If you dye your hair, it’s especially important to ramp up the TLC and know how to look after colored hair to keep it from drying out, fading or frizzing like mad.
We all know that colored hair looks amazing, but it’s also hard work! It fades fast and requires frequent trips to the salon or at-home treatments that can be expensive and time-consuming.
How do you keep your colored locks looking good without having to spend hours in the hairdresser’s chair?
You need a color maintenance plan for your dyed hair. The tips we share will help you look after your new look so you don’t have to worry about fading until the next time you visit the hairdresser.
Our blog post will give you some tips on how to look after your colored locks and keep them looking radiant for as long as possible.
Here’s how to look after colored hair and some of our tops tips to keep your hair in great condition before and after you have it ‘done’.
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Contents
- 1 HOW TO LOOK AFTER COLORED HAIR
- 2 11 TOP TIPS
- 3 #1 Wash your hair once a week.
- 4 #2 Use the best shampoo for colored hair.
- 5 #3 Spruce up your locks using only conditioner.
- 6 #4 Freshen up your hair with dry shampoo.
- 7 #5 Use deep-conditioning treatments and hair masks.
- 8 #6 Always rinse your hair with cold water.
- 9 #7 Get regular trims.
- 10 #8 Cut down on heat styling.
- 11 #9 Top up time between colorings with root cover up.
- 12 #10 Give your hair some nourishment with keratin.
- 13 #11 And don’t forget the oil.
HOW TO LOOK AFTER COLORED HAIR
11 TOP TIPS
#1 Wash your hair once a week.
Shampoo is a hair color’s worst enemy. As well as the grease and grime, it strips the pigment from your hair with every wash.
So it makes sense to shampoo less. We’re talking once or twice a week MAX. And only with specially formulated, sulfate-free color shampoos.
#2 Use the best shampoo for colored hair.
If you have color-treated hair, you need to use a shampoo that is made to be gentle on your color and look after your colored hair.
Color-safe shampoos contain none of the nasties that strip and fade your color, like sulphates.
Here’s our round-up of the best color-friendly shampoos that will maintain your color without drying your hair.
#3 Spruce up your locks using only conditioner.
If you really can’t wait that long in between washes, consider skipping shampoo and just using a great conditioner for colored hair. Your hair will appreciate being topped up with moisture and you’ll be back to smelling delightful again without stripping the color with shampoo.
#4 Freshen up your hair with dry shampoo.
There are some fantastic colored dry shampoos that can be used in between washes to keep your hair color looking on point.
They work by absorbing the oil and grease in your hair to restore shine and give it a freshly washed smell. Only apply it where your hair is greasy or it’ll dry it out.
#5 Use deep-conditioning treatments and hair masks.
Once a week, smooth your color-treated locks with a deep conditioning treatment or hair mask to lock in moisture and keep your color lustre.
Leave it on as long as you can to really soften the straw. Pop on a shower cap and leave it overnight if you can.
#6 Always rinse your hair with cold water.
Hot water causes your hair shaft to rise which makes it lose moisture and be more prone to damage and frizz.
Giving your hair a final rinse with cold water whenever you wash or condition it will help to seal the shaft – locking moisture and color in for longer.
#7 Get regular trims.
To keep your hair in great condition, make sure you visit the hairdresser for regular trims.
Getting rid of your split ends not only makes your colored hair look healthier, it prevents against damage to your already frazzled hair shafts.
#8 Cut down on heat styling.
Straighteners, tongs, hairdryers, crimpers are bad, bad, bad. But we’re hardly going to stop using them completely. So at least try and use them LESS or on a cooler setting if your appliance has one to help look after your colored hair.
Let your hair dry naturally whenever you can. And when you do need to glam up, make sure you apply a heat-protecting styling product before, during and after styling.
#9 Top up time between colorings with root cover up.
When your natural roots start showing, help is at hand.
There are plenty of root touch up sprays or powders out there that can convincingly cover your roots until you’re ready to visit your hairdresser.
These days cover-ups and touch-ups come in a range of colors and formulas that make them easy to apply – from powders to sprays and crayons.
#10 Give your hair some nourishment with keratin.
If you feel like your damaged hair is always breaking and probably beyond help, it’s not. It’s just time to fortify it with some lovely, problem-solving keratin.
Doing a keratin treatment at home is quite a process, so read our guide to keratin treatments at home and follow the instructions carefully.
This treatment is best done a week or two after your hair has been dyed to restore health and shine to your hair and lock in the color.
#11 And don’t forget the oil.
Giving your colored hair a good old routine oil treatment will form a protective layer over your hair to seal in color and moisture.
From a leave-in olive oil overnight to a quick hot oil treatment before your shower, there are a variety of ways to slick up your hair and make it silky smooth.
So that’s how to look after colored hair.
You can get your hair colored and still keep it in great condition. Just follow these top tips and you’ll never look back.