The Best Products for Maintaining Blonde Hair

     I started dying my hair blonde a little over 2 years ago and it's definitely been a bit of a learning curve to find products that work! Prior to going blonde, I didn't dye my hair for ten years and during that time I pretty much just used the cheapest drugstore products I could find. Since I never colored my hair, it stayed really healthy and strong even though I wasn't putting much effort into products. 

     Now that my hair has been through many rounds of bleach and color, it's become so much more important for me to take the time to find higher quality haircare! My hair stylist had to teach me that if I want to keep my hair healthy and my color vibrant, I have to invest a little more and most importantly always choose sulfate-free products!

So, after much trial and error, I've put together my list of "The Best Products for Maintaining Blonde Hair!"

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Why I Stopped Using Conditioner on My Dyed Blonde Hair // with New Wash!

*This post is in partnership with Hairstory Studio + also includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own and I only share products I love with you all! Thanks for reading along and supporting my family!*

I'm so excited to finally share with you a product that I've been using and loving since March!

     I've slowly transitioned to blonde hair over the past year and a half and it's definitely been a learning curve! One thing that I've finally made a priority is using better products on my hair. With my natural hair, I was basically a $2 Suave girl and my hair stylist has finally convinced me that what I could get away with on my natural hair just won't cut it on highly processed hair. 

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Before Photos: March 21, 2017

     When Hairstory reached out to me about their new detergent free hair cleanser, I was intrigued by the idea but hesitant to try something new and different on my blonde hair. The idea behind New Wash is using ONE product in the shower and not following with conditioner. Their theory is that the only reason we need conditioner is because shampoos (even sulfate-free shampoos!) are a detergent and therefore damage your hair! Using New Wash also prevents your scalp from producing as much oil and can eventually help you go longer between washes! (Similar to the no shampoo theory if you are familiar with that!)

     Gina at Hairstory helped to further ease my fears by explaining that their products are free from any harsh chemicals and instead use essential oils and naturally occurring ingredients such as jojoba oil and aloe. She also showed me this video which demonstrates how New Wash actually helps protect colored hair much longer than other products! 

     I agreed to switch to New Wash for 30 days but I was pretty skeptical about the idea of not using conditioner. I mean sure, cutting down to one hair product sans harsh chemicals sounds great but let's be honest, bleaching your hair blonde makes it SO dry. I definitely miss my shiny, healthy natural hair and even with biting the bullet and purchasing salon products, I haven't found anything that has worked wonders on bringing back it's natural texture. 

Week Two

     The first time I used New Wash, I was literally shocked at how soft it made my hair feel! It's the softest my hair has ever felt since I started going blonde besides getting actual conditioning treatments done at the salon. I put my hair up that evening for the gym and no joke, when I took it down from my ponytail after working out, I felt like I was in one of those ridiculous shampoo commercials because my hair fell down looking just as good as before I worked out. There weren't even any hair tie lines; it was crazy! 

     It did take my hair a few washes to transition to this product. The first time I used it, I woke up the next day looking like my hair needed to be washed even though I never usually need to wash my hair that quickly! My hair has since adjusted and I can go just as long between washes as I used to. (I can easily go a few days or more.) 

 
Week Three

     I have been using New Wash since March and I'm still really happy with it! The last time I had my hair done my hair stylist agreed that this is a worthwhile product and that it helped keep my blonde looking great! 

     Hairstory sent me their full line and I've really enjoyed trying out their other products as well. I love using their hair balm in place of hairspray. I just use a little in my hands to tame flyaways and I've also used it on the boys instead of hair gel! 

 

here I used the "Undressed" texture spray

Week Four

hair color by: Allison Jonez Hair

     All of these photos were taken during the first 30 days that I switched to New Wash. You can see that my blonde still looks great after 30 days and I can tell that it's softer and healthier than ever! I do still use purple shampoo 2-4 times a month to help keep my tone. 

One tip that I do have about this product is that you'll need to spend a little extra time making sure you rinse it all out in the shower. I read a disclaimer about this and it's definitely true because this stuff will want to stick if you don't give your hair an extra rinse!

Now, if you are a fake blonde like me (hah!) please, please, please tell me all your hair secrets and favorite products below! 

Have you heard of New Wash? What are your thoughts?