In love with your new hair color but unsure of how to care for it? Your old hair regimen might not be enough now that you've dyed your hair. While you want to maintain the color of your hair, color treated hair can be more vulnerable to damage, and you'll want to take extra precautions. Not to mention, curly hair and natural hair already tend to be dry, so you'll need a regimen that replenishes moisture after coloring your hair.
Here is a guide with 7 effortless tips to care for your color treated hair. (Haven't dyed your hair yet? Here are 4 questions to ask yourself before you color your hair!)
1. Use a sulfate free, color safe shampoo.
Sulfates make colored hair fade faster and strip dyed hair of its newfound color. Because of this, we recommend our Hydrating Avocado Kiwi Shampoo. It is free from sulfates, silicones, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, salt, petrolatum, mineral oil, drying alcohols, and artificial colors, so it won't cause your hair color to fade, or cause your hair to dry out. It’s also not tested on animals.
2. Deep condition hair regularly.
Color treatments usually leave your hair dry and brittle, and nobody wants that! Coloring your hair also strips it of the ability to retain moisture proficiently. Deep conditioning regularly will help moisturize and strengthen your hair as well as prevent breakage and dryness.
For bleached hair we recommend you deep condition weekly as your hair is especially vulnerable to dryness and breakage. For other types of colored hair we recommend to deep condition every 2 weeks or as needed depending on how dry your hair looks/feels. Our Fresh Frozé Treatment Avocado Deep Conditioners is perfect for replenishing the moisture in your curls. It has natural oils mixed with fresh fruits to give your hair the moisture and nutrients that it needs to bounce back from coloring.
For even deeper levels of hydration, sit under the hooded dryer or a hood steamer or hooded dryer for 30 minutes after applying the deep conditioner for better penetration to your strands.
3. Wear protective hairstyles.
Low manipulation hairstyles and protective styles reduce the stress on your hair which in turn lessens the amount of breakage. It is best to alternate between high and low manipulation hairstyles to prevent breakage due to constant pulling in one area.
Some easy protective styles are high puffs, classic afros, low/high buns, twist outs, clip-ins, Bantu knots, braids, etc. Check out this post on 10 Simple Natural Hairstyles for Beginners which provides great low manipulation hairstyles to try, and this guide to protective styles to learn more.
4. Reduce Heat Use.
Coloring your hair dries it out and makes your strands more vulnerable to hair damage, which is why your chances of getting heat damage by straightening your hair post-color are increased. If you cannot fully eliminate your use of heat tools, reduce the frequency of using heat tools and the temperature at which you straighten your hair. For an added layer of protection against further damage, apply a thermal protectant before applying heat.
5. Trim Ends Regularly.
It is natural to get split ends, but when your hair is colored, it is more susceptible to split ends happening more frequently and progressing more rapidly up your hair strands if they are not trimmed. Be sure to get regular trims to keep your ends nice and healthy. Also, getting rid of dry split ends will improve the look and manageability of your hair.
6. Shampoo Less Frequently.
Co-wash your hair with conditioner instead of frequently washing with shampoo can help avoid color fading out really fast. To make sure your hair stays clean, you can alternate shampoo and co-wash, which will reduce your overall shampoo use. As a co-wash, we recommend our Hydrating Avocado Conditioner.
7. Avoid hot water.
Hot water speeds up hair color fading because it lifts the outer cuticle layer, where color is deposited. Try to keep your washes warm, but not too hot to prevent having to re-color more frequently.
We hope these tips were helpful! What else do you want to know about maintaining color treated hair?
