Gentle Highlights?

[Spungold]

Is there anyone out there who has managed to keep highlighting but has developed a routine that minimises damage? (I know I should aim to go natural but I'm just not ready to give up lighter hair!)
Also, has anyone had success finding a good colourist who is gentle and understanding of long hair? (And if so, how did you do this?)

Thank you x

[PixieP]

I would recommend finding a hairdresser that uses Olaplex when using bleach; I got my hair bleached with Olaplex this spring and I have gotten no visible damage so far. There is a big thread in the "convetional products and hair acc" forum about Olaplex :)

[Spungold]

Thank you PixieP, found one nearby that does it for £15. They want you to have a cut and blowfry too but I said I'd just either want roots+olaplex or olaplex on its own. She looked at me like I was daft. 🙊😆 x

[kidari]

I do my hair myself and I have shorter length (BSL-MBL) with layers... I found that balayage highlights around the face is easy to keep up and maintain the overall health of the hair. I have long layers so the pieces framing my face start at about chin length and I take 3 zig zag partings at the top of my hairline and two zig zag partings at each side of my face for a total of 7 foils that I paint the highlights on making it more concentrated on the ends and then less saturated towards the top and not letting it go all the way up to my roots. It gives a chunky, blended, face framing effect that makes me feel like I have lighter hair but the rest of my hair is still untouched by bleach and easy to maintain. I do this about once every 6 months and sometimes when I touch up I don't let the bleach go onto the last 1-3 inches of my hair if the ends are super light already. The hair around my face is shorter and I'm always trimming it up to maintain the shape so the damage doesn't ever accumulate enough to bother me at all. If you go to a salon you can ask for hair painting to do a face frame balayage highlight. It would only look right if the highlights are only around 3 shades lighter than the rest of the hair. Too much contrast is a different look, but some people really like it and can pull it off- whatever floats your boat! The key is that the highlights do not need to be constantly maintained and therefore it should help to maintain the length and the health of your hair.

[Spungold]

Balayage/sunkissed/face framing is exactly what I'm after! I have always had either bleach or hi-lift tint used on me because my hair is a medium blonde anyway. What do you use on yours kidari? I'd love to see how you do diy highlights, you'll have to do a YouTube vid next time you do it! X

[meteor]

In addition to checking out Olaplex, I think it helps a bit to get highlights done over sebum-y hair and over a heavy coconut oil soak (more on this: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=10495). Hydrolyzed proteins (e.g. Aphogee 2-step, Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, etc), penetrating oils, 18-MEA, ceramides, silicones in conditioners/masks and periodic chelating washes are pretty important elements of the upkeep for lightened hair.

I also think that it helps a lot to keep hair up, sleep with hair contained (and covered in silky smooth materials) and detangle lightened hair much more carefully (and maybe even avoid brushes altogether, going for wide-tooth combs or fingers-only instead), just because bleached hair is compromised, tends to tangle more than virgin hair and it takes less wear & tear to break it or cause split ends.

I'd recommend trying not to lift too many levels and trying to minimize the frequency of touch-ups and avoiding overlap (the sections where new bleach overlaps is where the hair's structure will be weakened more).
If the hair is looking brassy, resist the temptation to lift more, but go for a temporary/"true semi" (without developer) toner or toning shampoo/conditioner instead.
But there is no way of lightening hair with zero damage, I'm afraid. :flower:

[Bhruninha]

Try not to get them too often and definitely use olaplex. I have been trying to get mine done only twice a year.