accept the damage
There is no healthy way to bleach your hair. Obviously. But still I don't think I realised how bad it really was going to be. I mean sure, there are things that are amazing for damage control (like Olaplex treatments) but once you decide to bleach your hair, you're just going to have to accept that you'll ruin it. Trust me. You'll ruin it.
youtube is a lie
Don't listen to YouTube beauty Vloggers because no, it's not that easy. And no, unless you really, really know what you're doing, you probably can't do it yourself. I made that mistake and I feel like that decision did a lot of damage that could have been avoided. It is just really hard to get rid of the brassy, yellow tones so don't get yourself into that mess and just book an appointment at a salon. (But not before you read the next part.)
do your research
Do your research before you book an appointment. I believe bleaching your hair and toning it so you really get that desired beautiful silver glow is not something every hair dresser can do. So ask around, look up result pictures from different salons on Instagram and don't settle for the cheapest option. I made the mistake of switching around a couple of times which resulted in either having yellow roots or seeing half my hair break off after having it bleached. I never asked for either, trust me.
inevitable hairloss
Prepare for the damage and the inevitable painful haircuts. If you want grey/bleached hair and keep it too, you are probably going to get to a point where you will loose a lot of hair and you'll eventually have to accept that the only way back to what you once had is cutting every dead end and starting from scratch. Almost. You don't actually have to shave it all off but I know it feels like that some days. It may seem stupid but I honestly never realised that a lot of the girls you see on your social media are either wearing wigs or extensions.
maintenance
Now this is a very important step and at this point I think I used every single product on the market. The key to success is a good silver shampoo and the only ones that really work for me are the ones by Bleach London and the one by L'oreal Expert. Silver shampoos do dry out your hair even more though so I would recommend using them every other wash at the most. Conditioner is a very personal thing in my opinion. I use different ones all the time but overall I find that the Bleach London range works best for me (their Silver Conditioner, Live Forever Conditioner as well as the Reincarnation Mask). As for other DIY treatments I would just recommend a coconut oil mask every week or so. I usually leave it in overnight and it's amazing but again, it's not a miracle. Once your hair is damaged, it's damaged and the only thing that can fix it then is a haircut.
no more daily washing
I know this is a bad thing even when you don't bleach your hair but I love my showers and I used to wash my hair every day but once you start bleaching it this is a big no-go. Not just because it will make the colour fade fast but also because this too can damage/dry out your hair. It was hard for me at first but luckily washing my dry, damaged hair and brushing it after got so annoying at one point that I'd happily skip a hair wash.
but does it actually last?
I was actually surprised by how long the silver lasts if you treat it right. At first I panicked during every shower thinking my hair would turn yellow and that it would all wash out but to be honest, it never really did. It usually fades from a perfect silver to a crips white that I love just as much. And when I have to go back for a touch up it's mostly just to have the roots done.
regret?
Not at all. I loved having silver hair and I love having white hair at the moment but i've also had it for over a year now so i'm slowly going back to a more natural, slightly warmer blond for a while. I'm definitely not saying I won't do it again though because I still think it looks great and even though this post may seem a bit negative, I would really recommend it to anyone who is brave enough. I just think it is important to realise what you get yourself in to but in the end it is just hair and you should do anything you want with it. Just don't be stubborn and take good care of it.
xx Anjelica
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