It's been five years since Bryan Boy (or "ninang" as his TikTok fans call him) first went platinum blonde, and he has yet to find reasons to quit. The reason? "It's very easy to maintain," he told me, smiling wide while my face twisted in confusion.
You see, when I bleached my hair three years ago, I didn't even last three months. It made me think that being a blonde Asian was not for me, when the truth was, I just wasn't ready to commit to the blonde lifestyle. I wasn't at all prepared for the extra care, nor did I know the best ways to be blonde and stay blonde. But now I do, because Bryan Boy himself told me—and by default, all of you—exactly how he does it.
The Best Tips for Maintaining Blonde Hair, According to Bryan Boy
1. Get your hair bleached and retouched by one person, and one person only.
"You really need to research a good person to do your hair and you need to be consistent with your retouches. You have to go back to the same person. I always go to the same guy because if I go to another salon, that's when you're risking it. You could end up using different chemicals, different products, so it's important to find the right person from the get-go and just get it there.
"I tried to do it [salon hop]. When I first tried being blonde, I went to one guy in Sweden, and then I was due for a color while I was in New York, but they used a different kind of chemical/bleach. And then boom, literally everything fell off. I had to wear a beanie, grow [my hair] a little bit, so you can't salon hop ever."
2. Be consistent with your root touch-ups.
"I go to the salon once a month. I literally go there just to bleach the roots. If I see my roots, it's time to go back there again."
3. Have a solid hair care routine and stick to it.
"Always use purple shampoo. I use purple shampoo like three times a week. I wash my hair every day, but I don't shampoo every day. I do it every two days. Purple shampoo, purple conditioner, and Olaplex. With Olaplex I try to use it three times a week. I put it on my hair, put a shower cap on and then sleep with it. I never have breakage."
No.3 Hair Perfector Treatment, P2330 (100ml), OLAPLEX, Sephora
Bonus: Liven up your eyes with lash extensions.
Aside from having a "low-maintenance" hair routine, Bryan also treats himself to other beauty treatments. He gets injectables from Dr. Vicki Belo, manicures ("I like my nails clean, short, perfect with color."), and his new favorite: eyelash extensions from Néw Lounge.
"I tried it [last November], and it opened my eyes a little. I was like oh, this is life-changing. How have I not done this before? All my friends, they all do it, they all get their lashes done. I really have no lashes, it's like bald there.
"The first time I did it, it looked amazing but I felt like it looked long. And then after two or three days, I was like wait a second this actually looks major. Then I went to Paris Hilton's wedding, I saw the pictures, and holy sh*t, it looks so nice in pictures, better than in real life! This is not me! My lashes were insane in my pictures with Paris and Kim Kardashian."
In case you were wondering, Bryan wears the Néw Lounge J Curl extensions in 8mm and 9mm.
Any questions?
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