Is your hair gummy or stretchy after you bleached it?
I love gum.
Or chewing gum, as it’s called in some countries.
I chew it to relieve stress and to blow bubbles.
I don’t like having it in my hair!
If you’ve ever had gum stuck in your hair, you know very well that it is not at all fun.
The only way to get it out is by cutting the strands of hair where it’s stuck.
I didn’t get gum stuck in my hair.
There was worse.
Yes, worse.
It was almost as if my hair was covered with a mask made of stretchy gum.
It was as if hundreds upon hundreds of pieces of gum were stuck in my hair.
Horrible.
It was the worst nightmare I have ever experienced.
My friend Aixa was the one who gave me the best advice. She encouraged me to go blonde. She said that I could do it myself at my home. So, I said, “Why not?”
Finally, I was able to get to that dirty blond that I had wanted for years.
My darling friend Aixa didn’t tell me that bleaching is a very aggressive process for your hair. It’s a process that weakens hair and, in some cases, turns it gummy and stretchy.
That’s exactly what happened to me.
I went from having beautiful, healthy brown hair to horrible duck yellow, gummy, stretchy hair…
That is exactly what I want to tell you about today.
If you do the same things I did, I’m sure that your hair will go back to being attractive and healthy in a few weeks.
Why is your hair so gummy and stretchy?
Bleaching is first and foremost a chemical process. Let’s start by just getting out there the fact that chemistry is not one of my favorite subjects, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.
After that terrible experience, I began to do some research. In my desperation, I even memorized the periodic table of elements (I should mention that it didn’t help at all in my search for a solution).
The process involves chemically removing your natural hair color. An activator is required to do this. It even has a name: hydrogen peroxide.
But calm down, don’t be afraid. This compound is also known as oxygenated water. That’s better, right?
I also should say that if the product in question is left on too long, it can burn your scalp, and if you don’t rinse it correctly, the bleaching effects will continue.
Even if you leave it on for the correct amount of time and rinse it well with water, your hair will still become weak due to the chemical process in the bleaching process.
Hair naturally has body. It’s elastic.
It loses all its natural characteristics when bleached. It’s as weak as a house of cards and breaks upon the slightest contact with a comb or brush. The worst thing is that it can develop a sticky, sticky, and difficult-to-get rid of texture.
With a little patience and the right treatment, anything is possible. I’m not saying that in two days, your hair is going to go back to the way it was, but if you follow the advice that I’m going to give you now, you’ll start to see improvements within a few weeks.
5 tips to repair and revitalize your hair after bleaching
My friend Aixa was the one who encouraged me to dye my hair blonde.
I listened to her, and that’s where things went way, way wrong. I don’t want to exaggerate, but it almost left me bald.
So, I decided to seek professional help to recover my hair.
I really wanted to do a reparative procedure like hair botox, or something similar. But when I consulted Carina, she told me, “You don’t need any treatment. What you need to do is start caring for your hair like it’s a newborn baby. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to revive your hair.”
And then she gave me this advice.
1- Don’t abuse it by washing it
That first piece of advice is fundamental. You should not wash your hair if it is gummy, swollen, or wavy. Why?
Because hair products can contain a lot more chemicals than you think.
Carina’s advice (which worked, by the way) was to wash my hair as little as possible. In the first few days of bleaching, I would only wash my hair two times per week.
It is important to consider the products you use to wash your hair during this time. As I stated earlier, most hair products contain chemicals that can only cause hair attacks if they’re used on very weak hair.
You should wash your hair with soap for the first 2 to 3 weeks. Next, you can switch to a sulfate free shampoo.
This is the key. This is the key. This is the foundation for everything else. This means that if you keep washing your head every day with the same products, you will not be able to fix your hair.
2- Use revitalizing products that give nutrients and hydrate your hair
“Elementary, Watson,” Sherlock Holmes would say. If your hair is limp and unruly, you can restore its health. All hands are on deck.
I tried oily oils for complete nutrition. Persist! Because it’s not something that will happen overnight, but little by little, your hair starts gaining nutrients. Patience!
Coconut oil has given me excellent results. But if you can’t find it or costly in your city, you can use any natural oil. It could be almond oil, Argan oil or another natural oil. Remember that the more natural the composition, the better results you’ll get.
3- Use a hair mask for longer periods of time
It was then that I tried my regular mask, but instead of rinsing my hair after my shower, I used it overnight and let it sit until the next morning. Maybe such a long time wasn’t necessary. To fully enjoy its best qualities, it would suffice for it to do its job for a little over half an hour.
The key to success with nutritive products is consistency. You will start to see results slowly by repeating the process every week.
There are many methods to make masks at home. Carina shows you how to make an avocado mask to repair damaged hair. You can also add eggs or bananas to your hair.
4- Don’t abuse it with a flat iron or curler
If we are in the process of improvement, nutrition, and care, it is important to avoid applying heat with a flat iron or curler.
If you get some overwhelming desire to flat iron or curl your hair, remember to apply a heat protectant first, and don’t forget to use ones that include nutritive ingredients like nectar.
5- Don’t tie your hair up
Tying up your hair after bleaching is a mortal sin. I don’t mean tying your hair up in a bun, using clips or hair ties.
Bleached hair has no elasticity. The hair will break even with the least tension. We don’t want that. That’s why you have to avoid anything that stretches or puts tension on your hair.
6- Extra Tip: incorporate Biotin supplements in your diet
Check Hair Vitamins on Amazon
I want to make something very clear.
You should take supplements in moderation even though you don’t need a prescription for them. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements.
I’ve never been a huge fan of food supplements. Whenever I lacked some nutrients, I preferred to incorporate those nutrients through food…
But now, in my desperation to strengthen my hair, I decided to incorporate a supplement into my diet. Biotin was recommended by many blogs as one of the best hair supplements.
Conclusions
After compiling ideas, trying them and waiting, my hair started gaining nutrients and started regaining its vigor, and gaining more life little by little. It also started growing (yes, that’s always an option: let it grow out…)
