Coloring your hair adds texture and sheen, giving it the appearance that it is more full of life than it actually is. Aside from that, it also gives you that pop and change in your look. While this is all true and just so tempting to do, dyeing your hair is one of the top reasons for hair damage. There’s also the issue of spending hundreds of bucks on the perfect hair color, only for it to fade in a short amount of time. That sure is frustrating.
However, there are certain things you can do so you can keep the top notch of your hair and at the same time, enjoy your colored hair for a longer amount of time
Colored Hair: Hair Health Tips
Bleach once and never twice a year
When you regularly color your hair, it is important to remember that you are also doing some major damage to it. Every time you put a dollop of hair dye or some type of bleach in your hair, you are doing some serious damage. For example, when you bleach your hair, the acid in the bleach interacts with the melanin in your hair, causing permanent damage to the follicles. This permanent damage is permanent and cannot be undone.
So, if you are serious about how to take care of colored hair, you need to learn how to bleach your hair only once, and never bleach your hair more than twice per year.
Use the correct shampoo and conditioner
Sodium laureth sulfate, also known as sodium laureth ether sulfate, is a type of anionic detergent that is found in many personal care products. This ingredient helps produce a foaming effect on shampoos and conditioners. By using these shampoos and conditioners with sulfates, you are risking your hair to more damage and having your natural oils and moisture stripped off. Aside from that, it also takes away your color-treated hair.
To keep the color from fading, use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. Not only does it protect the color but it also reduces the chances of damage.
When shampooing, shower with warm water
Everyone loves hot showers, especially after a day’s hard work. However, your colored hair doesn’t like it one bit. Washing your hair with hot wait opens your hair cuticles and this allows hair color to wash out.
To prevent this, you shampoo with warm water and after conditioning, rinse with cold water. The warm water allows the shampoo and conditioner to absorb and cleanse and the cold water helps seals in the moisture.
Wash your hair less often
Avoid washing your hair everyday if you want your hair color to last. This is because every time you wash your hair, you’re washing away both the natural oils that keep your hair fresh and your hair dye.
If you are aiming to have your hair color longer, only wash your hair every other day or if possible, 2-3 times a week.
Since you are washing less often now, on days where you don’t, we recommend you use dry shampoos. These will give your hair a fresh look. Aside from that, color-tinted dry shampoos can give your hair the touchup without heading to the salon.
Use leave-in treatments
If you had your hair colored or undergo through anything treatments with chemical, they definitely need hydrate and protection from the sun. Try leave-in treatments. They do wonders to your hair! One, they prevent damage and loss of hair nutrients. Two, they keep your hair smooth and hydrated. And three, better if the leave-in treatment contains UV protection to protect your hair from extreme sun exposure.
Avoid chlorine
Chlorine is that chemical bleaching agent that is commonly used in cleaning pools. Beware though, this will definitely strip the color out from your hair. There’s a chance that your blonde hair will turn a greenish tint while darker shade might turn dull and dry.
If you really want to take a dip into the pool with your colored hair, try a swimmer’s cap! Or before diving right in, get your hair wet and use a conditioner. Don’t rinse it out as this will create a protective barrier on the hair shaft, preventing chlorine from penetrating.
Use heat protectant spray
When you use any heating tools, you are actually slowly stripping away color and hydration from your hair. This can lead to damage. Make sure that before using any heat tools, spray your hair with a heat protectant. This is especially before blow drying or styling.
Heat protectant sprays helps reduce moisture loss from inside the hair, smoothen and protect your hair from humidity after heat styling.
Trim regularly
Dead ends don’t hold color and will fade even faster. Cut your dead ends every 6-8 weeks to that your hair looks fresh from root to tips.
Make time for masks
Hair masks twice a week for 5-10 minutes can be a huge help in keeping the nourishment of your hair. It helps repair the damage, increase shine and keep the color longer. You can also try homemade hair masks where you use natural ingredients. With these, you are sure that you are using pure healthy ingredients on your hair.
Keeping the top-notch condition of your colored hair can be frustrating up to no end. There are a lot of don’ts, as well as products you must use to maintain it. But I’m sure the color and beauty it has to offer is all worth it!