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Bleached strands? These are the blonde-friendly hair treatments you can rely on

Blondes have more fun (and more hair damage, unfortunately)

By Briar Clark

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / October 25 2023

So you’ve decided to bite the bullet and bleach your hair. Amazing. We’re excited for you.

But while lightening your mane into a glorious hue of silvery-white may put you in the leagues of Gigi Hadid and Anya Taylor-Joy, after all the dyeing and processing is done, your lovely locks are probably going to be in dire need of some serious TLC.

Honestly, we’ve been there.

And it’s exactly why we know how to help. It’s time to get that pretty little head of yours acquainted with some of the best treatments for bleached hair. Here’s eight we recommend for the job…

K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask

This miraculous little mask defies the odds and the boundaries of your bathroom with a formula that’s intended to be left in your hair after applying it. Infused with patented bioactive peptides that work to repair keratin damage that has occurred as a result of colouring and processing, a little goes a long way with this powerful pick. Lily James’ hair colourist John MacPherson relied on the mask to restore James’ hair after he lightened her brunette strands to a Pamela Anderson-inspired level of blonde.

$94.50 at Adore Beauty

Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar Water Treatment

This unique water-inspired treatment acts as a liquid band-aid for the hair, sealing and restoring the structural integrity of porous hair. This lightweight, rinse-out formula helps to soften and strengthen particularly dry and brittle strands that are on the verge of breaking after a properly good bleaching.

$36 at Adore Beauty

KEVIN.MURPHY Blonde Angel

After a purple toning treatment that maintains your colour and cares for your hair too? Look no further than this godsend of a formula that works to promote hydration and shine, while toning down any unwanted brassines and boosting the brightness of your blonde.

was $46.95 now $39.91 at Adore Beauty

Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Cicaextreme

Hair in dire straights after a few too many touch-ups at the salon? This hair mask restores your strands to their former glory in just five minutes. Say goodbye to frizz and breakage and hello to bouncy, shiny, hydrated and healthy-looking hair. What a dream!

$68 at Adore Beauty

JVN Complete Instant Recovery Heat Protectant Leave-In Serum

Jonathan Van Ness has finally dropped a haircare line and to say our damaged hair is ecstatic would be an understatement. JVN’s leave-in serum in particular offers a smorgasbord of hydrating hair nourishers that promote keratin repair (such as hemisqualane and niacinamide), and it even doubles as a heat protectant.

$43 at Sephora

Olaplex N.4P + N.5 Bundle

Inevitably, Olaplex was always going to have an inclusion in this list. When it comes to repairing hair treatments, no one does it better. But this beautiful little bundle was created with blondies in mind and we’re oh-so-grateful for this thoughtful gift from the beauty gods. Included in the set is a blonde-enhancing toning shampoo and bond maintenance conditioner that work in unison to maintain your colour and hair health.

$90 at Adore Beauty

NAK Hair ORI Lab Restore Treatment

Can’t be effed adding another step to your haircare routine? This restoring treatment can be used in lieu of your regular conditioner for the days when your strands need just a little more juice. Formulated with hydrating shea butter and rice proteins, this stuff will replenish dry brittle hair, and detangle and smooth strands too.

$39.95 at Adore Beauty

Oribe Bright Blonde Essential Priming Serum

Can’t give up that fresh salon colour? Well, now you don’t have to. This priming serum brightens and protects your blonde, while imparting reflective violet pigments that add shine and remove brassy tones. This hairstyling primer provides heat protection for temperatures as high as 232°C, and leaves hair feeling soft, smooth, hydrated and repaired.

was $64 now $54.40 at Adore Beauty

Want to take your look one step further? Here’s everything you need to know about the 'bleached brows' trend.

Main image credit: @johnmacphersonhair

Briar Clark

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).