All of the Lights: Maintaining Blonde Hair

I vividly remember the first time I got highlights. It was a special treat for my Matric dance (along with getting my ears pierced) and involved the very old-fashioned “cap” method of dying the hair. It turned out natural enough to get away with for school so I kept it and here we are 14 years later and I’ve never gone back… except for three miserable months spent as a brunette but that’s a story for another day.

How to maintain blonde hair | All Dolled Up

Chemically-treated blondes like myself run the risk of the tones turning brassy after a while, which is why an at-home maintenance routine is essential. Here are the products I use to preserve that “fresh-from-the-salon” colour:

How to maintain blonde hair | All Dolled Up

Purple shampoo

The easiest way to ensure that your blonde hair keeps its platinum brightness is with a weekly dose of purple shampoo. And when I say purple, I mean PURPLE. The pigment acts as a wash-out toner that cools down the golden shades in your hair so it leans more ashy than brassy. My favourites are L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver and Philip Kingsley Pure Silver. Drugstore alternatives don’t tend to have as much pigment and therefore don’t work as well but if you’re counting your pennies then try the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew and Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes ranges; both affordable brands available from Clicks. You can also get purple conditioners that do a similar thing but I tend to let the shampoo handle the colour and then follow up with more of a treatment product, which brings us to:

How to maintain blonde hair | All Dolled Up

Nourishing masks and conditioners

It is a fact of life that hair that is well cared for and hydrated keeps its colour much better than deep-fried strands. I use a combination of rich conditioners, masks and treatments to achieve this as they leave my hair very soft and nourished, which helps to lock in the colour. The products currently on rotation in my shower are Wella SP Color Save Conditioner and Mask, and Kevin Murphy Angel Rinse.

How to maintain blonde hair | All Dolled Up

Treatment products

On top of my in-shower routine, there are also some styling and treatment products that I use regularly to keep my processed hair in tip top condition. It will come as no surprise that Moroccanoil Light is at the top of my list, as well as Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse – both are very nourishing and smoothing and happen to smell like heaven. I also use Lush Marilyn every couple of weeks as a pre-wash treatment that helps give me “swishy” hair.

Do you have any tips for maintaining blonde hair or specialist products to recommend?

10 comments on All of the Lights: Maintaining Blonde Hair

  • Jess

    LOVE the Marliyn hair treatment – find myself buying it again and again.
    As a totally fake blonde , I find the purple shampoo really helps. Another great help is gentian violet slightly diluted, spray it on before washing hair, works so well!

    • Jules (author)

      No way, I would NEVER have thought of that! What a great tip 🙂

  • Lee

    I’ve been eyeballing the Lush Marylin treatment, but have been terrified to try it in case it made my hair more yellow (I’m currently quite an ice blond) – the product description on the label makes me nervous! But if you vouch for it I may just give it a bash. One thing that’s AWESOME for on the go, if ever a bit of yellowness creeps in, is http://www.retailbox.co.za/blonde-me-color-correction-spray-150ml.html (sounds similar to the gentian violet tip?)

    I recently came across this dry shampoo-esque product online, which sounds SO awesome, but the reviews on Sephora are terrible. Which is sad, because it would be amazing! -> http://www.sephora.com/root-concealer-for-highlights-P309109

    • Jules (author)

      I would say that Marilyn is more of a conditioning treatment than a brightener or toner; it didn’t have any effect on my colour. The ingredients that are meant to lighten the hair are very mild so I’m sure you’ll be fine.

  • Anel

    How do apply the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse? My attempts have only resulted in very oily hair by mid-morning!

    • Jules (author)

      I spray a couple of pumps into my hands, rub them together and then pull the product through the hair but ONLY on mid-lengths and ends. Try one pump at first and brush the hair afterwards to ensure even product distribution – let me know how you get on!

      • Anel

        Thanks! Will let you know 🙂

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