Affiliate Disclaimer
Some links in this article are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we find useful to our readers
Having your hair colored or streaked is steezy! Whether the bangs get flashy or there is hair color in bits all over your hair the fashion for hair colors can never sleep or stop you from going forth and looking fabulous. Do you think just having the hair color on your hair is all? What do you think about the nurturing your hair needs after a coloring?
You are not through just by applying hair color, you need to nurture and pamper your hair, for it is witnessing an added substance that has a risk of damaging it as well. If you do not want to invite trouble of seeing your hair in a bad shape, follow helpful ways to treat colored hair.
Don’t panic if you are unaware of the ways to treat colored hair. This article intends to throw light on how well you can take care of your hair before and after coloring. Hope this article can answer your questions and give you some safety measures you can take for your hair.
What Is Color Treated Hair?
When your hair is colored with streaks or the color is spread out and you take measures to take care of your hair before it gets colored and after your hair gets colored it is said to be color treated hair. In other words, your hair needs care in order to sustain the look and health of the hair after it is colored.
Ways To Take Care Of Colored Hair – Follow Them All!
It is quintessential to understand that the nature of the hair is as such that its quality of being delicate can cause serious damage to the cuticles of your hair if it is not given the right attention.
You should also know that no matter where in the world you have got your hair colored, you have to give your colored hair the right nutrition and protection from further external damages to the hair strands.
Here is all that you should do on your color treated hair
1. Know The Thumb Rule
Although it is a choice, if you want best results to reflect on you hair in terms of the color seeping into your hair and giving it the color that you wanted, you must follow a rule of not washing your hair for at least 3 days after you have applied the hair color so that the chemistry of the hair and hair color work well.
Adding to this, the reason of letting your hair stay unwashed for three days is because your hair cuticle needs that time to let the color stick on your hair shaft, by washing it before time your cuticle does not get the space and scope to complete this function of ensuring hair color to stay on the shaft for good.
What you need to do :
Obviously, you have to wash off the hair color with water. But see to it that you do not use shampoo for 3 days if you really want the desired results.
2. Save The Moisture In Your Hair
When you have used color on your hair the products you use also have to be a wise choice so that the money and time you invested on coloring your hair does not go in vain. Isn’t it? Meaning, you have to see to it that you do not use a shampoo or conditioner that has sulphate in it, as it does not have a favorable impact on your hair.
Why is sulphate harmful to colored hair?
Shampoo with sulphate gives rise to excessive foam which can extract and pull down all the moisture and water locked in the hair and you do not want that, do you?
What you need to do :
On a serious note, if you have colored your hair and you are on a look out for a shampoo, look for shampoo’s that are color treated and keep an eye on the fact that the shampoo is sulphate free. In this case, one of the best sulphate-free brands you should consider is Loreal.
3. Say A Big No to Steaming Water
There are amazing benefits of washing your hair with hot water as it promotes better growth and makes all the dirt on your hair disappear in no time. But don’t you think it can reverse its reaction when it comes to color treated hair?
When you choose to wash color treated hair see to it that you do not use steaming hot water because it is not good for the cuticle layer of the hair to open up, your cuticle is always supposed to be locked if you want the hair color to be long lasting.
What you need to do :
While tap water may not agree with everyone as some may have the tendency to fall ill. Therefore, it is best to wash your hair with luke warm water and see how the color on your hair retains.
4. Know 2 Knacks: Retain The Hair Color
Wouldn’t it obsess you to see your hair color last for long and if there are knacks of having it, then why not do it?
Knack No 1 :
The knack about having your hair color not fade away quick is to bring on a little dye while you condition your hair. This once in a way touch up to your hair will fulfill your wish of seeing your hair having a color effect.
What you need to do :
Be safe with your hair. Do not mix dye in your conditioner every now and then. The best you can do is to add dye once in a month.
Knack No 2 :
The other way of retaining hair color for longer is by washing your hair only when needed so that it remains clean. If you have been into a habit of washing your hair often, stop doing it if you want the color to last longer.
5. An Alternate To Regular Shampoo
Regular shampooing is needed and there are no doubts in that. If you are conscious about losing the color on your hair too quick, then just take a deep breath because you have dry shampoo’s to take away that worry and give you an alternate of retaining the color as well as cleanliness of your hair.
Apart from this, dry shampoos aid keeping your hair moisturized, styles your hair well and gives your hair a great look in reference to its volume.
What you need to do :
You just need to spray the shampoo on the roots of your hair. Watch this video to get a clear picture on how to use a dry shampoo.
