"After My Mum Compared My Dry Blonde Hair to Rat Tails, I Found Hope with Superdrug Shampoo!"

I’VE been bleaching my hair blonde for nearly 30 years and it’s now in the worst condition it’s ever been.

I’ve tried a host of remedies to make my matted mop silky smooth but nothing has worked – that is until a celebrity hairdresser recommended a bargain shampoo to me.

Erica’s hair before using the shampoo was frizzy and dryCredit: Erica Crompton Erica’s hair afterCredit: Unknown

I’m naturally a mousey-brown colour and first started aged 16, using the dreaded Sun-In bleach at home.

I’d hoped to look like Drew Barrymore with her cool platinum bob.

I decided at an early age that for me and I continued dyeing my locks for decades.

Now aged 45, my hair is paying the price. It feels rough, tangled and crispy to touch.

If I try to run my fingers through it, they get caught on countless knots.

My mother, Lol, 73, recently added fuel to the fire by joking that my hair, “just hangs off your head, like rats’ tails”.

I have tried to fix it. I’ve tried to (it didn’t work), staying away from straighteners (my hair looked frizzy) and using countless masks (so many were too greasy).

But nothing has worked. It’s beginning to look burnt. The ends are all split and jagged. It has an orangey and yellow tinge, and it can get tangled easily.

In desperation, I filmed my messy hair on an Instagram reel.

That’s when a friend of Jonathan Andrew, a celebrity hairdresser whose clients include singer Anne-Marie and TV personality Vicky Patterson, slid into my DMs and recommended Fudge Pro Everyday Clean Blonde Damage Rewind shampoo.

Sold on the high street, including at Superdrug, the £14.99 product is recommended for daily use and claims to gradually remove brassy tones and revitalise hair.

It also claims to leave hair 90% stronger.

I’ve tried a host of blonde shampoos from leading brands including Aussie and Pantone in the past but none have made a noticeable difference.

Hesitant, I thought I’d give this Fudge one – it’s been on the market for years but not on my radar – a go. It’s bright purple and runnier than I expected but it lathers well.

I leave it on for three minutes and at this point feel slightly alarmed: my whole shower has gone bright purple.

My bleached hair looks burnt & like rats’ tails – can this £14.99 shampoo help?Credit: Superdrug

Fortunately, after a good scrub, it washes away and I am left with my normal ‘do.

I let my locks air dry, go to bed and pray I wake up looking like Rapunzel.

In the morning, my hair does feel softer and slightly smoother. It may just be the light but it also looks slightly less hay-like than before.

Only 2% of the adult population globally is said to be naturally fair with blonde being the most popular shade of dye.

But it takes A LOT of upkeep and money to keep those dark roots at bay and to keep it looking in good condition.

I’ve been using the a couple of times a week for a month now.

After the first use, I noticed that my fingers ran through my hair with ease, unlike before when it was all stuck together in clumps.

The scent is pleasant and the lather is rich, too, and I found I could use it with air-drying without conditioner as it makes de-tangling easier as a stand-alone product.

It’s also good value for the intensity of the pigment (you don’t need to use much).

At the end of the month my hair felt glossier and the brassy yellow tones now look more ash blonde.

One drawback is that my benefits-budget doesn’t stretch to six-weekly salon visits (more like six-monthly visits), the wispy and split ends remain.

A spokesperson for Fudge told me: “The Fudge Clean Blonde it’s not new but it’s iconic. Clean Blonde Damage Rewind was one of the first purple shampoos to go mainstream and is still trusted for its high-strength violet pigment.”

Independent hairdresser Dawn Mashtown, working in the Staffordshire area, says to keep bleached hair in top condition, I need to continue to air-dry my hair, keeping it away from heat damage.

She tells me: “When you’re next at the salon ask for a toner to keep the brassy hues at bay. And always use a conditioner, and generously, to help hair stay silky.”