How to make bleached hair soft and silky (exactly what I do)

Have you recently bleached your hair and now looking down on the dry, straw-like appearance of your hair? Getting bleached hair may look fun, but it also strips off the natural color, leaving behind a fragile, dry look. 

To get your bleached hair soft and silky again, one must stop sunbathing generously for some days or go through some care routine to regain the natural texture. As there are many ways you can get your smooth hair back, I came up with a useful guide to help you understand how to make bleached hair soft and silky.

Go through all of the following steps and enjoy life with a smooth and soft hand again.

What cause bleached hair worst and more damaged?

Getting a bleach done can be harsh for the strands as they are more prone to damage, and with many, experiencing curly, dry hair is normal. Undergoing a bleaching process is one of the worst chemical procedures. 

The alkalines present in the bleach lighten up the hair by lifting the cuticle, disturbing the moisture level. The bleaching agent fully penetrates into the lifted cuticle, disturbing the moisture level and resulting in frizz and dry ends. 

Bleaching, again and again, causes the cuticle permanently raise and become damaged permanently. Not only this, it also breaks the disulfide bond needed to strengthen the strands. Due to this, strands become more prone to snapping and splitting. 

Due to undergoing a bleaching process, your hair becomes sensitive to sunlight. They became hard, sniffed, damaged, rough, and dry. We will discuss below that how to make bleached hair soft and silky and how to hydrate bleached hair. 

How to make bleached hair soft and silky (exactly what I do) 

Excited to know how to get rid of frazzled locks. I have some easy, quick, and up-to-date techniques and tips to help you get your silky, smooth hair back. 

1. Avoid heat styling  

When it comes to questioning, “can we do heat styling with bleached hair?”, It is a big No. 

Heat styling sucks the moisture content and strips off the natural oil; your bleached hairs already lack it. 

With the bleached hair, skip the heat styling for a few months or only expose the strands to lower setting temperatures, and that too not often. 

In case you can not completely stop heat styling, it is better to apply a heat styling protectant spray to maintain the quality of your hair, and prevent getting poofy tresses. 

You can consider using Kenra Thermal Styling Spray before heat styling. The non-sticking, alcohol-free formula of the spray offers thermal protection up to 450 Fahrenheit, tames frizz, and adds shine to the strands. 

Just spray the sections on your dry bleached hair and use a heating tool to get your desired look and avoid hair frizzy after bleaching.

2. Deep condition your hair once a week 

Here I am going to tell you this amazing remedy to get rid of your hard frizzy bleached hair. You must have to condition your hair once or twice a week. It improves your hair health to an immense level. You must catch a good conditioner that will suit your hair and not react. Make sure only to buy a conditioner that is specially designed for bleached strands repair. 

3. Repairing shampoo usage 

Like a conditioner, you must carefully choose the most suitable shampoo for your hair. Your hair needs a good product to grow and revive in a good manner. So try to buy high-quality shampoo that is specifically designed to hydrate and recover your frizzy bleached hair and bring back the shine to strands. 

To help you pick cruelty-free shampoo, I would suggest using Alfaparf Milano Shampoo for dry-colored hair. The specially formulated paraffin and sulfate-free shampoo gently cleanses, improves comb-ability, nourishes, and hydrates the hair fiber. It is also safe to be used on recessed locks and helps them maintain their color tone, softness, and shine.

What else a woman can wish for? 

4. Try a Leave-in conditioner

Among all the products, this one is an amazing conditioner to use for bleached strands and to repair them. It is a magical remedy to repair your damaged hair. It will hydrate your hair and nourish it with all the healthy ingredients it needs when it is bleached. When you go to the market to buy this stuff, try buying a conditioner with a protein gradient. The locked-in moisture will strengthen your damaged hair and make the smooth and silky again. 

5. Gently brush your hair 

This tip is necessary for every type of hair, whether curly, long, stuck, or any other. Your hair is a sensitive and beautiful part of your beauty, so try to deal with your hair gently and with care. Use good quality and soft brush for your damaged hair. Gently combing hair from the ends to the full length will help repair the hair damage. 

6. Give priority to sulfate-free shampoo 

Shampoo and conditioner are the daily part of our hair care routine, so the quality must be up to the mark. Always check the ingredients before picking up the product and look for sulfate-free hair care products. 

A shampoo containing sulfate can strip off the moisture from your strands, leaving the strands dry and more prone to become fragile and damaged. 

If you are looking for a sulfate-free shampoo, you can consider using Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Shampoo. Its main ingredient includes citric and alpha hydroxy acid, nourishing, softening, and repairing damage. Apply it on the scalp and rinse well to get ultimate strength, fade color protection, and damage recovery as well. 

7. Air-dry your hair 

Bleached hair already lacks moisture and needs to be hydrated, but exposure to a blow dryer after a shower is the worst thing one can do. Do not ever expose your scalp to blow drying to avoid putting additional stress on the hair. 

Else, go for an air-dry option to take care of your bleached tresses. 

8. Use a hair mask 

Using good-quality hair masks can reduce the damage and soon recover your hair to its healthy, smooth look. Hair masks have different ingredients that heal hair issues and make them silky and smooth. It must be recommended to choose a mask of good quality or brand. Mask should suit your strands, or you may consult with your stylist in this regard. 

