Hair Care tips
After Care for your Hair Color
Now that you have achieved that awesome hair color of your dreams, lets take a minute to talk about how to get the most out of the investment you just made. There a couple of tips I can share with you to help your hair color last longer and fade slower.
Sulfate Free Shampoos
First, the most important at home care for your hair is shampooing it. You want to check your shampoo for sulfates. Sulfates are a relatively common ingredients found in many household products because they are a cheap detergent that helps dissolve grease and remove dirt. However, they are unnecessary in shampoos, and along with possible skin irritation and drying your hair, they can strip your fresh beautiful hair color out far more quickly! Which means you'll need to touch up your color more frequently, costing you more. All the shampoos I carry are sulfate free if you need a recommendation.
Frequency of Shampooing
You should try not to wash your hair every day. The natural oil your scalp produces (sebum) provides a moisturizing protective barrier for the skin and hair. Shampoo captures and traps the excess oil, dirt, and product residue, and then you rinse out to clean the hair. Experts agree that only a small group need to shampoo daily, like those with very fine hair, someone who exercises a lot (and sweats), or someone living in a very humid place. Every time you shampoo your hair, some of your hair color will wash out. Even permanent hair color fades, but especially the vivid colors. So to keep it looking fresh longer, avoid the everyday shampoo if possible. A dry shampoo can help you in between washes.
Water Temperature
Wash your hair with cooler water. Hot water opens up the outer cuticle layer of your hair, making it easier for some of the color molecules to wash out and causing your color to fade more quickly. Cold water helps with closing your cuticle. Even If you prefer to shampoo with hot water, it's recommended to use warm instead of hot, and to rinse with cold water to seal the cuticle to help your hair to stay shiny, and frizz-free. It also improves the blood circulation to your scalp and hair roots, helping them to get all the valuable nutrients they need to stay healthy. It doesn't need to be ice cold, choose a temperature that you can tolerate. Just avoid super hot water.
Heat Styling
Especially with chemically processed hair, you want to use lower heat to keep it healthy and your color looking fresh. One of the most important things to remember is to use a heat protectant before applying heat. When blow drying, use the lower heat settings. I like to use leave-in conditioners that have a heat protectant built in. The best temperature setting on your flat iron or curling iron is the lowest one at which you can achieve your desired results. If you have fine to medium hair, you want to use a low-medium setting between 280-320 degrees, and for medium to thick hair you want to use between 300-360 degrees. 365 degrees is the highest you need to go. At a temperature above 420 degrees, the keratin protein in the hair starts to melt, causing irreversible damage and breakage! You should only have to make one pass with the tool, so start at a low setting and if it doesn't give you the result you wanted after one pass, turn it up slightly until you find the perfect temperature for your hair.
Sun Exposure and Swimming
When the sun comes out, we want to be out there to enjoy it! But it's important to think about how those rays can affect your freshly colored hair. This is very important for the vivid and pastel colors. You can use a UV protectant spray, like Pravana Vivids Color Protect. Another good option is pack a sun hat for all those beach trips and days in the sun. All colors do fade, and it can be fun enjoying the various shades that your color will fade into. An important thing to think about before swimming in a pool, is the chemicals that are used to keep the pools clean. Chlorine can strip color out of your hair much quicker than normal daily care! Especially for the vivid and pastel colors, my recommendation is to just keep your hair out of the pool. If you want to risk it, try a swimmers cap and keep your head out of the water as much as possible.
Enjoy!!!
I hope these tips prove helpful to you while you maintain your investment in your hair. It's so much fun for me to get to do your hair. I truly love what I do. I have one last piece of advice for you. Most importantly, enjoy your hair color!
Thank you for choosing me to help with your hair needs!
