The best way to care for coloured hair
Whether you're colouring at home or making regular salon appointments, dying and highlighting hair can take a lot of effort. And if you're going to invest time and money into getting your colour rich and vibrant, it's essential to invest in a good after-care routine to get the most out of your look!
To keep you on track, here are our five best tips for colour maintenance.
1. Treat your hair to TLC
According to Sydney-based hair stylist, Cara Clyne, tailoring your daily haircare is a must. "Use a colour-safe shampoo to maintain vibrancy, and a deeper treatment every two weeks as well," she suggests.
Use a shampoo and conditioner designed for coloured hair, such as TRESemmé's Colour Revitalise Shampoo & Conditioner, with ingredients like vitamin E, argan oil and green tea to deliver intense moisturisation and keep your colour luminous for up to eight weeks.
For a deeper effect, try wrapping a warm, damp towel around your head after applying conditioner. This will open up the hair follicles, allowing treatments to sink in deeper to your strands and scalp. Simply microwave the towel for 30 seconds, leave it on for 15 minutes, then rinse.
2. Appointment prep
If you want to protect your scalp as well as your hair, try not to wash it for at least two days before your colour appointment.
This helps to develop natural oil on your scalp so that during the colour application it won't feel as sensitive or itchy. As a result, there's less stress on your hair and colour afterwards.
3. Comb it correctly
It's important to relieve pressure on strands, especially ones that may be on the weaker side thanks to bleach or heavy colour, so go easy on the brushing – and learn how to comb it right.
"Comb your hair while you are conditioning," says Clyne. "This will help detangle your hair and reduce fallout when you're trying to brush it later on, and won't affect dry ends as much."
4. Style for strength
Given the existing stress on coloured hair strands, it's important to consider how you style your hair.
If you love pulling your hair back, but also want to prevent further weakening of your lengths, avoid the use of elastic bands. Instead, use a claw clip which will help to minimise breakage.
Before attempting a salon-style blow-dry at home, invest in a good heat protectant to act as a layer between the heat and your bare, clean strands. Blow-drying with the nozzle pointing downwards will not only enhance shine but show off your colour better too.
5. Cool it down
Remember, hot tools aren't the only perpetrator of drying out your colour; hot showers and sun damage are to blame too.
Unlike occasionally wrapping your hair in a steamy towel, consistent exposure to hot water can damage your strands, and therefore your colour. To avoid this, keep your hair up or use a shower cap while you enjoy your preferred heat in the shower, then turn down the temperature and wash in lukewarm water before you get out.
Just like our skin, UV rays can cause some intense damage to our hair follicles. That's why it's important to wear a hat as much as possible when outdoors or invest in a thermal recovery product to protect uncovered strands.