I recommend using  Renaissance Circle, Restoring, And Repairing Mask to treat your dry, bleached hair. This repairing hair mask is specially formulated with highly nutritious babassu butter and yellow clay to penetrate deep down the blonde hair and fix the hair structure. 

Towel dry your hair after shampooing, put the product on for ten minutes, and then rinse your strands. 

9. Get regular oil treatments

Getting an oil treatment best suits the bleached hairs that have lost all their shine during the bleaching process and now have turned fragile. Oil treatments work almost on every hair type to retain moisture. 

You can consider using Argan, Coconut, or Almond oil on your bleached hair until the strands turn healthy and shiny again. 

The hair serum that worked amazingly on my hair was Argan oil Vitamin E hair serum, and I suggest you try it. 

This holy grail serum is formulated with the following: 

• Argan oil to rejuvenate damaged hair 
• Vitamin E, to repair damage to the cuticle
• Aloe vera, to leave hair smooth and shiny

This Aloe vera and Vitamin E serum benefits the bleached strands through its hydrating properties, strengthening the roots, repairing damage to the hair follicles, and helping to get silky, glossy strands back. 

10. Invest in elastic hair accessories 

You may not have the idea to look at the hair accessories you use on bleached hair. The bleached hair is already extra fragile and more prone to breakage and pinning your strands with tight hair accessories puts extra stress, which can result in hair loss too.

Instead of making tight buns or using tight clips, invest in some good hair bands to avoid hair breakage. 

11. Avoid prolonged sun exposure 

With blonde hair, it is always risky to go under the sun for prolonged hours. The ultraviolet rays from the sun can not only strip off color and cause the strands to become dry and brittle. 

Next time, even if you have to go under the sun for a short time, use a hair product that contains SPF or wear a cap to avoid direct contact with the harmful rays. 

DIY recipes to make damaged bleached hair soft

Bleached strands need extra care and are only possible with some easy DIY recipes. So here are some you can try to bring back smoothness and shine to your bleached strand. 

DIY Banana hair mask for smooth, shiny hair

Banana, a natural moisturizer rich in potassium, natural oil, carbohydrates, and vitamins, is usually the first to rescue damaged strands after a bleach. It makes the hair manageable and brings shine to them. Hair is how to make a banana mask at home. 

Ingredients 

1. Ripe banana
2. Egg
3. Coconut oil 
4. Honey
5. Lime juice

Method: 

Get a ripe banana, add an egg, two tablespoons of coconut oil, one tablespoon of honey, and one tablespoon of lime juice, all enriched with proteins and natural oil to reduce frizz and make the hair smooth. 

Blend the ingredients, and you will get a pretty runny liquid mask. Fill the hair applicator bottle with the mask, make sections of your hair and apply the mask for about 30-45 minutes, then wash your strands using a mild shampoo and conditioner to get shiny, silky hair back. 

DIY yogurt hair mask for silkier hair 

Yogurt is a great source of vitamin B5 needed by hair follicles to maintain the strand’s strength and prevent breakage or dryness by sealing moisture. With your bleached hair, it is a great idea to go for a yogurt mask to maintain the color, look, and strength all at a time. 

Ingredients

1. Yogurt 
2. Olive oil 
3. Lemon 
4. Honey

Method: 

Take two tablespoons of yogurt and add a few drops of lemon and one teaspoon of honey. Mix the ingredients vigorously to make a thick paste. Apply the taste to full length after sectioning the hair. Cover with the hair cap and wash it with cold water after an hour, followed by a good shampoo to achieve excellent results.

DIY avocado and olive oil hair mask

If you have been exposing your bleached hair to a lot of heat styling, an avocado hair mask with its super hydrating properties can fix the issue to some extent and bring back life to your dull hairs. 

Here is what you need: 

1. Avocado 
2. Olive oil 

Method: 

Get one fully ripened avocado, cut it into pieces and take out the seeds. Put the avocado pieces into the blender and add two extra virgin olive oil tablespoons. Blend the ingredients to make a thick paste. Apply it to your strands for an hour and later wash it with a mild shampoo to get glossy, thick, shiny hairs. 

FAQs

Can you make bleached hair healthy again?

Yes, it is quite possible to return your healthy and silky hair. But you need to make some effort to get them back. You can use different quality products and follow tips and strategies regarding making bleached hair soft and silky. 

Is leave-in conditioner good for bleached hair?

Leave in conditioner is a good product to use for damaged and bleached hair. Leave-in conditioner helps protect and hydrate hair and make it strong and smooth. It contains aloe vera and glycerin, which gives a moisturizing touch to your damaged hair and repairs bleached effects. 

Does bleached hair take longer to dry?

The bleached hair usually takes a longer time to dry because the hair shaft is opened wider than usual and it holds back all the water.  

Conclusion

Where getting bleach lightens the hair color, it can result in brittle, dry hairs, making the strands difficult to manage and style easily. The more the dryness, the more your hair is at risk of getting damaged and losing shine. You can get back on track with healthier, smooth, and shiny hair by taking extra care of your bleached hair and incorporating the above-shared tips.