Bleached hair color fading/dulling!

**Blondieee** · January 5th, 2019, 10:19 PM

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** · January 5th, 2019, 10:27 PM

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** · January 5th, 2019, 10:34 PM

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** · January 5th, 2019, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by 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?

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** · January 5th, 2019, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by 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).

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** · January 5th, 2019, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by Blondieee

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** · January 5th, 2019, 11:19 PM

"Brassiness" is pretty normal with bleached hair. I don't color, but this looks like a potentially helpful article.

**Jo Ann** · January 5th, 2019, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by Blondieee

...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** · January 6th, 2019, 12:35 AM

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** · January 6th, 2019, 12:46 AM

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.