I've been pale/platinum/silver shades blonde for over 10 years now so I have a bit of product knowledge under my belt as well as the luxury of working at a professional beauty supply distributor in the past. So, I have decided to create my "master list" of products I cannot live without as a blondie. This list will only include products, which will exclude all hair color, toners, etc.
(PS* None of these products were sent to me for free, I have paid with my own money for them. All of my opinions/reviews on these products are of my own)
First I'm going to start my favorite shampoos and conditioners:
The first on my list is Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo and Conditioner. The reason why it's my top favorite is because this is the duo I use most often and the ones that leave my hair feeling the softest and repaired. The whole Pureology line of shampoos are sulfate-free so they won't strip out hair color or toner, and they are also 100% vegan which is a plus! The Strength Cure line is specially designed for all damaged hair (heat/mechanical damage, environmental, and chemical/color damage). So being that I do bleach my hair to keep it light and bright, this is the perfect product to repair the damage in my hair. Another thing I especially LOVE about these is that the smell is sooo sooo good! Strength Cure also contains Keravis and Ceramides to replace the bonds in the hair and to heal micro-scarring in your hair cuticle (so basically in 'simple talk', it repairs from the inside).
***If you are NOT a fan of this shampoo+conditioner, try using Biolage "Repair Inside" Shampoo and Conditioner. I recently started swapping between Biolage and Pureology and I actually really LOVE both. These are the best two in my opinion!***
***If you are NOT a fan of this shampoo+conditioner, try using Biolage "Repair Inside" Shampoo and Conditioner. I recently started swapping between Biolage and Pureology and I actually really LOVE both. These are the best two in my opinion!***
Next is L'Oreal INOA Color Care Shampoo. The reason why I only have the shampoo on this list is because I don't really see any "difference" in my hair after using the conditioner and compared to other conditioners it works okay and does the job. This shampoo is pretty amazing. I would say it's the second best on my hair compared to the Strength Cure by Pureology and it's a nice shampoo to switch up the routine on my hair a bit. It has a great smell and it leaves my hair feeling super super soft. Usually as a person with finer hair, I generally stay away from absolutely ANYTHING that has the words "oil" in it, so I was reluctant at first to use this. This product does contain Argan Oil but it doesn't weigh my hair down at all. It's sulfate-free and also contains a green tea extract which will protect the hair fiber and maintain color (if that's an issue for you). The only color issue I have is prolonging my toner but I do use an awesome colored conditioner to help with that anyway (coming up!). I would say this shampoo is the best "all-around" shampoo that anyone with any concerns should try at some point!
Clairol Shimmer Lights should probably be a household name in a blonde's shower inventory. It's used by so many blonde's that it's crazy! I only use the shampoo about once or twice a week when I feel like my hair is feeling extra brassy in-between toner and root touch-ups. It does have a sort of "flowery" smell which isn't my favorite, but when it comes to smells in my hair products, I don't really mind. It's just a plus when a product is awesome and has a wonderful smell. What I also like about this product is that it's fairly cheap and you can pretty much find this stuff anywhere. I find that a 16 oz. bottle lasts me fairly long and I don't have to buy another one after about 6 months or even longer! The only thing I do dislike about this product is you have to be super careful with how long you leave this stuff on. Since the purple in the shampoo is very pigmented, if you leave it on a bit too long it could leave you with a temporary "lavender" tinge to your lighter/more porous blonde pieces (this has happened to myself and a friend before, so it's okay if it happens to you! This actually happens to a decent amount of people!). I would say just play around with it until you get the right timing perfect for your hair. If you are worried, I would try leaving it for 3 min. max, and just keep upping the timing by 2 minutes. A final recommendation for using this product is pairing it with a really moisturizing conditioner because it can get a bit drying.
***If you are NOT a fan of this purple shampoo, try using AG Sterling Silver Shampoo or Pravana's Purple Shampoo!***
***If you are NOT a fan of this purple shampoo, try using AG Sterling Silver Shampoo or Pravana's Purple Shampoo!***
This product by EVO is called Fabuloso in Platinum Blonde and it is a company that's based in Australia who produce these awesome colored conditioners! It's a good alternative to using a colored shampoo and is actually more moisturizing for your hair. All of the conditioners have a wonderful "fruity" smell to them and they actually come in all different colors for different hair color maintenance. (Ex: Chestnut, Mahogany, Purple Red, etc.) I, of course, use the Platinum Blonde. The color of this shampoo is the perfect violet mix so there's a good half and half of blue tones and purple tones in this conditioner. You can leave it on for 3-5 minutes to just tone out brassiness in hair or you can do what I did and leave it on for about 15 minutes to tone your hair to a white/silver shade of blonde. The conditioner also has it's added benefits of restoring and maintaining moisture, softening and detangling, frizz-reduction, as well as shine. The only negative I can think of with this product is to think about how much you will use for the price. For my hair, (without extensions) is shoulder-length and I use 6 pumps of the conditioner to fully saturate my hair to make sure there's even distribution of the color.
