Got your hair recently colored? Now it’s time to make it last longer..

If you are someone who loves to stay with the newest hair color trends, then you are not alone! Be it funky pink or subtle brown, you’re the one to never miss out on the fun! You’ve already spent a few thousands to achieve the hair color of your dreams, but do you take enough care of your color treated hair?

All you need to do is to put in some extra care & effort to protect and maintain your color treated hair. Ideally, it takes your hair color around five to six weeks to start fading, and in order to make it last longer, you need to follow proper color treated hair care.

Best treatment for colored hair

You got your hair newly colored, now the most important step is to keep your hair color from fading. Want to know how? Let’s find out:

Wait for 72 hours before you wash color treated hair

Did you just get your hair colored? Then it’s ideal to wait for atleast 72 hours before shampooing your mane. When you freshly color your hair, the hair cuticles are opened so that the color can penetrate deeper into the hair shaft. It takes upto three to four days for the cuticles to close and for the color to finally settle down. 

If you wash your colored hair just after your salon appointment, chances are your hair color would wash off and fade quickly. The more time you give your hair color to settle in, the longer will it last, which ultimately means fewer touchups!

Use sulfate free shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair

Ever heard of SLS? Yeah? That’s Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a harsh chemical detergent found in a lot of shampoos & conditioners that strips off your hair’s natural oil & makes it dry and brittle. When it is mixed with water, it produces a lather which quickly dries out your color treated hair & fastens up fading. 

It’s better to make a switch to a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair to maintain long lasting color.

Wash your color treated hair with lukewarm water

A hot shower may sound tempting after a long, tiring day, but you gotta avoid it for the love of your hair! Hot water opens the hair cuticles, tends to dry out your color treated hair, strips off the natural oils, and quickly fades the hair color faster. So, it’s better to rinse your hair with lukewarm water or cold water to maintain the color for long.

Avoid washing your color treated hair frequently

“How often should I wash my color treated hair?” – One of the most common questions that people with freshly colored hair ask! The answer is: not too frequently at least!

When you wash your color treated frequently, it washes off your hair color quickly leaving it dry and brittle. Reduce the limit of shampooing your color treated hair to two or three times a week to lock in that hair color. If you have oily hair, wash your hair every alternate day to keep it fresh & healthy.

Deep conditioner for color treated hair

To make your color treated hair shine, pamper your tresses with deep conditioning treatments through hair masks. Use a protein rich hair mask that gives back the lost protein and leaves your hair healthier & stronger. Apply a scoop of hair mask on your color treated hair from the roots to the tips and detangle your hair using a comb. Wrap a hot towel around it for 30 minutes and wash your hair off with sulfate free shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair. When you rinse it off, you’re going to experience a softer & stronger mane!

Invest in a dry shampoo for color treated hair

If you are someone who has to wash their color treated hair everyday no matter what, then it’s worth investing in a dry shampoo (meant for colored hair obviously!). Dry shampoos get rid of all the product build up, dirt, pollution & gunk from your color treated hair without stripping off the color.

Leave-in treatments for color treated hair

After you get your hair colored, it tends to become dull and dry which brings leave-in conditioners into the picture!

These leave-in conditioners contain silicones that provide intense hydration to your color treated hair & make them soft and smooth. It’s also important to find leave-in conditioners that also provide protection from heat styling tools & UV rays as they cause severe damage to your colored hair when directly exposed. 

Give your color treated hair regular trims

Trimming your color treated hair regularly gives your tresses a chance to breathe and also maintains hair health. If your hair is damaged, by damaged we mean if it has split ends and the locks can’t keep themselves under control (they are frizzy in simpler language), then you better head to the salon to trim those ends for fresh root-to-tip hair color appearance.

Try to avoid chlorine on color treated hair

If you love swimming, then always wrap your colored hair in a swimming cap. This is to avoid the damage of chlorine on color-treated hair as it contains certain chemicals that can cause your current hair color, especially the lighter tones, to convert to an unattractive shade. Apply protective leave-in conditioner for better protection!

Don’t color your hair that often

Getting your hair colored often causes more damage, so restrict coloring your hair to once every five to six weeks. If your hair grows quickly and the roots begin to show, revive your colored hair at home by doing touch-ups or use a hair mascara to hide those grays if any.

Oils for color treated hair

Two of the most common concerns of color treated hair are- loss of moisture and dryness.

Hair experts recommend applying oil after coloring to make your color treated hair shine & lustrous. Regular oiling retains moisture into your dry color treated hair & forms a protective layer on your strands and prevents hair color from fading. Using a hot towel treatment, i.e wrapping a hot towel around your freshly oiled hair provides instant nourishment & improves the health of your color treated hair. Use Coconut Oil or Jojoba Oil for color treated hair as they penetrate deeper into your hair shafts & strengthen your strand by counteracting the damage caused by hair dyes. 

Avoid heat styling tools for color treated hair

Colored hair is more prone to damage from high temperatures. Therefore, it’s best to avoid heat styling tools like blow dryers, curling iron, and hair straighteners. The wisest thing to do is to let your color treated hair air dry & avoid the possibility of using them. If it’s necessary to use these tools, then make sure to use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner and a heat protectant meant for your color treated hair, and then use these tools at the lowest heat setting. 

What’s the take away?

Apart from taking care of your hair externally, what you eat is reflected  in your hair too! Important nutrients like proteins, omega 3, iron, and other essential nutrients are essential for your hair’s well being. Incorporate meat, spinach, fish, fresh fruits, and green leafy vegetables that improve the texture and health of your color treated hair.