HOW I BROUGHT MY HAIR BACK FROM THE DEAD

My hair has been dyed all the colours you could possibly think of from blue to orange, pink to blonde, black to purple. I have been bleaching my hair since I was 11, first getting highlights then just throwing on box bleach every couple of months to change the colour to whichever I desired at the time. After 8 years of various colours my hair fought back, chunks falling out, split ends, dry as a bone. The natural oils in my hair were all but wiped out after the amount of chemicals I had been carelessly throwing onto my scalp and now I was left with a knotted, dry, hay like head of hair.

(One of my favourite hair colours from 2016)

Here is a list of the things I did to revive my hair to the silky smooth state it is now in, TRUST ME when I say this was a process and these are all things I still do now nearly a year after I stopped bleaching my hair.

Dyeing my hair back to brown

I was originally going to try and  grow out the bleach leaving my hair natural, but after 6 months of no root touch up I was starting to go a little crazy and hate my hair even more. So to dye my hair I used a box dye, I knew that dying my hair again wouldn't help the condition of it but I wanted to give myself a blank canvas. I found a dye that matched my natural colour pretty well as I had already grown my roots out a large amount. I had an orangey/blonde colour on the bottom half of my hair at this time after fading the bright orange dye out as much as I could. I made sure to get a dye with no ammonia and one that stated it had moisturising properties as well. After dying my hair I used a recovery mask meant for dyed and weak hair to try and start bringing it back from the dead. I had already cut off a dramatic amount off the ends of my hair in hope that it would be easier to fix if most of it was gone, but still the hair was not happy so I cut off as much as I could stomach leaving myself with a dark brown bob which to be honest I was quite happy with.

Washing my hair less often 

Because my hair was already so dry and stripped of most it's natural oils I didn't struggle to much with greasy hair. Your scalp produces oil (sebum) to keep your hair and scalp protected and moisturised whilst also reducing damage to your hair. When you wash your hair you also wash out the natural oils so I cut down on the amount I washed my hair, I had already damaged and reduced the rate at which my scalp was producing these oils so I didn't want to keep washing out the little oil I did have. When washing my hair I used a much softer shampoo and conditioner, avoiding harsh products with chemicals in them and opting for more natural hair products containing ingredients like coconut oil and Argan oil. I recommend the Palmers coconut oil formula range.

Hair masks

There are hair masks for just about anything, even one that promises to speed up hair growth! Personally I stuck to my natural products here again, using the Palmers 'coconut oil deep conditioning protein pack'. I still use this product now because it makes my hair feel so soft and smooth as well as keeping it in good condition and smelling amazing. This pack does just about everything you'd need, the coconut oil restores moisture, the monoi oil hydrates, the keratin protein strengthens and repairs, the silk protein restores shine and the coconut milk detangles and combats frizz. What more do you want? The best thing about this hair mask is that one pack does 2 masks and it's only £1.50!

Hair oil

I love hair oil. Putting oil on the ends of your hair before drying it really helps lock in moisture and prevent split ends. I picked up a bottle of Argan Oil hair treatment from Poundland, yes Poundland! I used to use the MoroccanOil argan oil treatment but at a pricey £23 it's hardly student friendly and the Poundland equivalent works just as well. You don't want to use this oil close to your roots, keep it on the ends of your hair to avoid looking greasy.

I also use the REDKEN 'all soft supple touch' leave in treatment all over my hair, it contains argan oil but in a spray bottle to avoid greasy looking roots while still protecting and rejuvenating the damaged hair. This leave in treatment is designed for dry and brittle hair, it leaves your hair feeling silky smooth and healthy. 

Using a hairdryer 

Watching hair dye fails on youtube isn't really the best way to pick up tips for keeping your hair healthy BUT whilst watching one I heard a woman say that letting you're hair air dry actually worse than using a hairdryer to dry your hair. I dug a little deeper and found out that she was right. When your hair is wet the water causes the cuticle to swell and crack, the weight of the wet hair also pulls on your root which stretches and weakens them. The best way to dry your hair without causing damage is to gently towel dry before using a hairdryer on a low setting to gradually dry your hair in sections.

Less hair products 

Even though I have used more hair oils on my wet hair, I tend to avoid using products like salt sprays and hairspray on my dry hair. The chemicals in hair products can mess with the natural oils leaving you looking like a greasy mess. I find using styling products in my hair makes me wash my hair more and leaves my strands looking lifeless. Products like heat protectants, oils and even styling products can be good for your hair but only in regulated use, follow the recommended amount on the bottle.

Less heat

Heat is not good for your hair but we all love to have the perfect curl or the sleekest of bobs. Using heat protectants helps to reduce damage from styling but any heat over 215 degrees causes permanent and irreversible damage to your hair. I use heat on my hair occasionally but I try to stick to heatless hairstyles when I can, there are hundreds of ways to keep heat of your hair wile still look gorgeous. Using the right products to tame your type of hair are the best way to reduce heat use, for instance using a frizz-ease product instead of straightening your hair everyday. It's pretty easy for me not to use heat as my hair is pretty straight all the time, but one of my favourite heatless styles is to plait my hair whilst wet and leave it in while I sleep so I wake up to super wavy hair the next day. There are hundreds of heatless hairstyle tutorials on youtube which have been my saving grace whilst trying to revive my mop.

Using scrunchies 

Instead of normal hair bobbles that tug and pull on your roots, try using silk scrunchies or 'invisibobbles' which minimise the tugging of roots and therefore stop the dramatic receding of hairlines. If you can't bring yourself to wear you damaged hair down, make sure to take our hair bobbles while you sleep.


There is hope for damaged hair, do not stress. If I could fix my hair on a budget after all I put it through I can't imagine why no one else would be able to.