How to care for colour treated hair
Dying hair is something many people do very often. It’s one of the easiest and quickest ways to update or change your look without having to drastically cut your hair. However, dying your hair, or lightening it, can leave it open to further damage, so it’s important that you take care of colour-treated hair from the get go.
1. Avoid washing your hair after a fresh colour
Avoid washing your hair for as long as possible after a fresh colour. When your hair is coloured it opens the cuticle layer of the hair shaft. If you wash your hair straight after colouring the cuticle can still be open, meaning the colour will be washed down the drain, rather than settling into your hair. Give the colour time to make itself at home.
2. Use appropriate shampoo and conditioner
If your hair is colour-treated then you need to be using a product specifically for your colouring. Brunettes and faux-red heads should use a shampoo to keep their tresses rich with colour, so avoid anything with sulfates (such as sodium laureth sulfate and ammonium laureth sulfate) which can strip your hair of natural oils and colour. Blondes should use a product that can replenish the strength and moisture or the hair, and use a purple shampoo to keep the brassiness at bay.
3. Use protective products
For anyone with colour-treated hair who also uses straighteners, curlers or dryers to style it, using a thermal protection product is an absolute must. Look for a spray-in product that protects your hair for temperatures up to 200C degrees, from UVA and UVB rays. Invest in a hair mask and apply it once a week. Look for a hair mask that addresses any problems you might have such as dry ends, breakage, colour, or moisture.
4. Be gentle when you brush your hair
According to haircare brand Head and Shoulders, your hair is at its weakest when wet, so it’s best to avoid too much pulling, stretching and detangling of hair when wet. Instead, after washing and conditioning your hair, gently squeeze out as much water as possible then wrap your hair in the towel for 10 minutes. Remove the towel and give your hair a generous spray of leave-in conditioner, then gentle tease out the tangles with as little brushing as possible. The leave-in conditioner will loosen your knots and make brushing the hair easier.
5. Know how to identify hair problems
Colour-treated hair can suffer from problems such as frizz, split ends, breakage, becoming dry and brittle or thinning. Healthy hair should be mostly smooth, shiny, soft and relatively easy to manage for your hair type. If your hair has lost its lustre, has become very dry, unusually frizzy, split ends are becoming an issue or you’re losing more hair than normal it might be time to visit your hairdresser to brainstorm a remedy.
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