When I first got a few highlights put into my naturally curly, dark-brown hair, back when I was still in high school, I remember my stylist telling me that I would definitely be back for more. A few years later, I got caramel balayage and this past month I decided to take a more drastic step and put in half a head of blonde highlights. My hair is now the sun kissed look I wanted for the summer! But, with any colour treatment, there is always the risk of damage and dryness. I must say that, after my balayage my hair was dry like straw and it took a while for me to get my curls back to their original supple state, but after a few at-home natural treatments and some of my favourite products, I managed to restore my hair´s state. The knowledge I aquired from that experience, made me so much more prepared for my most recent colour treatment and my hair has not been dry at all since leaving the salon!
My tips:
1.Ask your stylist for advice:
Ask your stylist for advice on what will be best for your hair, with curly hair (especially darker shades of curly hair) there is an increased risk of damaging your hair strand. When bleaching your hair, the process can cause your curls to be damaged, resulting in them loosing some of their original vibrancy. So be sure to ask your stylist for advice, like maybe going lighter gradually or having an in-salon treatment done as well, before opting for that platinum blonde on the first go. This doesn´t mean you shouldn´t go lighter, though, just be sure to do so in the gentlest way possible!
2. Moisture is everything!
Every curly haired girl knows that moisture is everything, and we need a lot of it! To avoid the dreaded frizz and lack of shine, our hair (whatever the texture and curl type) needs an oil or cream to lock in moisture.
With my particular hair type, I like to use an oil in cream product, to get the best of both worlds. I love the L´Oreal Oil-in-Balm, which has all the benefits I need of moisture, softness and manageability. Despite the oil in this product, there is no greasy residue left on your hands, which is a big up when using this product on-the-go! I´m also a big user of argan oil products, as they are truly like golden nectar for your hair...they moisturise, increase shine and smell heavenly!
3. Sleep with a silky pillow:
Cotton pillow cases increase the amount of friction on your hair when sleeping, which results in frizz and breakage. Sleep with a silk or satin cover over your pillow to avoid this and wake up to silkier tresses!
4. Avoid water damage:
I´m a beach bum and love swimming in the salty waves, but this can have damaging effects to my colour-treated hair, which is more prone to drying out. To avoid such salt-water damage, I do a conditioner wash almost immediately after swimming. The conditioner cleans my hair, but moisturises without drying out or stripping my hair of natural oils, like shampoo does.
So, whatever your curl type, colour-treatment is possible, our hair just needs gentle TLC!
Jessie x
Comentarios