sun hits most and which tends to be the most commonly damaged part of anyone's hair. Besides that, my hair feels silky, smooth, and thick.
To maintain my hair and scalp health now, here are my current go-to products. I don't use all of these together, and I don't use them every week — I alternate between them depending on what I feel my hair needs on any given day.
Pre Shower:
L’Occitane Anti-Hair Loss Advanced Scalp Treatment
Fable & Mane Amla Soothing Serum
King Coco Organic King Coconut Oil
In Shower (After Shampooing)
Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask
Vegamour Deep Moisture Repair Mask
Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask
Davines OI Liquid Luster
Fable & Mane Cooling Scalp Mud Mask
Post Shower:
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
Davines Energizing Thickening Tonic
Davines Beautiful Things Restoring Leave-In Mask
Davines All in One Milk
Drybar Jump Start Quick Dry Blowout Serum
Dove Shine Revived Nourishing Oil
Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil
Lush Sticky Dates Hair Primer
TRESemmé Protecting Heat Styling Spray
