photo: Anine Bing

Blondes have more fun, so they say. It’s not too hard to go blonde, it might take one sit down at the salon or a couple – but it’s a hair color that’s always in style.

Thanks to Khloe Kardashian, blonde hair is back. And it’s easier than ever to keep it healthy and shiny. Here are some things our blonde Managing Editor Beth swears by for keeping her hair bright and blonde.

#1 Avoid damage
“The mistake I made when I first bleached my hair was to treat it like my natural hair,” says our Managing editor Beth on dyeing her hair from dark brown to blonde, “So I was curling it, straightening it every day, using normal shampoo. Safe to say the ends were always dead and it never grew!”

Reduce the amount of heat you put on your newly blonde locks and defend against damage by using a heat spray, or a color protecting spray. Phyto’s Phytomist Color Protect Radiance Mist protects your hair against oxidisation (which is what causes your colour to fade) while softening your locks and shielding them from environmental damage.

#2 Go Purple
“I wish I could go back in time and tell my sixteen-year-old self about the joys of purple shampoo. I’m sure my boyfriend’s parents love having stained shower curtains but hey…all in the name of blonde.”

You’ll need to use a purple shampoo every couple of weeks when your blonde starts going dull. It looks pretty scary when it first comes out of the bottle, but it is a life saver. Beth likes to leave her purple shampoo on long enough for the blondest parts to go slightly white. Even brunettes with highlighted hair like me can benefit from using a toning shampoo every couple of washes to neutralize any warm tones in the hair. Grab dpHue Cool Blonde Shampoo for an extra refreshing wash.

#3 Get ready for hair disasters
“Ok so blonde hair absorbs things much more easily. Lesson learned, do not use a semi-permanent dye of any color on bleached hair because it will stay. I had green hair after using a pastel blue dye and I’ll never forget it, so be prepared to whack all manner of things on your hair to reverse mistakes. Also, top tip, wet your hair before you get in the pool, that way it won’t turn green. Yes, that happens. And yes it’s happened to me…”

Your blonde hair may take on a slightly green tint if you’re in the pool. Bleached hair, like Beth says, shows mistakes much easier because it’s so light and porous. Restore your colour by slathering your hair in tomato ketchup, and leaving on for 20 minutes (sounds strange, but totally works). The redness will rid your hair of any green tint!

#4 Use an oil
“The last hairdresser I went to finished my hair with almond oil. I never do that myself because I’m a little scared of oils on my hair but actually it smelled amazing and gave my hair so much bounce. After I left the salon I bought a bottle of almond oil for quick styling in the morning.”

If you have fine (or light) hair, a small pump of oil will protect, moisturize and define your hair. Just rub an almond oil like Macadamia Ultra Rich Moisture Treatment into the mid-lengths to the ends for extra moisture, which will stop the ends from breaking. Afterwards, your hair will feel salon bouncy and soft.

#5 Watch out for sun damage
“An expert told me that part of my hair was porous, she could tell because it was white blonde at the end and the brush usually got stuck there. Also, she could see where the sun had damaged my bleached hair. She congratulated me on not using too much heat styling, but she told me that the sun had been undoing all my hard work. It’s as bad for your hair as bleach, you know.”

Bleached hair can dry out pretty quickly, and the sun will speed up that drying process. So if you’re wondering why your hair is dry and brittle with no body, it could be the nice summer weather. Grab a protective oil like Natura Bissé C+C Antioxidant Sun Protection for those days when you know you can’t avoid the sunshine.

If you want to lighten your hair a little, you can add a few drops of lemon juice to your hair and sit in the sun for a while – but make sure to follow up with a nourishing conditioner.

We’ve been nominated for the Best Lifestyle Blog award in the Bloglovin’ Awards 2016! We really couldn’t do it without you all! If you’d like to vote for us this year, click here!