A Guide To Blonde Hair...

Having had some form of dyed blonde hair for a fair few years now (whether it be fully blonde, ombre, balayage - you get the gist), I think it's safe to say that I have built up a good amount of experience by this point of just how to deal with the darn thing. With all hair - especially the dyed variety - you have to use the right products to maintain, look after it and keep it looking the best it can and more often than not, blonde can be one of the hues for which that is most essential for. Last week, I actually had my hair re-done and refreshed again into a bright blonde balayage that I am totally in love with and so with that in mind, I thought I'd share some of the products that I like to personally use that I find to help keep things just as good as when you first leave the salon...

COLOUR SHAMPOO - Personally, I really like to try and use a shampoo and conditioner duo kinda thang that is specifically catered towards my hair type. Whether that be from a definite 'Blonde' range, or simply a collection that's aimed at all of us guys and gals with tresses of the coloured variety - there's so many to choose from and I definitely find it to be a huge help in keeping my hair just how I like it. Currently, I'm using the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Colour Shampoo and Conditioner and I am loving them. I was already a massive fan of the original formula of this range, so was hopeful that this version would be just as good - if not better - and thankfully, it really is awesome. Together, they work to not only keep my hair super-clean, but also incredibly soft, smooth and sleek too. I find them to really enhance the colour and brightness of my blonde (which is basically now the majority of my head of hair), but still in a very gentle way and also, they smell bloomin' delicious too. What's not to love?

PURPLE TONING TREATMENT - Probably one of the most important steps of them all when it comes to taking care of blonde hair is toning it. For this, I find a purple shampoo to be the man for the job - with the violet undertones working perfectly to bash out those brassy tinges that can sometimes crop up in your lighter tresses. I've sampled a fair few over the years, but currently I'm making my way through one of my favourite, favourites - the Lee Stafford 'Bleach Blondes' Shampoo. This is super, super pigmented and you only need the tiniest amount but oh boy does it work. You have to be real careful for how long you leave this stuff on for to ensure you don't get that #PurpleRinse look afterwards.

INTENSIVE MASK - After toning, the next essential thing for me personally is to enrich my hair and get some moisture back into it again. Aswell as keeping the colour and tone in check, blonde hair can be particularly prone to being rather parched and so often requires a bit of extras TLC in that kinda department also so this is where a good ol' intensive, conditioning hair mask comes in. Obviously, I like to use a regular conditioner with my shampoo - usually the one I mentioned in the set earlier - but every now and again, I also like to crack out something even more industrial strength and at the moment, I'm loving the BLEACH London Reincarnation Mask. This is incredibly thick and rich and after leaving it to sit on your hair for a good while, leaves it feeling and looking super-duper soft, sleek and shiny and also - once again - it smells really nice too. Always a bonus...

LIGHTENING SPRAY - Occasionally - usually only when my hair hasn't been blonded-up for an age and it's getting in need of a refresh - I turn to a product like this, the John Frieda Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray. Simply spray a little in my wet hair before blow-drying and over time, when used every so often, it really helps to lighten and brighten things up again. Of course, you have to be careful with these kind of things but as I mentioned I only ever tend to reach for something like this when I really, really need it and even then vert sparingly until I can next have my hair re-done again but as a little 'in the meantime'-kinda thang - it works super well.

HEAT PROTECTANT - Finally - a classic for all hair types - a good heat protectant spray. I have been entirely faithful to using something to shield my hair from the damaging effects of heat products basically ever since I started washing/drying/styling my own hair and with it now being dyed, for me it's now even more important. Again, I've tried so many different versions of a product like this in the past and of them all, I have been most impressed by the L'Oreal Studio Line Hot Straight Spray. Not only does this protect my hair from heat styling, it also keeps it super soft, smooth and sleek too. Whatever way I style my hair, this stuff really helps it lock itself into place and for a frizz-prone gal like me - that is something to be applauded...