So You Bleached Your Hair Blonde And Now It’s Snapping Off—Here’s How To Fix It

“I feel like changing my hair.”

It’s a phrase every girl has uttered at least once in her life, and it usually leads to one of two things: cutting it all off, or bleaching the hell out of it. The former won’t harm your hair (a good chop will actually make it look super healthy), but the latter? You’ll need to ask yourself some hard questions first.

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[MODEL WEARS]: Arnsdorf Daphne Dress ($320); By Nye River Run Chain ($140); By Nye Aphrodisiac Necklace (POA).

Is platinum my thing?

Start with the basics, suggests MOB HAIR founder Tarryn Cherniayeff: “Will blonde suit me, what shade of blonde am I after, can I commit to the upkeep, and can my hair handle it?”

But is it really?

“You need to know that blonde might not be possible,” warns celebrity hair stylist Kevin Murphy. “Your colourist will assess the elasticity of your hair, consider your colour history and at-home routine to determine whether your hair can handle a drastic colour change.”

Do I have the time?

As Murphy notes, blonde wasn’t built in a day. “Going from dark to light can take multiple hours spread out over many appointments, so you’ll have to be ok with the in-between stage that can sometimes be warmer than you like,” he cautions. And don’t be fooled by colour chameleons like Kim Kardashian West and Emma Stone. “Social media can make it look like it’s quick, but that girl flashing up on your screen for 15 seconds was probably at the salon for 15 hours.”

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How’s the rest of my calendar looking?

You’ll need to commit to regular, four to six week salon appointments (consider your colourist your new BFF) and dedicated home care products that will keep your strands strong and shiny.

Do I have the right at-home arsenal?

You’ll want to look after that expensive dye job, so take stock of what’s in your shower (Cherniayeff is a fan of the Oribe Bright Blonde collection). Murphy recommends a salon colour gloss for fading hair, and regular application of a leave-in treatment (try KEVIN.MURPHY Staying Alive).

Am I prepared for the possibility it might just snap off?

Sometimes you can do everything right and shit still happens. Don’t try to fix it at home; instead, run (don’t walk) back to your salon. “Start a series of professional in-salon treatments, like Olaplex,” advises Cherniayeff. Put down all your hot styling tools, get yourself a couple of silk pillowcases, and treat your strands to some serious TLC. Once it starts growing, you’ll need regular haircuts to nurse it back to health.