A hair mask is one of those things you’ll likely use once in a blue moon before realising just how effective it is in keeping your freshly-bleached locks looking their best.
When you’ve witnessed its potential once and for all, you’ll probably kick yourself for not giving a mask a try earlier and will, hopefully, start to incorporate it into your weekly hair care routine.
Perfect for all kinds of hair but particularly for tresses that’s suffered a fair bit of bleaching, a hair mask adds just the right amount of TLC to keep your locks looking gorgeous even after you’ve dared to try a few shades lighter than usual. Fabian Martinez, Trichologist at The London Hair Clinic stresses that “Using hair masks are imperative for those with bleached hair and highlighted hair to keep it hydrated, healthy and lustrous”.
What effect does bleach have on hair?
Martinez reveals that "Unfortunately, bleach will always damage even the healthiest of hair as it strips away a lot of the natural proteins, leading to breakage, frizz, and dryness. The natural fatty acids of the hair shafts are broken down during the bleaching process which makes the hair feel dry and brittle.”
What are the key ingredients to look for in hair masks?
"Look for hair masks containing coconut oil,” says Martinez. “It’s a great ingredient due to its fatty acids and vitamin E, both of which promote hair growth and prevent sun damage, which can be made much worse if the hair is already bleached. The moisturising properties really help to protect hair from drying out”.
He adds, “Honey is another good choice as it contains keratin to help strengthen the hair and prevent breakage. It also encourages cell regeneration for a healthier scalp and has anti-inflammatory properties that can calm any irritation. Masks containing banana are great for hydration as they're packed full of vitamins and minerals, which can strengthen the hair and balance out the pH of the scalp."
How often should I use a hair mask on bleached hair?
To maximise the conditioning benefits, Martinez advises to “Aim to do a hair mask once a week. Just leave it on for 10 minutes before rinsing out.”
We’ve rounded up all of the best hair masks for bleached hair below
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Best hair smoothing products to fight frizziness from shampoos to masks
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Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Cicaextreme
This Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Cicaextreme might seem more expensive than your standard hair mask but a little goes a long way - you’ll be surprised by how effective just a tiny amount is on dyed or bleached hair.
Delivering intense conditioning to leave locks looking repaired, the formula is designed for treating those more extreme signs of damage. It combines edelweiss oil and hyaluronic acid duo technology to give your strands a stronger, reinforced finish for a healthier-looking end result. Incredibly lightweight, the masque won’t weigh down your locks, ensuring styling is a breeze, too.
Buy now £48.50, lookfantastic
Davines NOUNOU Nourishing Repair Mask
There’s a reason you’ll spot Davines products in so many hair salons around the world: it really is one of the finest when it comes to keeping your hair looking its best. This should be something you’re paying more attention to post-bleaching and so the NOUNOU Nourishing Repair Mask deserves its place on your shower shelf.
Within its impressive ingredients list, there’s olive butter to soften and moisturise, jojoba oil to reveal a shiny finish and to counteract static and flyaways, cherry oil to intensely hydrate and rhizobian gum to add natural body.
Buy now £10.50, Cult Beauty
Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Hair Masque Set
Your hair may no longer be the colour you were born with but, a quick application of this Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Hair Masque Set and it’ll feel almost like your natural locks.
This five-in-one formula works by sealing shine-giving moisture into the cuticle while deeply repairing hair from within. Its intense combination of ingredients works to nourish your hair from roots to tips and rehydrates the most weakened and dried-out portions of the hair. Slather it on from root to tip.
Buy now £23.05, Coco & Eve
BLEACH LONDON Reincarnation Mask
Creative colour connoisseurs are likely no strangers to the BLEACH LONDON brand - and this Reincarnation Mask from the brand ensures ultra-soft and glossy hair in just twenty minutes from start to finish.
Developed with bleached, coloured and damaged locks in mind, the mask works on all hair types to moisturise and nourish the strands, leaving them looking and feeling hydrated. It blends hydrolysed wheat protein, sunflower seed oil and lactic acid to encourage a stronger-looking mane that’s more manageable, while protecting each strand from environmental aggressors.
Buy now £16.10, lookfantastic
Christophe Robin Colour Shield Cleansing Mask with Camu-Camu Berries
Christophe Robin will forever be a top choice when it comes to restoring bleached, damaged hair and the brand’s Colour Shield Cleansing Mask is one of the best for bringing your hair back to its former glory.
Its extremely gentle, low-foaming formula has been expertly developed to help prolong the vibrancy of colour-treated hair while its creamy, pearlescent texture is delicate to respect your hair’s natural precious oils, so lengths feel intensely nourished with a glossy, long-lasting radiance.
Buy now £37.00, Christophe Robin
Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Cica Cream
Maintaining the strength and condition of your newly-lightened hair feels like a much more manageable task with this Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Cica. This fortifying leave-in combats damage and dryness caused by bleach and over-processing, working from the cuticle level to instantly provide softness and repair. Its rich formula penetrates deep into the hair shaft, helping to increase the resilience of your hair in-between trips to the salon (or your bathroom sink).
Buy now £26.00, lookfantastic
ADEM Pure Hazelnut Hair Repairing Mask
ADEM’s Pure Hazelnut Hair Repairing Mask brings together everything you could want in a hair mask: it boosts shine, restores elasticity and banishes split ends after each application.
This ultra-indulgent hazelnut oil-enriched masque promises to instantly improve dry, neglected hair, no matter how many rounds of bleach it’s suffered under. Thick and luxurious-feeling, this is a mask you’ll want to reserve for those ‘everything’ showers when you’ve got time to truly enjoy it.
Buy now £39.00, Sephora
Bondiboost Blonde Baby Purple Mask
This BondiBoost Blonde Baby Purple Mask was specially formulated for blonde hair and was designed to eliminate brassiness while hydrating your locks. In short, it brings together everything you need after an intense bleaching and dyeing session.
Enriched with purple pigments, the treatment aims to neutralise yellow tones, encouraging a brighter blonde with all of the nourishment necessary. Its blend of hydrolysed quinoa and vitamin B5 work together to help leave the strands feeling stronger while its nutrient-rich argan oil intensely hydrates, while promoting a lustrous shine.
Buy now £27.99, lookfantastic
JOICO Blonde Life Brightening Masque
The clue’s in the name with JOICO’s Blonde Life Brightening Masque: this is a hair mask designed specifically for those with blonde hair, whether that’s natural or bleached.
Perfect for adding softness and shine as well as nourishing the hair from the inside out, this impressive mask is a top choice for ensuring your blonde always looks salon-ready rather than desperate for hydration. Better yet, its unique formula works to neutralise chlorine and remove trace minerals, making it a great holiday hair mask too.
Buy now £24.90, lookfantastic
Fudge Professional Clean Blonde Damage Rewind Treatment
Sometimes only the most intense masks will do when your hair’s really suffered at the hands of bleach and, when those moments occur, you’ll want to find a bottle of Fudge Professional Clean Blonde Damage Rewind Treatment from your haircare arsenal.
While it feels like a lightweight treatment, it’s impressively nourishing, helping to rewind damage from the inside out leading to stronger hair overall. Its blonde nature means this mask is ideal for taking away any unwanted yellow tones, too.
Buy now £13.52, Amazon
Verdict
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a negative review of the Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Cicaextreme and that's because it really does go above and beyond to rescue stressed, over-bleached locks. If your hair is crying out for some attention, this is the mask it deserves.
