How To Protect Colour Treated Hair

Whether you have platinum blonde, brunette, black, red, or even blue hair, colour treated hair definitely needs extra attention if you’re wanting your colour to last long and also if you want to avoid colour damage. Nothing is worse than spending your hard earned coins at the salon for a new colour and then having it fade after a week, or even worse, having your hair suffer severe damage. So here are some tips for you to apply for longer lasting colour and better hair health. 

1. After colouring, wait a full 72 hrs before shampooing, chemical treatments or using excessive heat.

When colouring hair, your cuticle layer is opened, making it easy for color to penetrate the hair shaft. When you wash your hair too soon after your appointment, the cuticle layer could still be open which then leads to your colour being washed out. You don’t want this! You also want to avoid heat and chemical treatments, because while the cuticle layer is open your hair is at it’s weakest and applying pressure to the hair shafts during this time will result in damage. It takes up to three days for the cuticle layer to fully close, so the longer you wait to shampoo your hair after you colour your hair, the more time the colour pigment will have to soak into the hair cuticle – which will help your colour last longer in between salon visit and you avoid damage too. 

2. Use sulfate-free 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 is used to help produce a foaming effect to your shampoos and conditioners. By using sulfates, you run the risk of stripping your hair of its natural oils and moisture, which can then lead to stripping your beautiful colour treated hair. Also hair is known to feel quite dry and dehydrated once, dyed, so you want to use shampoos that moisturise the hair rather than ones that will strip the hair further. 

3. Add semi-permanent dye to your conditioner

If you’re rocking a brighter look like pink, purple, or even blue, try adding a little bit of crazy colour to your conditioner when washing hair. This will slightly re-dye your hair every time you wash to keep it looking fresh until your roots grow out. Deep conditioning is extremely important, especially for colour treated hair as you want to ensure that you’re nourishing the hair shafts to strengthen them. Adding dye to the conditioner is a bonus. 
View the colour products in our seasonal flyer and shop on clorebeauty.com or your closest location. Sale ends on Aug 9th.

4. Turn down water temperature when shampooing

Hot showers are amazing but so great for your dyed hair. When washing hair with hot water, your hair’s cuticle is opened, allowing your colour to wash out while shampooing and conditioning and most importantly, leaving it susceptible to damage.
Try shampooing with slightly warm water and then rinse with cold water after conditioning. The warm water will allow the shampoo and conditioner to penetrate and cleanse, while the cold water will help seal in the moisture from your conditioner while preventing colour from fading by sealing the hair’s cuticle.

5. Use leave-in conditioner to protect hair when styling

Coloured and chemically treated hair needs extra hydration and protection from the sun to prevent damage and loss of nutrients to the hair. Leave-in conditioners will help keep your hair smooth and hydrated.
View the sulfate-free shampoo + conditioner combos in our seasonal flyer and shop on clorebeauty.com or your closest location. Sale ends on August 9th.

6. Use heat protectant spray before using hot tools

Heat will strip away colour and hydration and lead to damaged hair. To help prevent these problems from happening while using hot tools, try using a heat protectant spray before blow drying or styling. Heat protectant sprays will help reduce moisture loss from inside the hair, smooth the outside of the hair, and protect your hair from humidity after heat styling which, in all, will help maintain your colour and hair health. 

7. Keep up with trims

Dead ends won’t hold colour and will fade even faster, so make sure you are cutting off those dead ends every 6-8 weeks so your colour looks fresh from root to tips! Dead ends also lead to breakage which you definitely don’t want, especially with that is already chemically compromised and at risk of damage,