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Orlando Bloom joined the ranks of dudes with bleached hair and we have to say, the look suits him. That said, like many men (every man?) who goes through the process of stripping his hair of its natural color and toning it frosty white, we noticed Bloom's hair looking a little dry. See, stripping your hair of all its color is basically like smacking it in the face repeatedly with a hot frying pan, so if you don’t respect what it’s been through, it’s going be sad mess when you get home. Here’s how to not be one of those guys.
Don’t dye your hair yourself or let your punk girlfriend do it for you unless you’re basically blonde to begin with and/or don’t have a day job to go. Otherwise, go to a reputable salon (see: Yelp) and pay good money to have the job done. A skilled colorist will be able to assess the strength of your hair and how it’s going take to the bleach and also help you find the perfect shade for your skin tone. Because, FYI, ash-white blonde doesn’t work for everyone.
You want to roll up to the salon with dirty, oily hair. This will protect your hair from damage during the dye process. You can also sleep with coconut oil in your hair the night before you go to the salon to achieve the same kind of power-shield effect.
Even when you’re not about to bleach it, you want to use hair masks regularly. Buy one that’s built for color-treated hair and use it at least once a week.
You probably don’t shampoo your hair every day to begin with, which is a good start, but instead of using whatever’s in your shower, you need a shampoo and conditioner built for bleached hair. Try a purple or silver shampoo and conditioner, which will help to even out the color, or skip shampoo altogether and use a cleansing conditioner—it's like the non-drying version of the 2-in-1 formula your dad uses.
Try to avoid heavy-duty pastes, sprays, or gels which dry out hair even further. Instead, consider switching to a light hold balm or a hair oil, which deposit moisture while giving your hair a workable texture. And if you’re one of those guys who uses a hair dryer, consider holding off. Excessive heat will only dry your hair out more.
The longer your hair is, the more you’re going to have to worry about damage. If you have fine or brittle hair to begin with, now might be a good time to go for a short fade. If your hair is thick and responsive to bleaching, you can stick with Lucky Blue Smith-length strands. No matter what, get your hair retouched and trimmed every three to four weeks. This will keep it looking healthy and prevent your stylist from having to re-bleach your whole head every time you sit down in the chair.
