Hair that has been colored needs special care. Coloring hair could weaken it and it can lead to brittleness and dryness. Hair color products contain ammonia which breaks up the hair shield and allows the color molecules to penetrate into the hairâs cortex. The best way to keep colored hair healthy and strong is to use semi permanent colors instead of permanent colors as it would be much gentler for your hair. After care for your colored hair is essential to keep the color intact and maintain healthy hair. Following are some easy colored hair care steps which will help to make your hair strong, silky and vibrant.
1. Use a gentle color protective shampoo
All hair colors fade after awhile, so to make your hair color last as long as possible you should use a color protective shampoo. This will help extend the lifespan of your hair color. The days when you use a shampoo to cleanse your hair, try to wash it away without forming too much of lather. It is better if you can use very less of a hair shampoo to protect your hair color. On the days when you do not use a shampoo, it is best to avoid water altogether as the option would surely help you save your color of your hair. For oily tresses, it is best advised to use an oil absorbing hair powder.
2. Condition your hair well
You should follow up with a good conditioner after you have shampooed your hair. The conditioner which you are using should also be specially formulated for colored hair as your shampoo. The conditioners contain pigment enhancers which neutralizes fading and helps to mend split ends. Leave in conditioners are much effective for colored hair than the normal conditioner. You can also use leave in SPF hair conditioners to protect your colored hair from the UVA and UVB filters.
3. Get a protein treatment
A strand of hair is entirely composed of a fibrous protein but coloring your hair could open up the cuticle which would cause severe damages to your hair’s natural protein structure. You can also get a glaze from a professional hair expert after coloring your hair as it helps the color to seal in. A hair protein treatment is important because it saves your hair strands from damages and helps to reconstruct the natural protein of your hair.
4. Use a nourishing mask once a week
Hair masks are beneficial for your hair as face masks to the face. Use of a nourishing hair mask on a weekly basis will give your colored hair the extra nourishment it needs to keep it healthy and strong.
5. Apply a serum
After coloring, when your hair seems dry, spread a little amount of hair serum from the tip to the hair ends. This will make your hair shine more. It will also keep the dryness of your hair at bay.
6. Be gentle with your hair
Coloring hair makes it fragile so you need to be extra gentle with it. You should make sure not to comb your hair while it is wet and even if you comb your damp hair, you should use a wide toothed comb. It is also best not to use heated style equipment on your hair as too much heat breaks down the components of keratin in your hair. This could make your hair look dull and lifeless.
So, with a little love and care, you can ensure that you will get the most out of your hair color and your hair will be soft, shiny and vibrant as your natural hair used to be. If taken good care of your colored hair, it will stay healthy as ever.
