Will bleaching roots only minimize further damage?

My vote is 'yes'... 20v isn't terribly harsh, especially given that some people do a full 20v bleach every month to lighten their hair.  Bleaching time and time again on the same areas will of course damage them, regardless of how long you wait between bleachings, but new growth can take at least one dose of 20v and recover well enough.

I'm in the same boat, and I realise that if I keep bleaching my new growth/roots, I will never have perfectly healthy and virgin hair as it grows out, it will always "have been bleached" at some point, but it's the price I'm paying for wanting blonde!

@alexia

Yes I think bleached once is ok, it's when you do multiple times that it gets bad. I have some breaks on my top layer that look like I have some layers in my hair when I don't, but I know that hair has been bleached multiple times and I think dyed once 🙁 so if no matter what the damage can't be undone I would much rather keep my blonde color. Even if it's not perfect, when I am in the store trying on clothes I just fall in love with my hair even though it's a little yellowish in some spots and not perfect. I was contemplating highlights and lowlights but I think giving up my blonde will make me sad.

I am impressed, that is really good advice from a Sallys assistant!

I am impressed, that is really good advice from a Sallys assistant!

My thoughts exactly!

If your hair is already breaking, you really shouldnt' be considering highlighting/lowlighting your hair.  What the Sally's assistant said was actually pretty spot on.  Do not use any permanent or demi permanent colours along the lengths.

Once hair is fried, you can't fix it.  You can try to mitigate the damage with keratin (Joico K-Pak Reconstructor is a favourite here), avoiding heat, avoiding any sort of rough handling to your hair (don't use extensions or anything on weak/damaged hair) and getting it trimmed regularly so the damage doesn't travel up the hair shaft.  Keep in mind that all of the areas that have been processed multiple times will all be damaged, even if they haven't broken off yet, so it will ALL need to be cut away in the end, which will take a year or longer, depending on your length.  Also, if you use any sort of conditioning treatments, bear in mind that a lot of them are packed with silicones, so they may make your hair feel better, but it's still damaged underneath.  We've had a lot of people on this site who said their hair felt fine and then they bleached and it melted.  The only way to know the true condition of your hair is to wash it, don't condition it and let it air dry.  Conditioners and serums tend to mask a lot of the damage on the hair.

In the meantime, yes, you can maintain the colour by only lightening your roots and make sure that you do not overlap on your already processed hair.  20 volume is all that most roots need to lighten to blonde.  Do not use a permanent or a demi permanent toner; stick to silvering shampoos and true semis for toning (if you have to mix it with peroxide ... don't use it).

Sorry that your hair is damaged, but if you're really careful with it you can grow out and cut off the damage and hopefully keep it most of the same length in the meantime.