It is important to care for your hair after you have colored it. You may think that all care consists of washing and styling, but there are other ways to care for your hair as well! This article will discuss how to care for your color-treated hair by using the right products, avoiding certain hairstyles, and more.
Do not wash your hair every day
It will strip the color and dry out your hair. It’s better to wash your hair around three times a week.
If you have oily roots, try using dry shampoo in between washes. During the day, use as little product on your hair as possible and avoid heat-styling whenever possible. If you are a redhead you should care to neutralise red tones in your hair. You can do this by using a purple shampoo once every two weeks.
You may also want to care for your hair before you go swimming as chlorine and saltwater will strip the color out of your hair faster than usual. If you have blonde hair, care to avoid bleaching yourself as it is very damaging to color-treated hair.
Use a sulfate-free shampoo
In order to protect the integrity of your color, care to use a sulfate-free shampoo.
Sulfates strip color from hair leaving it dry and brittle which means that you will have to dye your hair more often, costing money. Sulfates are also present in many bodies washes so care to avoid those too if possible. If however, you can’t find a sulfate-free shampoo then look for one with the least amount of ingredients as this is better than nothing at all. Just care not to wash your hair every day though!
Use a deep conditioner at least once per month
In addition to not washing your hair every day, care to deep condition it at least once per month.
Deep conditioning treatments will keep your hair from drying out and restoring the color faster than usual. If you don’t have time for a full-on treatment, just care to make sure that you apply some product after shampooing while in the shower and leave it on for five minutes before rinsing off. You can also care to use an argan oil mask as well if you want! Just remember that this is only necessary if your hair has been lightened or highlighted since colored hair doesn’t need nearly as much attention; which brings us to our next point…
Only air dry when possible, never diffuse or blow-dry
If you care to use a hair diffuser, make sure that it has not been turned on, and care to leave your hair in for at least 30 minutes.
When using a blow dryer, care to use the cold air setting as well! Doing so will protect your color from damage while drying which means less breakage or split ends over time. If you have straightened hair, be careful not to let it sit too long before washing again as this can cause tangles and knotting up of the strands when wet, leading to more frizziness than usual. Also, keep in mind that curling irons are just like flat irons except they curl instead of straightening – so the same rules apply but with curls rather than sleekness!
Avoid getting wet outside in the rain
If you care to go out in the rain, be careful not to let yourself get wet. Just wait until it’s over and then wash your hair as usual with a sulfate-free shampoo only! As we have covered before, sulfates strip color from hair which means that if you care to avoid this happening (which should be everyone) care not to use any product containing them on colored hair. When washing your hair at night, care to wrap up the strands or sleep with a shower cap on so that they are still dry by morning time as well since water can fade color quickly when sitting overnight.
Try using an oil treatment on damp hair before you start styling with heat tools
Oil treatments are great to add to your hair routine as they help keep the color looking fresh and vibrant. Just care not to use too much or you will end up with greasy locks!
Just care to rub a few drops of oil between your palms before running it through towel-dried strands from mid-lengths down. This is especially useful if you have thick, coarse hair that needs all the conditioning help it can get since this treatment restores moisture without weighing colored hair down.
If you are in the process of color treating your hair, it is important to protect and care for it. We hope these tips help guide you on how best to do so!