You’ve just had your hair colored. Now, how can you keep your locks healthy, fresh, and full of life? In this article, we’re going to help you create the perfect at-home routine for colored hair, because there’s nothing worse than faded hair just weeks after you’ve had it done.
Product quality is key to protecting your color and overall hair health. It really comes down to making sure you aren’t using low-quality products on high-quality hair.
Your hair is an investment, whether you’ve just spent several hundred dollars coloring it, or several thousand on having hair extensions installed. That’s why it’s so important to use products that are designed to protect that investment.
This is probably one of the most common mistakes women make when putting together a colored hair care routine. Simply using the same drugstore products that you’ve used for years won’t go far enough to protect your color, no matter what they claim on the label.
So what can you do instead? Keep reading for our tips to keep your colored hair healthy and full of life.
Tips for Keeping Your Colored Hair Healthy
Finding the Right Colorist
Building the perfect hair care routine for colored hair starts at the salon. If you want color that lasts, go to a salon that uses the highest-quality colors and products to begin with. And you should definitely not be dyeing your hair at home. Drugstore hair dye will fade faster than anything else.
Finding a talented colorist can be hard, and luckily for us, we have Sandra. Once you find a Sandra, you won’t be able to go to anyone else. If you’re in the New York area, or love traveling to get your hair done, come and see us at one of our two New York Salons. We specialize in luxury transformations through high-quality color and i-tip hair extensions.
Deep Conditioning Treatments
Next, we recommend regular deep conditioning treatments at the salon. You can do deep conditioning at home, but if you wear hair extensions, especially luxury i-tip extensions, then we don’t recommend home masks. Instead, book a hydrating treatment at your maintenance appointment, and we’ll take care of the rest.
You also need to be careful with hair masks at home because some can weigh down your hair and lead to more grease, causing you to wash your hair more. If you have fine hair, you don’t want to use any popular mask on the market–some products can cause more harm than good, no matter how popular they are.
Instead, if you have fine hair, we recommend:
And if you have thicker hair, you could use:
But remember, if you have hair extensions, avoid hair oils, masks, and heavy conditioners that can cause product buildup and slippage around your bonds. So instead, ask for a hydrating treatment at your next maintenance appointment.
Use Color-Specific Shampoo and Conditioner
As we mentioned earlier in this article, if you want to protect the life of your color, you need to throw out those old drugstore products and opt for something that’s been designed to protect your hair.
You’ve invested in your color; now invest in products that protect it. And trust us, spending a little more on your products now will mean you have to spend less on your hair and future salon visits.
We always recommend Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner for beautiful color. A big part of keeping your color looking fresh is keeping your hair hydrated. This shampoo and conditioner are lightweight enough for thin hair, but they’re also incredibly hydrating, giving your color a boost with every wash.
Wash Your Hair Less
An easy way to protect your color is by washing your hair less. Every time you wash your hair, you strip the color just a tiny bit more; that’s why it’s so important to use products that help protect and moisturize. If you can wash your hair only 2-3 times a week, your color will last longer.
A couple of things that can help with washing your hair less are:
- A really high-quality dry shampoo–you want to find a dry shampoo that’s going to absorb oil, add volume, and protect your hair. If you get the wrong dry shampoo, you’ll end up with residue that will make you want to wash your hair faster. Invest in a product that’s going to keep your hair truly fresh for longer.
- I-tip hair extensions–yes, really! I-tips will protect your hair and help you hold your style, which means you’ll need to wash and style your hair less frequently. This is a huge benefit of i-tips, as it helps protect your hair from additional heat damage and color loss.
- Protective hairstyles–finally find some reliable protective hairstyles that can help you get one more day out of your hair before washing.
Protect your hair from the sun/UV Rays
Your hair needs sunscreen too! This is an often-overlooked element of hair care that’s finally getting more attention. Your hair can also be damaged by the sun, and that’s even more true when you have colored hair. The sun can fade, lighten, and burn your hair in ways that will completely change the color and health of your hair.
Many good heat protectants also include UV protection these days, so try a product like Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil from Bumble and Bumble or Kérastase Blonde Wondershield Treatment. These products offer not only heat protection, but also UV protection from the harmful sunrays.
Use a Clarifying Shampoo
Lastly, use a clarifying shampoo one to two times a month to help remove product buildup and give your scalp a really good clean. We’ve designed our Clarifying Shampoo to be safe for use with our luxury i-tip extensions, so you can trust it will protect your color as well.
Make sure to only shampoo the scalp and rinse thoroughly before following up with a lightweight but hydrating conditioner, like this one.
We love how refreshed our hair feels after using this clarifying shampoo, and it’s the exact product we use in the salon when we’re prepping your hair for extensions.
Protecting Your Colored Hair at Home
Coloring your hair is an investment, so make sure your aftercare routine keeps your color looking healthy and full of life. With these tips, you should be able to have salon-worthy hair every day of the week.
And if you’re ready for a transformation, book a consultation with our founder to learn how i-tips could transform your look and restore your confidence. We’ll see you soon!