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How to Strengthen Coloured, Bleached & Damaged Hair

The Cost of Great Hair Isn’t Just at the Salon

Keeping your hair in great shape isn’t cheap.

Between root touch-ups, balayage appointments, toners, trims, and that inevitable splurge on a totally new hue, maintaining colour-treated hair is practically a part-time job. (Not to mention the emotional damage of seeing your creamy blonde fade to a weird bronze in just three weeks.)

That’s why it’s so frustrating when your hair starts feeling rough, limp, or stretchy not long after a fresh colour. You’ve invested serious time and money into it, so why does it suddenly look like it’s been through the wringer?

Damage doesn’t always show up in dramatic breakage or fried ends right away. Most of the time, it creeps in slowly - especially after colour, bleach, or chemical treatments - making your hair weaker and more fragile bit by bit. And the longer you ignore it, the harder (and pricier) it becomes to fix.

The good news? If you catch it early and start strengthening your hair before things get worse, you can avoid that dreaded “dead from root to tip” feeling!

🚩 Early Signs of Hair Damage to Watch For

Hair damage doesn’t always look like a full-blown disaster. In fact, it often starts subtly - just enough for you to think, “Hmm, that’s weird,” before it quietly snowballs into snapping ends, faded colour, and a whole lot of regret.

If any of these sound familiar, your hair’s waving a little white flag:

✘ Your hair feels gummy, stretchy or spongey when wet

When your hair’s healthy, it has a soft, slightly elastic feel when wet - kind of like a silk ribbon. But if it starts feeling mushy, overly stretchy, or like it might snap if you pull too hard? That’s a classic sign the inner structure (aka the protein bonds) is breaking down.

This often shows up after bleach, colour stripping, or overuse of chemical straighteners. Think: running your fingers through damp hair and it feels like chewing gum… not ideal.

✘ It tangles and knots at the drop of a hat

You’re using a conditioner. You’re brushing gently. And yet, your hair still turns into a bird’s nest by midday.

When your strands start clinging to each other more than usual, it’s often because the outer cuticle is rough or lifted. Damaged cuticles don’t lie flat - so your hair is more prone to catching, tangling, and forming hard-to-undo knots.

This is especially common in bleached or lightened hair, and can make brushing feel like a workout.

✘ You’re trimming split ends… but they just keep coming

If you’re noticing new split ends not long after your last haircut - or if those ends feel brittle no matter how much serum you use - it’s a sign your damage is deeper than surface level.

Once splits travel up the shaft, you may start seeing fraying halfway up the strand. These aren’t “just ends”, this is breakage waiting to happen.

Those fine, white dots near the ends of your hair? Mini fractures.

✘ Your colour won’t hold, or fades unevenly

You paid good money for that dreamy golden beige or rich chocolate tone… so why does it already look washed out?

Damaged hair doesn’t retain pigment the way healthy strands do. Porous cuticles let colour molecules slip out faster, which leads to patchiness, uneven tone, and that brassy undertone creeping back sooner than expected.

If toner seems to “vanish” after one wash, your hair might be too compromised to hold it.

✘ Your hair just… isn’t styling the way it used to

Ever notice that your go-to curling wand suddenly doesn’t curl like it used to? Or your blowdry goes limp after a couple hours?

Damaged strands lose their structure, making them harder to style and less responsive to heat tools. And if they’re dry or brittle, they might not hold shape at all.

It’s like trying to style dry spaghetti instead of al dente pasta.

✘ You’re seeing random breakage in weird places

It’s one thing to have split ends. It’s another to find flyaways and breakage mid-way down the strand - especially around your crown, fringe, or part line.

This kind of breakage often happens when weakened hair is exposed to brushing, heat, or tension from hair ties. It’s common in chemically processed or heat-styled hair that’s lost elasticity.

If your baby hairs aren’t new growth… they might be broken ones.

These early warning signs are your cue to dial up the strengthening, before things spiral into full-blown damage mode.

How to Strengthen Hair That’s Already Damaged

When your hair’s been through the wringer - bleach, balayage, chemical smoothing, aggressive heat styling - you don’t just need a surface-level fix. You need to rebuild from the inside out.

Here’s how to do it right (no silk pillowcases or unicorn brushes required):

1. Treat your hair like it’s already fragile - because it is

Handle it like delicate fabric: no aggressive brushing when wet, no ripping through knots, and no yanking it into tight buns.

Why it helps:

Hair is most vulnerable when it’s wet. Brushing too hard or tying it up tightly when it’s damp can cause mechanical breakage, especially if the inner bonds are already weakened.

2. Wash gently - and make shampoo and conditioner work harder

Switch to a strengthening or bond-building shampoo and conditioner. Massage gently with your fingertips to stimulate the scalp and blood flow. And don’t just rinse out your conditioner right away - leave it in for a few minutes so it can actually do something.

Why it helps:

This routine supports scalp health (hello, future growth) while helping soften and seal compromised strands. Damaged hair needs time and nutrients - rushing the process doesn’t help.

Try these:

🫧 Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
🫧 Matrix Instacure Anti-Breakage Shampoo + Conditioner
🫧 RPR Blondes Who Bond + Olaplex No.4 P Bond Maintenance (for the blonde girlies + guys)

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How to Strengthen Coloured, Bleached & Damaged Hair

The Cost of Great Hair Isn’t Just at the Salon

🚩 Early Signs of Hair Damage to Watch For

✘ Your hair feels gummy, stretchy or spongey when wet

✘ It tangles and knots at the drop of a hat

✘ You’re trimming split ends… but they just keep coming

✘ Your colour won’t hold, or fades unevenly

✘ Your hair just… isn’t styling the way it used to

✘ You’re seeing random breakage in weird places

How to Strengthen Hair That’s Already Damaged

1. Treat your hair like it’s already fragile - because it is

2. Wash gently - and make shampoo and conditioner work harder

3. Invest in proper, targeted treatments, regularly

4. Seal the deal with leave-ins and stylers that protect

FAQs About Strengthening Damaged Hair

Can coconut oil repair damaged hair?

Is argan oil good for strengthening hair?

Does keratin really help with damaged hair?

What’s the difference between a protein shampoo and a bond-building shampoo?

Do those split end trimmers actually work?

Your Hair Can Be Gorgeous AND Healthy

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