Being Blonde - how to care for fair!
I’ve been blonde for a month or so now, and I have been trying out all sorts of new products for my ashy locks. It’s not the first time I’ve channelled my inner Marilyn and reached for the bleach, but I’d like to look after it properly this time around!
So, I’ve been trying to find a good shampoo, a great conditioner, and some fabulous masks and more to keep my blonde as bright and icy as I want it.
The latter means purple shampoo and my hairdresser recommended Italian brand Fanola’s No More Yellow Shampoo to keep the ashy tones ashy. This stuff is brilliant, trust me. If you want grey/silver/ashy tones on blonde then this is for you. It’s very messy, and you don’t need to leave it on too long, but it is worth every penny. Find it on amazon.co.uk for £9.30 for 300ml.
I did also try the L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo (£8, lookfantastic.com), but I do think this is geared more towards grey or silver hair, as it didn’t do much for the yellow tones. But…the L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Vitamino Color Masque (£22.45, lookfantastic.com) is FANTASTIC! I loved this, it really moisturised my frazzled locks. Use once or twice a week – you just leave in for one minute and rinse.
KC Professional Color Shampoo and Color Mask Pearl (£20, lookfantastic.com) were a revelation. I was sceptical, because they weren’t purple, but more of a pink tone, and I wanted that grey/ashy look. What they gave me was a lovely tone that was ashy, but not too grey, and my hair felt fabulous as the mask is packed full of great things like pro-vitamin B5 and keratin derivatives to make your hair feel top notch.
The eSalon Colour Enhancing Mask in Blonde Neutralizer (£15, esalon.co.uk) is a once a week treatment to give your hair a lovely tone if you are looking for that, as well as nourishing your hair. I haven’t tried this one yet – I’ve too many to get through, but I will soon.
Lee Stafford’s Bleach Blonde range has all sorts of products for blondes. I tried the Tone Correcting Conditioning Spray (£8.99, Boots) which I have to say I was a wee bit disappointed with. Like the purple shampoo, this tones, but you spray it on to towel-dried hair and leave it in. I don’t think it did much to my blonde to be honest. The Golden Girl Oil (£9.99) is a lovely little product – add a little to your hair to keep it from becoming dried out and frizzy – perfect for on holiday.
Kerastase is a great brand, so I was happy to try their updated Reflection range – Les Touches Chromatiques (£29). This comes in four shades – obviously I tried the Cool Blonde one. It’s a wee bit fiddly – you have to add 10 drops of the Touche Chromatique to 15ml of the Masque Chromatique (£30.20) or the Fondant Chromatique (£18.62) and then leave on for five minutes. You can do this in the shower, but it’s not as precise perhaps. Use the Bain Reflection shampoo (£18.62) first. I like this – it’s clearing and cleansing. Using this whole range is not budget haircare, but the results are great. I love it. Available at kerastase.co.uk
Paul Mitchell’s Forever Blonde range is all about brightening and nourishing your blonde, and contains macadamia nut oil, KerActive proteins, and safflower oleosomes to give great nourishment to blonde hair that can sometimes be a bit fried.
There’s a shampoo and conditioner in this range, and a repair product, all around £18, available from lookfantastic.com and paul-mitchell.co.uk
JOICO’s Blonde Life Brightening blonde range also has a shampoo, conditioner, masque and a veil for use in the sun, which has UVA and UVB protection. These are lovely products, full of gorgeous ingredients including an exotic blend of Polynesian and Tahitian Tamanu and Manoi oils that hydrate and increase shine. Prices are around £16-£18 and available on lookfantastic.com
I’ve used the conditioner from this range, and it worked well, and smelled fabulous.