[Read More: Best Dry Shampoo to Buy]
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUvDQVl0_xU[/embedyt]
6. Protect Your Hair With Leave-In Treatments
Leave in treatment is similar to that of conditioning your hair with yet a slight difference as it not just helps in making your hair smooth but it is the best treatment to protect your colored hair from the sunlight, when your hair is protected from sunlight, chances are that your hair color will not simply fade away. This treatment is considered a trusted one when it comes to styling colored hair, this is done either in the form of sprays or creams.
Leave in treatments voluminize your hair, makes your scalp feel good and takes care of the texture of your hair.
What you need to do :
Leave in treatments can be done regularly with no risk to the hair. Watch this video to know more.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMinkcpjlHE[/embedyt]
Read More : (R)
7. Try Heat Protectants – Shield To The Hair
You may want to straighten your hair or blow dry your hair, just because it is colored you may be skeptical if you could do that. Never mind, you have an option of using a heat protectant spray before you get on to bringing heat onto your hair.
Heat protectants are good because they create a base for styling the hair, it adds to the moisture level in your hair, keeps your hair away from humidity hassles and plays the role of conditioning your hair.
Watch this video to know more :
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AP7ZcT3-rM[/embedyt]
8. Treatment Before Coloring Your Hair
One must use an anti-residue shampoo before getting your hair colored. Most of you might be unaware of giving your hair the pampering it needs before getting on to using hair color.
Although, this step is optional but it is still useful to the hair because it closes all the could be barriers for the color to get soaked into the hair. More than cleansing your hair, it removes all those natural oils that is not good for your hair and that too right before applying hair color.
What you need to do :
All you need to do is to wash your hair with residue free shampoo a day or two before applying the hair color.
You can buy it here :
9. Be-Aware Of Chlorine
When your hair is coloured and chlorine comes in contact with the hair it will certainly fade your hair color and change the color of your hair. Reason being, it is a bleach and bleach on colored hair is sure to make it colorless.
If you are someone who swims often then this would matter, for the one’s who do not swim it would not make any difference and there is nor risk that your hair would get affected.
What you need to do :
In order to save your hair, the best option is to use coconut or olive oil on your hair to protect it from chlorine in case you plan on swimming.
10. Eliminate Unwanted Hair
The length of your hair is variable so is the color on your hair, the color on your hair is anyway going to go away. Therefore, chop those bits of your hair that does not extend the hair color though your hair grows.
What you need to do :
You need to get into the habit of trimming your hair once a way (with a gap of 6 months)
11. Don’t Over Do It
Trying different colors on your hair can get irresistible as you get a taste of it. However, you cannot speed up to that extent that you do not give it a break. Hence, it is essential that you give an appropriate time gap between coloring your hair. Do not do it too often, you can always sort to using sprays and dry shampoos to sustain the hair color.
There is no harm in going for touch ups once a way when required. However, overdoing it can damage your hair.
What you need to do :
It is based on the method of coloring you choose. If you are choosing to highlight your hair then you should give at least 4 months of a gap as highlights stay for longer.
If you are choosing to color your entire hair then giving it a gap of at least 45 days is sensible.
12. Oiling Your Hair Is Magical
Oil is universally known to be an effective formula to protect, nourish and help your hair grow well. Even after you have applied a hair color oiling it overnight or leaving it for few hours will work away for your hair and one should certainly consider oil to be a nutritional conditioner for great hair health. Oiling is one of the great ways for taking care of color treated hair.
13. Home Made Conditioners
At times what products cannot do, home remedies do it all. Having said, as your hair gets colored, it needs constant conditioning with elements that do not go harsh on your hair and in turn become a reason for damage. Hence, there are several hair masks that you can make to keep the moisture and natural oil in your hair stay soaked.
Here are a list of combination home remedies you can mix to make a natural conditioner for your hair
- Avocado+Vitamin-E Oil
- Banana + Olive Oil
- Aloe-Vera + Honey
- Mayonnaise + coconut milk
- Yogurt + Egg
To conclude with, you will enjoy the hype about colored hair only when you take good care of it at every stage. Do what is required before coloring your hair, follow thumb rules such as not washing your hair often and constantly make the right efforts of conditioning your hair the right way through the right methods.
When you take care of your color treated hair instead of neglecting the fact that it needs care. You will see how well you can manage colored hair and stay away from all the worries about the negative effects of hair color on the hair.
If colouring your hair makes you happy then just go for it at the right moment that’s now!
