Bleached hair color fading/dulling!

[Blondieee]

Hey everyone! I'll post pictures later but until then, I wanted to see if anyone has advice for me. Several months ago I got my hair bleached. The stylist used a low concentration of bleach. It wasn't exactly what I wanted but looked alright. Then it started to fade and look duller. The stylist bleached it again a couple months later. Still with a low concentration but a little bit stronger to make it brighter. Looked awesome when I left the salon. Looked great even a couple days later after my next shampoo. Then a few weeks later it has dulled AGAIN. My hair looks dirty blonde, mostly brown with a few blonde highlights. I want mostly blonde with a little bit of brown.

I've told the stylist what happened, who said bleached hair shouldn't change color, that it doesn't have pigment so it will always stay the same color. The stylist said it could be minerals in the water and that I might need a Malibu treatment or a certain type of shampoo. I don't know. But I've paid a lot of money for my hair to look nice and I'm getting irritated. Any ideas as to what's causing this and what I can do? I just had my hair done a couple weeks ago. The stylist isn't using a toner. It's just bleach. So it's not like it's a toner that's fading. It was just bleach mixed with olaplex.

[unicourtney]

I like to mix purple conditioner in with my cowash to keep my blonde bright in between trips to the salon. I use the Pravana Perfect Blonde mask, personally. I can tell there's a huge difference when I don't use it--my hair starts to look dull.

It could also be build-up from hard water. Have you tried a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse to clarify?

[Jo Ann]

I would try clarifying, followed up with a DT, Blondieee. Another alternative is to use a purple shampoo (the GVP brand at Sally Beauty, a knock-off of Clairol Shimmer Lights shampoo, is good) and follow it up with a DT.

I'd be hesitant to use an ACV rinse, because of the color--a white vinegar rinse, followed up by a DT, should set you right if mineral build-up is a problem or concern. Caution: white vinegar rinses are more drying than ACV rinses, so dilute it more than you would a ACV--maybe a 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water (1/4 cup white vinegar to 3/4 cup water, for example).

[Blondieee]

I like to mix purple conditioner in with my cowash to keep my blonde bright in between trips to the salon. I use the Pravana Perfect Blonde mask, personally. I can tell there's a huge difference when I don't use it--my hair starts to look dull.

It could also be build-up from hard water. Have you tried a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse to clarify?

I actually was thinking maybe I need a purple shampoo to help. I'll try that, thank you! 🙂

No I haven't. I think it could be that. Some of the bleached pieces have taken on a reddish blonde color instead of just blonde. And the tub and sinks have a reddish circle around the area where the water comes out. Iron maybe? We have a water softener but we don't always have salt in there. And when we do, sometimes I take a shower late a night after doing laundry all day and the salt went towards the laundry and none for my hair. I bought a Redken chelating shampoo but I haven't tried it yet. The reviews say it's pretty drying. Should I do the ACV rinse instead?

[Blondieee]

I would try clarifying, followed up with a DT, Blondieee. Another alternative is to use a purple shampoo (the GVP brand at Sally Beauty, a knock-off of Clairol Shimmer Lights shampoo, is good) and follow it up with a DT.

I'd be hesitant to use an ACV rinse, because of the color--a white vinegar rinse, followed up by a DT, should set you right if mineral build-up is a problem or concern. Caution: white vinegar rinses are more drying than ACV rinses, so dilute it more than you would a ACV--maybe a 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water (1/4 cup white vinegar to 3/4 cup water, for example).

Thank you for the advice. I tried clarifying with Herbal Essences Body Envy. It doesn't say it's a clarifying shampoo but it feels like it. My hair felt squeaky clean. My hair seemed a little bit blonder but still not the way it was when I left the salon and it didn't last long. Is a chelating shampoo different than a clarifying shampoo? I bought Redken chelating shampoo but I haven't tried it yet. The reviews say it's pretty drying.

[unicourtney]

I bought a Redken chelating shampoo but I haven't tried it yet. The reviews say it's pretty drying. Should I do the ACV rinse instead?
I don't have any experience with chelating shampoo but I would just be sure to deep condition afterwards. Also, Jo Ann, the white vinegar rinse sounds interesting! I never noticed ACV could discolor hair. I'll try white vinegar next time.

