The best part of having hair is being able to have fun with it. With so many different hair colors and styles to pick from, the opportunities to change up your hair are endless.
I wasn’t allowed to dye my hair until seventh grade. At that point in my hair journey, my hair was already in tough shape from how I’d been treating it. I dove right in with vibrant box dye and bleach. Since then, my hair has been through cycles of being healthy and unhealthy.
I gave my hair a break during my junior year of college, and as of the fall semester of my senior year, I am back in the hair color game! I went from blue to red, which is a challenge since the two sit on opposite ends of the color wheel. I let my blue fade long enough for the dark red to go over it smoothly. Jay has been helping me on my recent hair-color journey as my go-to stylist. He is wonderful at what he does. He also has plenty of personal experience keeping color-treated hair healthy, since he colors his own hair quite often. I went back to Jay, my cosmetologist friend, to get answers to my burning questions.
1. Start With What You’re Washing With
The first and most crucial change for color-treated hair is switching to a sulfate-free shampoo instead of your usual one. In addition to being gentler on hair and causing less harm, sulfate-free shampoos can restore moisture to hair strands that have lost it due to chemical treatments like bleaching or color touch-ups. After spending time and money on coloring your hair, the shampoo you use every morning should protect that work, not undo it. What and how you wash are both important.
The best way to wash color-treated hair is with cold to lukewarm water. If you have a bright color, don’t let water run over your hair all the time. That’s what makes the color drip and fade faster than it should. Depending on how much buildup there is, shampoo your hair once or twice. Then, leave your conditioner on for at least five minutes before washing it out. The extra time has a significant impact on moisture retention and suppleness. After rinsing completely, try to keep your hair out of the stream for the rest of the shower, and towel-dry it while you’re still in the shower to reduce leaking.
2. Heat Is Not Your Friend
When it comes to color-treated hair, blow-drying and air-drying are not interchangeable. Heat opens the hair cuticle, allowing color to escape. It’s that simple. The best way to avoid damage when using heat-styling tools daily is to keep the temperature between 250 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You might not notice it right away, but anything above that range will make your color look dull over time. Also, if you’re using heat, make sure you’re using a heat protectant!.
3. Layer Your Products the Right Way
To keep color-treated hair looking good, it’s important to use items in the right order. Moving from lightest to heaviest is often advised. To add moisture, start with a leave-in conditioner. Next, apply a styling cream or your preferred product. Finally, apply an oil to the ends and mid-lengths. This final step helps seal things in and keeps accumulation from building up in the future. The ideal frequency to use a color-depositing conditioner is once every two weeks. Because of how pigmented these conditioners are, using them every day isn’t required and can even be too much. Nonetheless, when used wisely, they are one of the best ways to keep color looking new between visits.
5. Protect Your Color From the Outside In
In the same way that tattoos and murals exposed to direct sunshine fade over time, UV rays are powerful enough to cause hair color fading. On bright days, using an umbrella and wearing a scarf, or a hat, is a very practical way to prolong the life of your color. A swim cap can also help stop color leaking when swimming, particularly if your color is brighter or more vibrant.
So… How Often Should You Actually Be Going Back to the Salon?
Contrary to popular belief, getting your color touched up too often can actually be more harmful than scheduling sessions. Over time, repeated exposure to chemicals can make hair brittle and delicate. Instead of applying chemicals to already-stressed hair, waiting a little longer between treatments allows your stylist to evaluate how the hair is holding up and make any necessary adjustments. When you do visit, make sure your hair is clean and clear of any residue or products.
When applying color or lightener, product residue may form a barrier between the chemical and your hair shaft, causing uneven results. The color will stick to your hair better if you wash it a day or two before your visit and don’t use any leave-ins or styling products that day. Hair color treatment is a continuous commitment, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. A good shampoo, heat protection, and some safe habits can help your color look like you just got out of the salon for a long time.
Are you ready to take care of your dyed hair appropriately? Tell a friend who has been washing their dyed hair in hot water about this, and leave a comment below with your preferred color-safe product.
Featured image via Gage Reagan on Unsplash
