Fixing broken and frazzled hair

Hair: The Art Team at Brooks+Brooks
Photography: Jenny Hands

Dear Hair Doctor,

I went to a hairdresser in April and got a great colour and service; went back in July to get my roots done and came out with broken and frazzled roots and yellow hair!

I was a platinum blonde which was in good condition before she started on it.

Please help.

Jacqui Wilson, Inverness

Hello Jacqui,

Before you can address the colour, you need to take care of the condition. I would recommend a protein-based treatment such as Biolustré or KeraStraight. This will strengthen your hair and begin to rebuild the cuticle.

If you swim on a regular basis or use a lot of heat styling on your hair, make sure to protect it well.

A fantastic range of products is available to help rebuild hair including Kérastase Bain de Force and Ciment Anti-Usure.

John Clark, Brooks+Brooks

Hi Jacqui,

Perfect bleaching can be difficult to achieve and prior condition of the hair plays a massive part in the overall result.

The "broken and frazzled" roots may be due to overlapping of the bleach, i.e. as well as applying bleach to regrowth of new hair, the colourist may have overlapped bleach onto previously lightened hair, which would result in over lightening and could cause damage and breakage.

To achieve platinum blonde, the hair must have been lightened and toned. The toner is a crucial part in making the hair platinum. If it is still too yellow, perhaps the wrong shade was used or the development time wasn't long enough.

Best advice would be to find an experienced colourist in a reputable salon to consult and advise you on the best course of action.

Crombie, Browns

Hi Jacqui,

As the hair has become so damaged, I wouldn't recommend any colour service at all at the moment, as this may cause further damage to the hair structure. The only thing I would advise at this time is to use re-strengthening products (such as L’Oréal Serie Expert Force Vector range) and in-salon treatments. When the hair is strong enough, you can then return to the salon to restore the hair back to your desired colour.

James Kelly, Royston Blythe