[-Fern]

"Brassiness" is pretty normal with bleached hair. I don't color, but this looks like a potentially helpful article (https://www.redken.com/blog/haircolor/how-to-prevent-brassy-haircolor).

[Jo Ann]

...I bought a Redken chelating shampoo but I haven't tried it yet. The reviews say it's pretty drying. Should I do the ACV rinse instead?
As I understand it, a chelating shampoo is used to remove such things as chlorine--put another way, a chelating shampoo is also known as a "swimmer's shampoo." It's a much more intensive "clarifying" shampoo, but I would ONLY use it as a last resort, if at all.

Maybe you should take that back, get a refund, and get something along the lines of Suave's Daily Clarifying Shampoo instead. A bottle of Suave should be a couple of $$ (literally) or less.

[Blondieee]

Thanks everyone! It's not brassy. It's dulled. It looks like I've gone from having a lot of highlights to having just a few highlights in my hair. Let me see if I can get some pictures on here.

[Blondieee]

Okay just got pictures under one of my albums. It's the one that says bleached hair fading before and after. You can see how bright it was before. Now only 3 weeks later, it has significantly dulled. My hair isn't even blonde in the after pic. The only things that I've done during that time are shampoo, condition, deep treat, use olaplex 3, and use the morrocan oil curl defining cream I always put in my hair that helps significantly with frizz.

[Blondieee]

I think it's showing the after picture first in my album. But I'm sure you guys can tell which picture is which. I have captions with them too.

[Lady Stardust]

Is the Moroccan oil cream formulated for blonde hair? I’ve read that Moroccan oil can stain.

It doesn’t sound like it’s a problem with the bleach - your hairdresser is right, the pigment has been removed so it won’t change back. Something is staining it.

I live in a hard water area and my hennaed hair used to go brown from the mineral build up. I use an old Aveda sun & swim chelating shampoo - I’ve had it for years so if they still make it, the formula might have changed, but mine isn’t drying at all.

[lapushka]

I think a purple shampoo is your best bet. I'm a little surprised you don't have that on hand yet with bleached hair.

[Obsidian]

If you have reddish stains around your faucet, you'll have the same reddish deposits on your hair.
Use the chelating shampoo, lather it up and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, relather and rinse.

Clarifying removes oils and product build up, chelating removes mineral deposits. A vinegar rinse can help prevent minerals from building up if used regularly but isn't enough if you have a heavy deposit already.

Follow with a DC and use a purple shampoo or condition every few washes to help with toning .

[Alibran]

Mineral build up can definitely discolour bleached hair, giving it everything from a dull, 'dirty' look to a red or green tint, depending on the minerals. When I had mine bleached, I used chelating shampoo from time to time (how frequently you need it depends on how often you wash and the condition of your water) to keep build up at bay.

Doing your final rinse with distilled water every time you wash would probably slow the rate of build up. Also washing with cool (as close to cold as you can tolerate) water.

[Dark40]

I agree with Jo Ann. You should clarify, and use a purple shampoo. Purple shampoo is like a toner that casts out any brassiness, and it brightens up the blonde color. I color my hair blonde, and I use purple shampoo all of the time, and it gets rid of brassiness in my hair!

[lapushka]

I agree with Jo Ann. You should clarify, and use a purple shampoo. Purple shampoo is like a toner that casts out any brassiness, and it brightens up the blonde color. I color my hair blonde, and I use purple shampoo all of the time, and it gets rid of brassiness in my hair!

I had no idea you had blonde hair. :)

[Arciela]

Mine would do that too! Leaving the salon it would be bright and pretty..then after a week or two it would get brassy. Purple shampoo didn't help me too much, but it would take the edge off of the brassiness. I got tired of the brassy look so I stopped bleaching.

[Growitagain28]

I have 6+ month grown out highlights and still use blonde shampoo just to brighten them and it helps. Fanola No Yellow is absolutely the best I have found (and I’ve tried basically all of them). My highlights are at the point of being dull but I’m ok with it as I’m doing no color for the next few years. But the fanola no yellow brings them back to life :)

[Jo Ann]

I had no idea you had blonde hair. :)

To make certain colors "pop," be more vibrant, one needs to bleach hair to at least a level 9 or 10. Mine's bleached to a level 10 in the back and rear (behind the ears) sides.