Most of my friends have their hair colored, so I’m quite intrigued when someone has normal “virgin hair.”
Two things come to mind: First, “Wow, she’s so lucky she has beautiful hair”; second, “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
I really get jealous seeing someone with virgin hair because the upkeep for colored hair gets expensive. But, honestly, I think I would rather skip a few meals than see growth from my gorgeous “natural” ash blonde hair.
For those sporting colored hair, there are ways to keep locks as healthy and “natural” as possible. By keeping the moisture in the hair, visits to the colorist will lessen dramatically.
- Don’t wet your hair for at least one full day.
If you’ve just had your hair colored, hold off shampooing the next day. Hair is porous and every time we wash it, color molecules get washed off, too. So, allow the color to sit as long as you can for your hair to absorb it.
- Condition, condition, condition.
As soon as you’re done with getting color, try to get a treatment that will help keep color vibrant.
Also, for the first first three baths, I try to stay away from shampoo and just opt to condition.
- Turn down the temperature.
Hot water will strip away the dye faster because it opens the surface of your hair strand and allows dye molecules to escape.
Keep the temperature lukewarm or, better yet, cold—to conserve your hair color.
- Use the appropriate products.
There are products made specifically for color-treated hair. Choose those! I always buy mine in the salon where I have my hair colored since the staff knows what product would complement the dye used for my hair. It costs more than shampoos or conditioners from the grocery but it will protect your hair color. So don’t scrimp on the basics.