Coloring your hair can be fun and exciting. After all, sporting a new hair color every now and then can make heads turn and bring out more of your personality. All you have to do is choose any color that you like and then go to a hair salon to have your hair done. Places like Salon Lofts offer hair coloring services of different styles so you can have your hair done by a professional hair stylist.
However, the process does not stop once you step out of the salon. You have to make sure that you take care of your colored hair to keep it healthy and maintain its gorgeous color as long as possible. Since hair dyes contain chemicals that can damage your hair, you need to make extra effort in providing your hair with the moisture that it needs for restoration.
Proper care and maintenance is the key to fully enjoying your color treated hair. Here are a few tips to serve as your guide:
- After coloring your hair, do not wash your hair immediately to help the color set in well. Wait at least two days before you wash your hair again to avoid or minimize color bleeding. And when it is finally time for you to wash, apply a little bit of oil to your hair to form a protective layer around your hair shaft. Doing this can help minimize fading and make your color last longer.
- Since hair dyes contain chemicals that can cause hair damage, it is always a good idea to have your hair trimmed after a hair coloring session. This will keep the damage from spreading and can make your hair look healthier as a result.
- Invest in a color-protecting shampoo and conditioner. These products help keep your hair color from bleeding by forming a protective layer over the hair shaft. Experts recommend using sulfate-free shampoos because they do not strip away the natural oils from your hair. They also do not leave deposits which can alter your hair color.
- As much as possible, try to cut down on your washes. For instance, if you wash your hair 3 to 4 times a week, cut it down to 2 to 3 times. This will benefit your hair because it can help avoid bleeding, make the color last longer, and also preserve the natural oils produced by the scalp. These oils are essential because they help nourish the hair naturally. As a good way to stretch the time in between washes, you can use a dry shampoo, but make sure that you buy a good one. You can check with your stylist for some recommendations.
- Avoid using hot water for rinsing your hair because hot water causes the cuticles on the outer layer of your hair shaft to rise which can lead to loss of moisture and frizz. Hot water also makes your hair more prone to damage that is why it is better to always rinse hair with cool water. Cool water seals your hair cuticles as well as the color in your hair shaft. It also controls frizz and does not cause damage like hot water does.
- Use conditioning treatments to hydrate your hair after coloring. It is inevitable that once you color your hair, it will become dry because of loss of moisture. You can deal with this problem by using conditioning treatments which contain ingredients like aloe vera, avocados, bananas, coconut milk, honey, yogurt, and vitamin E. You can even make your own hair mask at home using these ingredients. For example, you can treat your hair once a week with a combination of half an avocado, one ripe banana, and one tablespoon of olive oil. Just mash the fruits and mix everything until free from lumps. Apply on your hair from roots to tips and leave on for about an hour before rinsing with a sulfate-free shampoo and cool water.
- Avoid using heat for styling. Just like the effect of hot water, styling tools such as a blow dryer, straightening iron, or curling iron can also cause a considerable amount of damage to hair. Instead, allow your hair to air dry or use the cool setting of the dryer if really needed. Try out other hairstyles which do not need the use of hair irons. If inevitable, apply a heat protectant to your hair first.
There are a lot of things that you can do to care for your hair without spending a lot. But once in a while, you should also go to a salon to give your hair a deep conditioning treatment and some pampering that it deserves.