I Bleached My Brown Hair Blonde At Home & This Product Makes It Look Seriously Shiny

We’ve all made some questionable choices in lockdown, haven't we?

Maybe yours was a gold leisurewear suit. Or a family-sized pizza all to yourself on a Tuesday evening. (Sounds like a pretty sweet night, to be honest.)

For me, it was bleaching my naturally dark brunette pixie hair to an icey white platinum blonde one Saturday afternoon.

At home. With only my wife to assist. No hairdresser in sight. Just us, and a lot of bleach.

Pre-bleaching, my virgin strands were fuss-free and easy to manage. Now, I’m working with dehydrated, damaged hair that's prone to breakage - and don’t even get me started on the colour maintenance and those unwanted brassy tones.

Finally, I understand “blonde” is a personality trait for you natural blondies.

I think about my hair for at least an hour every day. I talk about it non-stop. I pester other bleached babes to find out about the best products for blonde hair. I watch hours of blonde hair YouTube videos... like this one below... 

So dye it back! I hear your cry. That’s the worst part, though.

I REALLY LIKE BEING BLONDE (for now). 

I've realised the only way to manage this frizzy, dry, weirdly-patchy-yellow, snapping-at-the-ends mess of blonde hair is with some damn good product. 

Enter, the new Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaextreme range.

From the makers of salon-quality professional hair products, the new blonde hair 'shampoo-in-cream', deep conditioning mask and repair oil promise to be the products you and your bleached hair didn't know you needed.

Keep scrolling for the full Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaextreme recap, plus my review of the hero product bringing my blonde hair back to life.

What is Kerastase Blond Absolu Cicaextreme?

So, you've literally just danced with the bleach-devil in the pale moonlight... this is precisely when you need the Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaextreme range.

Bleach is no laughing matter - it literally strips the pigment out of your hair - so the accompanying dryness, damage and breakage needs to be tackled starting from the moment you rinse that bleach out. 

While the existing Kérastase Blond Absolu products do a great job of toning and neutralising brassiness, the new Cicaextreme products are for immediately after that post-bleaching rinse (or the first wash when you get home from the salon, if you’re smarter than me).

Plus, use them ongoing with your purple toning products to keep your hair in the best condition possible - think swishy, touchably soft TV commercial hair.

The Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaextreme range includes:

• Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Cicaextreme Shampoo - A rich, creamy shampoo mask that provides a dense foam to cleanse without friction.

• Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Cicaextreme - A conditioner, but dialled up to about 200. It’s nourishing, repairing, smoothing and soothing on my distressed tresses, but washes out well and doesn’t leave my fine, short hair feeling heavy or overwhelmed.

• Kérastase Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme Oil - A multi-tasking leave-in treatment that works to improve the appearance of your hair immediately, and its health over time.

Think of this range like post-procedure hair care for those with seriously lightened hair.

Depending on your specific blonde and hair type (e.g. blonde highlights, curly and bleached, platinum blonde or blonde with a dark base), you can use these products alongside your existing Kérastase purple shampoo and toning conditioners to maintain your expensive blonde colour between salon visits.

My Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaextreme Review.

I love the whole range. But... if my wallet and I had to pick a favourite, it'd be the hair oil.

Allow me to explain.

There are three parts to being a blonde: maintaining good hair colour, good hair health, and good hair hydration. This can quickly add up to a very full shopping cart.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme Oil ticks two out of those three boxes (hydration and hair health), which suits my “used-to-be-low-maintenance-but-now-I’m-begrudgingly-medium-maintenance” soul.

As for how to use it, I work a pump and a half into damp hair whenever I’m blow drying from wet for seriously soft “what damage?!” vibes.

Occasionally, I'll also apply half a pump to dry hair when I want to boost shine and manageability on non-hair washing days.

It’s easy as pie. The result? My best bright and shiny blonde self.

How do I love thee, Kérastase Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme Oil?

Let me count some more ways…

• It’s a treatment product that hydrates and strengthens at the same time.

• Helps give my hair the shine that over-bleaching and over-toning has stolen from me. 

• Offers thermal protection from heat styling up to 230° so it's also your heat protectant.

• Calms flyaways and the visible rattiness of dry hair.

• Can be used dry or wet, and no need to rinse out!

• Lightweight oil-serum texture doesn’t feel heavy on my short, fine hair. 

• The white floral fragrance smells DIVINE - Kérastase products always smells good, but this is next level.

• The on-trend lavender glass packaging feels luxurious and looks chic in my bathroom.

Would I Recommend Kérastase Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme Oil?

A resounding yes. In fact, I’d recommend the whole Cicaextreme range if you’re a big bleaching dummy like me who’s in need of extreme care.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Huile Cicaextreme Oil is the most versatile pick of the litter, purely because it treats AND styles.

For not-so-natural blondes, this is a godsend because blonde toning products like purple shampoos can be notoriously drying on the hair.

Bonus: If I can get a leave-in oil to work on my fine, plentiful yet short hair, I foresee it working on most, if not all hair textures and lengths.

Really, it's the ultimate styling/treatment hybrid product for bleached blondes. End of manifesto.

Want more product recommendations and tips for blonde hair? Check out these stories from the Adore Beauty team:

• 3 New Blonde Hair Products We're Repurchasing in Our Next Staff Orders

• Let Me Tell You Why This New Anti-Brass Blonde Hair Mask Is 100% Worth Its Price Tag

• Is This New Overnight Blonde Hair Serum as Good as the Cult Original? Here Are My Thoughts