Do you have bleach damaged hair? Environmentally damaged hair? Heat damaged hair? These tips will help you get your hair back to healthy as quickly and as easily as possible!

Let’s talk heat damaged hair.  My hair has been every color under the sun and I’ve always heat styled it.   About two years ago, I paid for it…..big time.  For about six months, I had my hair bleached to platinum blonde and was heat styling it almost daily.  While it looked great from far away, up close…….terribly heat damaged hair.  My hair was broken down to the root in spots, and it was very unhealthy.  It was hard to style, and I constantly was trying to hide the heat damaged hair sections.

Luckily, after testing many products and tips…..I found a way to get my hair BACK to healthy.  It took some time, but this routine helped a TON, and now…..my heat damaged hair is back to being super healthy and easy to style!  My hairdresser was a GREAT resource, I switched when I realized the damage I’d experienced.  My new hairdresser suggested we stop platinum bleaching and try a gentler approach.  Enter, my pink hair.  It’s a lot easier on the hair, and I LOVE IT.  She also helped me to develop a hair routine that slowly but surely nursed my heat damaged hair back to health!

How to Repair Heat Damaged Hair

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Washing and Conditioning:

The goal is to wash your hair as little as possible.  I aim for once a week (and use a lot of dry shampoo).  Water opens the hair shaft, and you want to do that rarely while you are trying to repair heat damaged hair.

1. Use Olaplex before shampooing: Olaplex is a hair repair treatment to be applied to wet hair BEFORE shampoo.  It helps to smooth and repair damaged hair.  My technique: I would wet my hair with ice cold water, and apply Olaplex all over.  I left it on for about 15 – 20 minutes before rinsing, shampooing and conditioning.
2. Cold Water: NEVER HOT WATER.  Cold water is gentler on damaged hair, and colored hair.  It’s not fun, but it will help to repair broken hair.

Drying and Heat Styling:

Avoid using heat on your hair as much as you can.  Let it mostly air dry, try to not do much heat styling…..it will continue to heat damage your hair.

1. Turbie Twist Towel: Yup, I use this.  EVERY TIME.  It’s a super absorbent towel that helps your hair dry faster.  That means less heat to dry and style, and that means less damage.

2. Restore Repair Leave-In: This product by Living Proof made a HUGE difference (and was recommended by my hairstylist).  It’s a correcting and repairing leave in conditioner.  I used it on my hair wet after the shower and BEFORE I wrapped it in a towel to dry.  When I did blow dry, I would use additional products to protect from heat.

3. Heat Protectant (ghost oil): Heat protectant is key when recovering from damaged hair.  From blow drying to curling to flat ironing, each strand needs to be protected to prevent further damage.  Verb’s Ghost Oil is my absolute favorite, and I swear by it.  This light restorative hair oil provides protection from heat without weighing down your hair.  I mix it into my blow dry lotion, I use it before flat ironing, and it’s light enough to layer day to day without leaving your hair a greasy mess. Plus?  A little goes a long way, you’ll have one bottle for MONTHS.
4. Wet Detangler Brush: Brushing wet hair can do a TON of damage.  I used this special Olivia Garden brush that is especially gentle on wet hair.  It helped a lot, and I use it on my daughter’s hair also.

Are you trying to repair heat damaged hair? What has helped YOU?