The next thing I'm going to talk about is a HUGEEEEEE life-saver when it comes to repairing bleached, processed hair. I owe the strength and quality of my hair to Olaplex. I honestly believe my hair would be in a much worse stage without it. I use the kit that you would only be able to buy with a cosmetology license (unless you go for the Amazon route which, shhh... You didn't hear it from me!). What the product does is it repairs the bonds in your hair from the inside, so it reduces breakage and damage. There's a bunch of scientific factors involved in Olaplex and why it really works, but you can research it further if you'd like. You can get it added to your bleach, or get an Olaplex treatment at a salon offering it near you. They will upcharge you for it, but I promise, it's worth it! There's also a retail product that goes along with Olaplex which is a take-home treatment and it's called Olaplex No. 3. It's basically a more diluted version of the Olaplex treatment you would receive at a salon, but if you're curious to see how your hair will feel afterwards, I would suggest using that before to see if it is worth it yourself. Or, you can use it to maintain the health of your hair after getting it bleached/processed/etc. The way it works is you apply it BEFORE you shampoo and condition. Olaplex recommends leaving it in for 10 minutes minimum, but you can leave it in much much longer like I do for maximum results or for extra damaged hair. I also do use it as a leave-in conditioner which Olaplex does not officially say you can do, but it makes a lot of difference in my hair.
The next thing I'm going to talk about is a HUGEEEEEE life-saver when it comes to repairing bleached, processed hair. I owe the strength and quality of my hair to Olaplex. I honestly believe my hair would be in a much worse stage without it. I use the kit that you would only be able to buy with a cosmetology license (unless you go for the Amazon route which, shhh... You didn't hear it from me!). What the product does is it repairs the bonds in your hair from the inside, so it reduces breakage and damage. There's a bunch of scientific factors involved in Olaplex and why it really works, but you can research it further if you'd like. You can get it added to your bleach, or get an Olaplex treatment at a salon offering it near you. They will upcharge you for it, but I promise, it's worth it! There's also a retail product that goes along with Olaplex which is a take-home treatment and it's called Olaplex No. 3. It's basically a more diluted version of the Olaplex treatment you would receive at a salon, but if you're curious to see how your hair will feel afterwards, I would suggest using that before to see if it is worth it yourself. Or, you can use it to maintain the health of your hair after getting it bleached/processed/etc. The way it works is you apply it BEFORE you shampoo and condition. Olaplex recommends leaving it in for 10 minutes minimum, but you can leave it in much much longer like I do for maximum results or for extra damaged hair. I also do use it as a leave-in conditioner which Olaplex does not officially say you can do, but it makes a lot of difference in my hair.
These are two "healthy hair care" products I cannot live without. I've used tons and by tons I really mean tons, of leave-in conditioners and I haven't found anything that compares to 12 Benefits Leave-In. I've used leave-ins by It's a 10, Pureology, and Redken but this gives me the best results. My hair always feels the best after using it and if I don't use it after my showers, I can definitely tell the difference. It makes my hair feel so much softer, smoother, and instantly more manageable.
It promises these 12 things:
- Seal hair color
- Smooth frizz
- Repair damage
- Prevent split ends
- Moisturize dry hair
- Strengthen fragile hair
- Prevent flat iron damage
- Prevent chlorine, wind & sun damage
- Add shine, softness, and a silky finish
- Protect hair from blow drying
- Improve detangling & manageability
- Keep hair youthful
The second product is a cuticle smoother which contains Keratin and Argan Infusion. The smell is AMAZING (kinda like a tropical/coconut smell) and the consistency is very smooth. It's easy to use and you only need a tiny bit to smooth out frizzy, split ends.
The next product you will need (well, pretty much anyone regardless of their hair color if they use mechanical heat) to protect your lightened, blonde hair is a heat protector. The one I have been using lately is Chi's 44 Iron Guard. I haven't found a heat protector this is OMG AMAZING!!! but this one works just fine, so I feel like they all pretty much work the same and are great as long as they are protecting your hair from the heat, it should be fine no matter what you use!
So that's it for now! I hope you got some product ideas to help keep your blonde hair healthy! If you have any questions, you can just leave it in the comments and I will try to get back to it ASAP! <3
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