If you’re someone who has dyed their hair before or frequently continues to do so, then you know the drill: as gorgeous as your new hue looks, color treatments can also be very detrimental to the health of your hair.
In fact, the process of coloring your hair involves lifting the cuticle, often using a peroxide to strip the color from the cortex, and depositing new color. The end result (especially if not done carefully by a professional) can leave your strands feeling and looking dry, brittle, and weak.
If you’re not looking to give up your color treatments any time soon, there is some good news: there are steps you can take to not only avoid creating this damage, but to treat it after it’s already happened.
How to protect and repair damage to color-treated hair
Color-treated strands are compromised and need a little extra TLC. Here are a few pro tips for keeping your fresh new color looking and feeling its best while protecting the health of your strands:
Incorporate a deep conditioning mask into your weekly wash day. Our Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask is the perfect addition to your post-color hair care routine—it helps to repair any damage done during the color process and strengthens the hair by up to 2x after three uses to prevent future breakage!
Put down the hot tools for a while. Heat styling can cause further damage to already weakened hair. It’s good practice to embrace your natural texture every once in a while to give your hair a break.
Always use (heat) protection! If you do choose to continue using your blow dryer or flat iron, keep the temperature as low as possible and always use a heat protectant. Try our new Color Me Brilliant Mushroom + Bamboo Color Protect Primer, specially formulated to protect color-treated hair from thermal damage up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Space out your wash days and ditch the sulfates. Washing your hair too frequently (especially if those formulas contain harsh surfactants like sulfates) can strip the natural protective oils from your hair and cause your color to fade faster. Try washing your hair less frequently (aka, not daily) and switching to a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo, like our Color Me Brilliant Mushroom + Bamboo Color Protect Shampoo, which also features our unique Color Protection Complex to help keep your color looking vibrant longer.
Keep an eye on your ends. Regardless of how you style, the ends of your hair often take on the most damage. Help keep them hydrated and protected with a few drops of our Don’t Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment Oil to reinforce split ends, add shine, and repair up to 88% of damage after just two uses.
