curly bleached hair problems

i decided to take the plunge and go full-on bleached-out peroxide blonde. i have naturally curly hair which is very temperamental. this was not the best idea in terms of the health of my hair, of course. in fact, it took a few weeks for it to stop freaking out and look half-way decent when it was down. i scoured the internet before and after bleaching and found anything by way of a complete hair tutorial for specifically bleached curly girls. so, here's my take.

special shout out to my beauty bible, The Beauty Department. their hair bootcamp guide really gave me some fantastic ideas.

first, don't freak out because your hair feels exactly like Barbie's. this is the price you pay. suck it up, and wear a loose bun and/or braid for a few days. try to avoid the dreaded and evil ponytail holder, because it might cause breakage.

second, have at your disposal, BEFORE YOU BLEACH, a super-moisturizing hair mask. i used Heaven in Hair by devacurl. it smells delicious and it is so luxe.

leave it on for a half hour/45 minutes/hour. you really can't leave it on long enough. i think the biggest hurdle of bleached hair is getting it moisturized and, dare i say, "dirty" again. think about it - curly hair looks best when you don't shampoo every day, and you let the natural oils take over, and calm your locks. when you bleach it, you strip all of that out. so, you've got to put it back in.

third, make your own oil treatment. i used The Beauty Department's recipe of a 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup jojoba oil, and 1/4 cup olive oil. i also added some drops of lily of the valley fragrance oil, because it smelled like pasta. put gobs of it all up in your wet or dry hair. comb it through. get it all up in there, so it feels like an oily mess. do this on a saturday where you're not going anywhere in particular. slap it in a braid and bam, leave it. add more at night if you'd like. don't wash it out until the next day. and then, don't bother with shampoo. just let it chill. in fact, just don't bother with shampoo for the next week or two.

fourth, you're gonna need an everyday conditioner, since wearing oil in your hair all day everyday is just not cute. i recommend the EverSleek line from Loreal. it's sulfate and alcohol free, so, that's good. i'm not sure why. but that's what all the blogs recommend, so just go with it.

fifth, you might eventually want to wear your hair down and show of your curly, bleached blonde locks, right? well, it's going to be a frizz monster. it just is. it's freaked out. don't touch it with a hairdryer or any other heat tools. just don't. trust me. but if you want to wear it down, and have it air dry, might i recommend some products that will help?

don't mess with the "regular strength" of this - go for the extra strength. put it on right after your shower, when your hair is sopping wet. finger-comb it root to tip.

i'm kind of on the fence about this stuff - it's way too fragrant and not in the best way. however, it gives good results. slap on a gob or two, and start to scrunch. after i get this in my hair, i do an initial, very light, scrunching with a towel to take out some of the excess moisture.

THIS GEL IS AMAZING. it smells delicious, is not drying or sticky, and gives GREAT hold. after i get this all up in the curls, i scrunch more aggressively with the towel (remember, no terry cloth!) to get all the excess moisture out. then, i let it air dry for about 45 minutes, and finish off with a light misting of any old hairspray i have lying around. i do NOT recommend the DevaCurl hairspray - although it smells like lavender and i kinda want it as perfume, it is really quite drying. i recommend a non-aerosol hairspray like Tresemme.

i promise, it will get back to normal. it just takes a little time and some SERIOUS TLC. have you got questions/comments/concerns? or TIPS? shoot me a comment, below.