Kate Demolder: My hair snapped off after bleaching — here's what I did to restore it

In the seven months since my overprocessed hair started falling out in chunks, I've seen some serious progress with these products

Sat, 20 Jul, 2024 - 21:15

Kate Demolder

I did not realise I was emotionally attached to my hair until it snapped off.

In my teens, it went from golden to chocolate, black to blonde, each reinvention bringing with it an exciting display of agency and creativity to a face that looked exactly like the rest of my family.

In college, I bottle-dyed regularly, no longer able to afford regular salon trips. When I began making my own money, I began bleaching — and never really stopped.

Full heads of highlights should only be done twice a year. This is a rule I did not follow, often only going eight weeks between appointments.

That culminated in chunks of my hair snapping off around December. I cried and panicked, realising I’d flown too close to the sun.

In the seven months since then, I’ve started to take haircare seriously with positive results. Here’s what I did to restore my fragile hair.

Regular trims

Split ends occur and grow up the hair, deeming that hair unusable. Every two months you should be trimming at least half an inch off of your hair.

My hair only became noticeably thicker-feeling about two months after I chopped off four inches, following years of split ends.

Invisibelle Volume Booster clip-in extensions from bellehair.ie

For those who can’t imagine a life with shorter hair, there are thankfully a myriad of excellent non-damaging, clip-in extension brands available in Ireland right now, like Emma King’s Cascata whose side fillers start at €125 or Nancy Costello’s Belle Hair Extensions, whose range starts from €25.

Treat your hair like silk

Hair strands are threads of protein. From this perspective, hair should be handled as carefully as one would a delicate textile.

This means that one should not use force (brush through knots), tug (with tight hairstyles), leave in excess heat (sleep on it), apply certain chemicals (chlorine), or leave out in the sun.

Familiarise yourself with a set of non-pulling hairstyles you can rely on – claw clips and loose plaits became my go-to. Several others exist online. Aldi has recently released some silk scrunchies (€5.49) which will also help.

Avoid hot tools and when you do, use a heat protectant

An overreliance on heat styling is something we’re all guilty of.

Thankfully, a myriad of products exist these days that can help us out: like the Dyson Supersonic Nural (€449.99, Dyson.ie) which uses low heat to protect the scalp and hair while still providing shiny results.

On top of this, a heat protection product is essential. My favourite right now is R+Co’s Hot Spell (€29.90, Cult Beauty) which is an innovative straightening balm that works with temperatures of up to 450°F / 232°C.

Tailor your products

If your hair is dry and damaged, sulfates – detergents found in products like shampoo to create a lather – will do further damage.

Choose a range that only has good stuff, and stick to it. I used JOICO’s Defy Damage range (€111.45, Look Fantastic) which made a noticeable difference.

ALFAPARF is another brand recommended by stylists. Their Sublime Detoxifying Low Shampoo (€15, Millies.ie) is good for those who want a few days between washes.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

While already damaged hair cannot be fully repaired, it can be hydrated to the point where it appears, at least, shiny and strong.

My ride-or-die is the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Reset Masque (€63.95, lookfantastic.com) which is expensive, but will last you a full calendar year.

The best oil out there, in my opinion, is the classic Moroccan Oil. The brand have recently launched an oil targeted at blondes (€17.95, lookfantastic.com) looking to avoid brassiness, which more traditionally orange-hued oils like argan can contribute to.

Leaving it alone

Time is the true saviour. Time spent not colouring it or putting it under pressure.

Be patient, get the chop and remember that healthy-looking hair always wins.