How To Look After Bleached Hair In The Sun
Sun, sea and pool days can leave bleached hair feeling dry and looking less vibrant. Discover how to protect blonde hair on holiday and the products worth making room for in your...
Fresh blonde, holiday booked, sunshine waiting. The only problem? The things we love most about being away long days in the sun, swimming in the sea and cooling off in the pool aren’t always quite as kind to bleached hair.
Bleached hair can already be more vulnerable to damage, and UV exposure can leave your hair feeling drier and looking less fresh out of the salon. Add salt water, chlorine and a little more washing than usual into the mix, and your blonde may need some extra attention to stay soft and bright throughout your trip. So, how do you protect bleached hair on holiday without packing your entire bathroom cabinet?
Why Does Bleached Hair Need Extra Care In The Sun?
Bleaching gives us the blonde we love, but the process can also leave the hair more porous and susceptible to further damage. Because bleaching reduces some of hair’s natural pigment, bleached hair can also be more vulnerable to the effects of UV exposure from the sun.
Sun exposure can contribute to dryness, roughness and a loss of colour and shine, while repeated swimming and washing can leave already-sensitised lengths calling out for a little more moisture.
How To Protect Bleached Hair From The Sun
Much like your skin, prevention matters. When you know you’ll be spending a long time in direct sunshine, a hat or scarf is one of the simplest ways to give your hair some physical protection.
It can also be worth giving your straighteners and curling tools a little holiday of their own. Your hair is already dealing with more environmental exposure than usual, so embracing an air-dried bun, braid or natural texture can help reduce the additional heat you’re putting it through.
Designed for those sun-soaked days, Milk_Shake Sun & More Incredible Milk is the kind of multitasker that makes holiday haircare feel easy. The leave-in formula combines UV filters with muru muru butter and quinoa proteins to help protect against UV exposure, heat and environmental stressors, while also helping with frizz, tangles, shine and manageability. Simply mist through damp lengths and ends and leave it in.
Keep Your Blonde Colour Looking Fresh
A holiday hair routine doesn’t need to involve a 10-step wash day. In fact, sometimes the products that work hardest in the shortest amount of time are exactly what you need. Meet Bumble And Bumble Illuminated Color 1-Minute Vibrancy Treatment.
Created for colour-treated hair, this rinse-out treatment uses Bumble and Bumble’s PRO ColorShield technology to help smooth and seal the cuticle, support colour vibrancy and leave hair feeling softer with added shine. It also contains kukui seed oil to help moisturise the hair, all while adding just 60 seconds to your shower.
How To Stop Bleached Blonde Hair Looking Brassy
Even with the best intentions, there may come a point on holiday when your cool, fresh blonde starts looking a little warmer than when you left the salon.
For A Blonde Refresh: Maria Nila Sheer Silver Masque
When your blonde needs a little more than your everyday conditioner, this is the moment to reach for a mask.
Maria Nila Sheer Silver Masque combines violet pigment and blackberry extract to help neutralise unwanted golden tones while leaving blonde hair feeling nourished and soft. Its Colour Guard Complex is also designed to help protect colour from UV radiation and free radicals, making it particularly well suited to a summer haircare routine.
For Regular Blonde Maintenance: KEVIN.MURPHY BLONDE.ANGEL
For something that slips easily into your usual routine, KEVIN.MURPHY BLONDE.ANGEL can be used in place of your regular conditioner when your colour needs a refresh.
Designed to counteract unwanted brassy and yellow tones, it also helps soften, de-frizz and improve shine while supporting hair that feels more fragile or prone to breakage. Apply through clean, wet lengths and ends, leave for one to two minutes and rinse.
Only taking hand luggage? The KEVIN.MURPHY BLONDE.ANGEL Mini gives you the same blonde-maintaining step in a much more suitcase-friendly size.
Give Sun-Stressed Bleached Hair Its Moisture Back
Your after-sun routine doesn’t have to stop at your skin. When your hair has spent the day exposed to sunshine, followed by a swim and another wash before dinner, it can start to feel noticeably different. This is when switching your usual conditioner for a richer treatment can make all the difference to how manageable your bleached lengths feel.
Created specifically for sensitised and lightened hair, Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Cicaextreme combines hyaluronic acid with edelweiss oil to deeply hydrate, smooth and strengthen bleached lengths. It can be used once or twice a week, or simply when your hair is feeling particularly fragile and in need of some extra attention.
Leave it on while you get on with the rest of your shower, rinse, and let your blonde have its own version of after-sun.
The Best Products For Caring For Bleached Hair While On Holiday
So, what actually deserves a place in your suitcase?
- For days spent in the sunshine: Milk_Shake Sun & More Incredible Milk to add a UV-protective leave-in step to your routine.
- For a quick colour refresh: Bumble And Bumble Illuminated Color 1-Minute Vibrancy Treatment gets to work without keeping you in the bathroom for long.
- When unwanted warmth starts to show: Maria Nila Sheer Silver Masque toning care and KEVIN.MURPHY BLONDE.ANGEL.
- When your lengths need a little more TLC: make time for Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Cicaextreme.
Your Bleached Hair Holiday Checklist
- Protect your hair from long periods of direct sun.
- Wet it before you swim and rinse it afterwards.
- Give heated styling a break where you can.
- Keep moisture topped up, and bring in a toning treatment when your blonde starts looking warmer than you’d like.
Explore the Luxurious Look Colour Protect collection to discover more treatments and masks chosen for blonde and colour-treated hair.
