Colored Hair: 5 Easy Maintenance Tips
We know there’s no better feeling than stepping out of the salon after a color appointment. Your hair is vibrant, shiny, and absolutely gorgeous! Understanding how to care for your colored hair will keep your color looking fresh for as long as possible. Read on to see some of our favorite tips!
Tip 1: Wait 72 hours to wash your freshly colored hair.
During most color services, your hair’s cuticle is opened to either remove or receive color molecules. This cuticle layer of your hair functions like shingles on a roof, and protects your hair on a daily basis. Once your cuticle is closed, then those color molecules, moisture, and protein are locked inside each individual hair strand. Waiting 72 hours after receiving a color service gives that cuticle time to seal back down, making sure that those color molecules don’t just wash down your drain!
Pro Advice – Washing your hair too often will cause your hair color to fade faster! Water has a just high enough pH to lift your hair’s cuticle slightly, and each time your hair gets wet you run the risk of fading your color. Try to wash your hair every 3 days (with cool water if possible!) and use a dry shampoo on the days inbetween. We promise your color will last longer, and your wallet will thank you!
Tip 2: – Proper at home care for colored hair.
Okay, so you’ve waited 72 hours to wash your hair, and you have dry shampoo standing by to help you go longer between washes. But what shampoo and conditioner are you using?
You’ve invested time and money in the salon to achieve your new look, so don’t let drugstore shampoo be the thing that ruins your new look. Professional, non-toxic products truly do make a difference in caring for your colored hair and are worth every penny!
Select a professional color safe shampoo and conditioner based on your hair’s texture and condition. As always, we recommend plant based products without alcohols, parabens or synthetics. These toxic ingredients fade color and aren’t the best thing for your overall health either!
If you need suggestions for what products would be best for your hair type, contact us here! We’re always happy to make recommendations!
Tip 3: – The magic of color depositing shampoo.
Color depositing shampoos are another great way to maintain your color at home, right in your shower! These shampoos are designed to add pigments to your hair. These pigments can neutralize or intensify tone depending on your goals!
To refresh vibrant red tones: Kavella’s Red Shampoo
To refresh copper tones: Kavella’s Copper Shampoo
To get rid of brassiness in brunette hair: Kavella’s Blue Shampoo
To get rid of gold tones in blondes: Kavella’s Purple Shampoo
Pro Advice – These speciality shampoos are meant to be used once a week, together with your normal shampoo and conditioner.
Wash once with your color-safe shampoo, followed by a wash with your color depositing shampoo. Let this sit on your hair for 5-10 mins while you wash your body, shave, or exfoliate! Allowing the suds to sit on your hair gives the shampoo time to work it’s magic, creating a toning effect on your hair right there in the shower! Follow up with a cool water rinse and condition as usual.
Tip 4: Weekly deep conditioning hair treatments.
During the coloring process, your hair can lose moisture and protein. Combine this with the daily elements of washing, heat styling, and exposure to the sun, all hair can benefit from weekly deep conditioning treatments!
Healthy hair is key to longer lasting color. Unhealthy hair has a raised cuticle layer that has trouble closing down, making it difficult to hold on to color molecules and moisture.
There are tons of deep conditioning treatments out there – our salon uses several! Our favorite for at home use is Kavella’s Recovery Mask. We also offer other in-salon only treatments that can detoxify, add moisture, or restore protein balance. Next time you’re in, ask your stylist which one would be right for you!
Tip 5: Plan a hair color maintenance schedule.
As much as we wish that your hair color stayed looking like it did the day you left the salon, all hair color tends to fade around 4-6 weeks.
Since rooty looks like balayage highlights are so on-trend right now, you might not need your roots touched up for several months. But we do recommend a quick toning appointment every 4-8 weeks to keep your color vibrant, rich, or brass-free! This is a quick, 30-minute service that will make your hair look like you just spent hours at the salon. Don’t worry, it can be our little secret!
We hope you enjoyed our 5 tips on caring for your colored hair. We’re always here to help! Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.