How to protect your hair after you have coloured it

19/08/2022

Whether you’ve opted for a dazzling red shade, a bright blonde or a chocolaty brown hair colour it’s important to treat your coloured hair with kindness to ensure it stays in tip-top condition and to keep your colour looking its best! Our talented hairdressers in Franck Provost Chatswood bring us their top tips to show your coloured hair the TLC it deserves.

Don’t wash immediately after having your hair coloured

For a longer lasting colour result try to leave your hair for a couple of days before you wash it. The colouring process opens the cuticles on your hair so the colour can fit inside, it can take a day or 2 after a colour service for the cuticles to settle back down flat and seal in the colour- So give your colour time to settle in and avoid washing your freshly coloured hair for as long as you can or run the risk of washing it all away!

Wash your hair less frequently

With every wash comes a tiny bit of colour fade no matter how fabulous and colour safe your shampoo and conditioner is. The less you wash your hair the slower your colour will fade – Simple! The number of times you need to wash your hair per week is different for everybody but limiting yourself to once or twice a week is ideal. Use a dry shampoo in between hair wash days to absorb any excess oils and keep your hair looking, smelling and feeling fresh. We love Kerastase fresh affair for its amazing fragrance and hydrating properties.

Use cooler water when washing

Whilst there is literally nothing better than a super hot steamy shower (especially in the colder months), that hot water can be a real colour fade accelerator! Your colour is being held inside your hair by the cuticle which is the outer-layer of the hair. When the cuticle comes into contact with hot water it begins to relax and open (a bit like a pine-cone.) This action of relaxing and opening allows your hair colour to escape from the hair shaft and get rinsed down the drain! Turn the heat down a notch and use a luke-warm water when shampooing instead to keep colour vibrancy and lustre at its peak!

Pick the right shampoo and conditioner

You wouldn’t buy an expensive piece of clothing and then completely ignore the label instructions when it came time to wash it. Well, coloured treated hair requires some special attention when it comes time to washing too! The shampoo and conditioner you use should work in harmony with your colour. If you have highlighted or bleached hair you’ll be looking for a hydrating formula, if you have brunette or red coloured hair you’ll be looking for a gentle colour safe formula. Your shampoo and conditioner ‘prescription’ will be different for everybody depending on your hair so be sure to ask your hairdresser what shampoo and conditioner is best for you.

Treatments

Any type of coloured hair will always look best when it’s shiny and in good condition. That’s why we recommend giving your hair a little treat at least once a fortnight. With a huge array of treatments available it’s best to ask your hairdresser which one is best for you. Once you’ve found that perfect one, take some time in the shower to pamper your hair by leaving it on for 10-15 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. A fortnightly deep conditioning treatment will work wonders at hydrating dry ends and promoting a super shine!

Limit heat styling

Now I know we keep talking about the cuticles on your hair, but they really do play such an important role in protecting your hair and the colour! Excessive heat styling with your straighteners, tongs and hairdryer can really do a number on your cuticle over time resulting in hair that looks dull and dry, leaving your hair feeling dull and crunchy and allowing your colour to fade in record time. Be heat styling wise and only use a heated styling tool when you really need to!

Heat protection

For those of you that are addicted to your hair irons and curling wands then a heat protection product is simply a must. Protect your hair from the scorching heat with a bit of heat protection. One of our favourites is the Kerastase Discipline Kératine Thermique Heat Styling Protectant which gives a perfect glazed-like finish whilst smoothing and taming the hair during heat styling.

Be Sun-Safe

Too much sun can not only damage your skin but those pesky UV rays love nothing more than to damage and fade your coloured hair also! Try to avoid exposing your hair (and skin) to prolonged exposure to the sun. In the summertime UV rays are at their peak so if you’re out and about try wearing a cool hat or a head scarf for optimum protection. Making use of a product that contains UV protection is an absolute must if you can’t cover up with a hat or scarf. Kerastase Soleil Huile Sirène Texture Spray is a quicky absorbed, lightweight spray with a beautiful fragrance that can be used as a styling product for beachy waves whilst giving full protection from the sun all day.

Swim smart

Love swimming in the pool or the ocean? Salt-water/chlorinated water are not friends with colour hair. Chlorine can taint your colour with green and both Chlorine and salt water can fade your hair colour as well as making it feel stringy and dry. Make sure you soak your hair with clean shower water before going for a dip so that your hair doesn’t soak up as much of that salty or chlorine water. Level up your swim and sun hair game with the Kerastase Soleil routine which nourishes and illuminates hair. Protecting hair from dryness and colour fade that may occur due to aggressors such as sun, chlorine and salt water.

For more tips, tricks and personalised product recommendations visit one of our friendly stylists in-salon for a complimentary consultation.