Keeping your hair color looking fresh and fabulous isn’t always easy. From faded roots to dull looking ends, it seems as if hair colour never wants to stay in place. While you can’t put off retouching your strands forever, you can maintain your hair colour's vibrancy and shine in-between salon appointments.
With a few simple lifestyle tweaks, you can create healthy hair habits that promote gorgeous, glossy strands. Wondering what you need to do to keep your hair colour looking its best? Here are 11 healthy habits on how to maintain coloured hair.
IN THE SHOWER - COLOURED HAIR TIPS
1. Hold Your Horses
As tempting as it may be to jump into the shower after a long day sitting in a chair getting your fresh new colour, don't rush to wash away all that hard work! Hair is normally washed thoroughly as part of the colouring service, so from a cleanliness perspective, you're covered. Ideally, wait up to 72 hours and allow the hair cuticle to close. However, if your hair is starting to feel a bit icky at the roots, you can go a little longer before a proper shower with helpful tip #6.
2. Ditch The Sulfates
For those of us with colour-treated hair, sulfates aren’t always our friend. These cleansing agents can be too aggressive on coloured hair and can cause faster fading than normal. Instead, opt for sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners that can cleanse your strands and maintain colour treated hair.
3. Choose A Colour Safe Conditioner
Good things come in pairs, and a colour-safe conditioner with its sulfate-free shampoo buddy are the perfect example. At Pureology, all our conditioner formulas contain Antifade complex, making hair colour maintenance a breeze!
4. Cool It Down
Believe it or not, the heat of your shower can definitely affect the look of your hair colour. Heat can cause the hair’s cuticle to swell and open, which can cause the colour molecules in your hair to rinse down the drain. This is especially true for those who dye their hair red, as red pigments tend to have larger molecules than other colours. These larger molecules basically mean that there is a higher risk of your red hair colour fading and dulling over time. Next time you’re in the shower, make sure to keep things at a cooler temperature to prolong your beautiful colour!
5. Use A Deep Conditioner
Nothing keeps your hair looking its best quite like a deep conditioner. By using a hair mask once a week, you can keep your strands moisturised and your hair colour looking vibrant. Not sure what type of hair mask you should be choosing? For those with dehydated, colour-treated hair, reach for a hair mask that's formulated with nourishing ingredients like avocado, shea, and jojoba butter to keep your strands feeling soft and supple.
Worried about damage? Choose a strengthening hair mask created with olive oil that is going to fortify your hair and bring it back to life. Look for ingredients like Keravis, ceramide and arginine that help to heal and repair damaged hair.
6. Less Is More
As mentioned in tip #1, waiting a few days after a colouring service for the cuticle to seal can help to retain colour for longer. However, exposing hair to hot water opens the cuticle again, leaving it at risk of fading. To combat this, try to go longer between washing your hair with the help of Style + Protect Refresh and Go Dry Shampoo. Not only does it freshen up flat 2-3 day old hair, it gives restores texture and volume, protecting from heat thanks to UV filters in the Antifade complex.
7. Avoid Hard Water
One of the main reasons that our colour can look dull or lackluster is due to a buildup of hard water that can make our hair resistant to holding onto colour molecules. Other than trying our advice in tip #6, you can also use a shower cap or a filter for your shower head to avoid the unnecessary mineral buildup.
AFTER THE SHOWER - COLOURED HAIR TIPS
8. Let Your Hair Air Dry
Switch up your hair styling routine by skipping the blow dryer and letting your strands dry naturally. By avoiding excess heat, you reduce the risk of opening up those cuticles and allowing those pigment molecules to fade, which will help maintain colour treated hair.
9. Use Heat Protectant Products
If you absolutely need to use a blow dryer throughout the week to style your strands, then make sure to do it properly. First, prep your strands with a multi-tasking hair primer that will help to detangle wet strands and add a layer of heat protection to your hair. From there, set your blow dryer to the lowest heat setting and be sure to keep the dryer a few inches away from your strands as you dry. This easy method will help to minimize the effects of the heat, while still allowing you to dry and style your strands. The same rules apply for using heat styling tools!
BETWEEN SHOWERS - COLOURED HAIR TIPS
10. Cover Up
Love being outdoors? Who doesn’t! Even though there are tons of health benefits to being outside, the elements aren’t always so kind to your hair. For instance, too much sun exposure can cause your hair to lighten and your current colour to fade. If you’re going to be spending time outdoors, be sure to wear a hat in order to keep your colour covered.
11. Keep The Chemicals Away
Chlorine, chemical straightening, perms - colour treated hair doesn't love these, so avoid as best as possible. 'But wait! Won't I need to retouch my colour once the roots grow out?' you ask. Yes, eventually, but damaged hair should take a longer break from colouring while it's repaired with some strengthening hair care. Consulting a Pureology Artist at a salon near you is the best way to decide when this is the right time. If you enjoyed our tips on how to maintain coloured hair, you may also like our other articles on hair tips and tricks.
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