How to Keep Blonde Hair Bright
How to keep blonde hair bright is a question I am often asked as a hair colorist. Overtime blonde hair, particularly solid bleached blonde, will oxidize and strange hues may emerge. Most stylist will recommend purple shampoo and/or conditioner which can assist in canceling yellow hues, but does not remove build up. An easy hack is to use an acid such as "vitamin C" mixed with water as a hair rinse. You must proceed with caution since Vitamin C contains ascorbic acid and will dry out your hair quickly. On blondes in particular a heavily diluted mixture used on washed and towel dried hair works best. Some use a lot of vitamin C with shampoo to completely lighten hair, but our goal is to gently remove build up on blonde hair from metals in water etc.
After testing this recipe several times, below is my recipe for brightening blonde hair. You can adjust this recipe by adding more vitamin C depending on the condition of your hair and the amount of build up. This recipe is for average hair length & density with a moderate amount of oxidation.
1) 1 teaspoon vitamin C Powder or you can crush vitamin C tablets. Just be sure to start with 1 tsp.
2) In a spray bottle add 4 cups water & shake solution
3) Spray on damp hair and work through hair for 3 to 5 minutes
4) Wash hair and apply hair conditioner. If your hair feels dry leave conditioner in hair for up to 15 minutes before rinsing.
Use this recipe in between blonding services, but do not over use. You can adjust the amount of vitamin c and water based on the end result.
**I do not suggest using this on highlighted hair since it can lighten your base color or lowlights.
Blonde hair should sparkle! Keeping your blonde hair healthy by using sulfate free and silicone free products is also important since they will overcoat the hair.
Be sure to touch up roots on a timely fashion to avoid color banding. Bleaching too soon or not often enough is not recommended. Consult with your stylist for the perfect sweet spot!
