How To Manage Damaged, Bleached, Dyed, Frizzy Hair to Smooth

Having broken, frizzy locks, which, let's face it, are barely even locks anymore, from bleaching and dying your hair is no fun.

Over the course of one or two years, I bleached my hair over 10 times, and dyed it even more than that. The colors were great, the damage was devastating.

But after much trial and error, I've managed to find tools and techniques to transform my mane look not-as-damaged as it really is! :P I'm still discovering new ways to pamper my hair affordably, but here are the ones that I've found so far.

1. Conditioner is key.
We use it, but make sure that the type you use gives you maximum smoothness! I've noticed that after washing my hair, my hair would be brittle and "hard" in the times that I didn't use conditioner when I was in a hurry, or even any random conditioner I could grab. Shampoo is vital for getting rid of buildup, but conditioner is the last thing you use in hair-washing, so finding the right one is soooo important in managing damaged hair.

Here are the ones that I recommend:

TRESemme Conditioner Moisture Rich: ~$4-6 USD

This is a cheap, drugstore conditioner you can buy nearly anywhere, and that I've had great results with for years. It's only the one with the label "moisture" and the brown-beige label that I specifically use - when using another one from TRESemme, the split end repair one I believe, I found that my hair was still left brittle after drying. Because there's so much product for a lower price, I slather this conditioner on, being able to coat all my locks, feeling the smoothness even in the shower.

Ion Smooth Solutions: Keratin Smoothing Masque (Conditioner): ~$10-14 USD

This higher end conditioner can be bought at Sally's, but the price is definitely worth it! I saw a prominent difference in the smoothness of my hair after the first time using this, and every time after. I wish I could use this all the time, but I usually just mix it in with the other conditioner to keep from buying too much, but I'll definitely buy this over and over again once I run out.


2. Leaving your conditioner in!
How you condition your hair can make a difference too! On hair washing days, shampoo and condition your hair at the beginning of your shower before anything else, so that after you get your hair covered (not much on the roots of course) you can leave the conditioner in for the whole duration of your shower. I like to also comb my fingers in them to ensure all tangles are gone because it's easiest to do this while your hair coated with conditioner. The backs of conditioner bottles usually say to leave it in for 3 minutes, but do more than that. You can even just stand there and enjoy the warm water if you want extra time haha.

And when you're done, just quickly rinse it. You don't have to get all of the conditioner out - leave your hair feeling like there's still a teensy bit of conditioner moisture in your hair after the shower, but of course not too much. Rinse the roots well though! You might not want to do this if your hair is really oily, however.

I also like giving my hair a quick burst of cold water after that rinse, not sure if it makes that big of a difference, but I've heard it helps retain moisture.


3. Dry your hair without drying it!
After washing your hair, just squeeze out the water with your hands. Ringing my hair instead of towel drying it, even lightly as I did before, makes my hair less frizzy upon drying.

Blow drying also adds heat and damages hair, and blow drying broken hair oftentimes makes it look more frizzy anyway, so I would avoid doing this.

It takes longer, but drying your hair naturally is best!


4. Use a comb, not a brush.
Brushes are good for untangling hair, however, if your hair is damaged and fragile this will likely just break it off. Combs are better for gently untangling. Work in small sections instead of large portions of hair.


5. Comb the tips first.
Whether when your hair is wet or dry, comb/brush the tips first to prevent further breakage. Bleached hair easily gets tugged off, and we don't want any more of that. Comb your hair in sections. After doing the tips, comb the middle section, then you can comb from the roots.


6. Use minimal heat.
I love straightening my hair. It gives that illusion of smoothness, especially by making those broken hairs lay low, but it is of course very damaging. And more breakage equals more frizz. My solution to this is to only straighten it once after every hair-washing instead of every morning. Results may vary, but my hair will stay straight after that as long as I don't wet it. In the mornings it might have a few waves from sleeping in it, but at least I'm not damaging my hair daily anymore!

I use a wet/dry straightener, but I recommend just straightening your hair once it's dry, or at least 90% dry. Straightening wet hair can end in it looking not-so-straight for my damaged hair at least :P


7. Conditioner masques.
After a heavy bleaching or dying session, this is a nice way to pamper your mane.

I do this by wearing an old T-shirt, dampening my hair enough, and slathering on some conditioner (my favorite to use for this would be the Ion Keratin one I mentioned above.) Take care of business around the house for at least an hour or two or more, then rinse off in the shower. I've heard that you could even put on a shower cap over the hair and sleep in it, then just rinse in the morning. Waking up to smooth hair sounds great! :3


8. Trim damaged ends.
I wanted long hair so I did this infrequently, and found the tips of my hair looked very unpleasant due to the accumulation and spread of split ends. Trimming them off regularly keeps your hair looking healthier!


9. Perms or rebonding.
Perms aren't just to make your hair curly. You can get a straight perm too!

Rebonding also does heavy smoothing to your hair with chemicals. My mom came back with her hair rebonded once and it was very smooth, flat, and shiny.

If you're going to do them at home, however, make sure you get all the facts! You could end up with even more damaged-looking hair. While I've never tried these methods before, they're worth checking out.


That's all the knowledge about having damaged bleached hair I have acquired thus far, and I hope what I've shared with you is helpful in some way!

If you have any more tips, let me know! I'd love to hear 'em!
<3 Sannnnn