5 Things to Know About Washing Hair After Coloring

1. Resist Washing Hair After Coloring

It’s a debated subject, but you might as well play it safe. Rather than running home and jumping in the shower, you should wait around 3 days before washing your hair.

The idea is that hair dye penetrates a critical part of your hair, the protective cuticle layer. By waiting to wash your hair for a few days, you’re allowing that cuticle to close up without further damage.

If your stylist says it’s okay or you simply can’t resist, at least avoid swimming in salt water or chlorine for a while to protect your new color.

2. Use the Right Products

Just like you’d use special shampoo for frizzy hair, you have to do the same for colored hair.

Due to the process of altering the cuticle layer, your hair will be more prone to damage after dyeing it.

Proper hair color aftercare includes stocking up on sulfate-free and color-safe shampoos. These gentle products are designed to add extra protection, making your dye last longer.

3. Limit Your Washes

Dyeing your hair can strip it of natural oils, making it prone to damage and breakage. Washing your hair every day can make this problem worse, as shampoo strips these oils away.

It’s ideal to wash your colored hair every two to three days with lukewarm or cold water. To help keep your hair looking clean in this timeframe, make dry shampoo your best friend.

4. Keep Up With General Hair Care Practices

When and how to wash your hair aren’t the only factors involved in taking care of your new dye.

You should also add moisture back to your scalp and follicles after showering. Depending on your hair type, this could mean deep conditioning treatments, oils, or serums. Just be sure to choose something that’s color-safe.

It would also be wise to limit both heating tools and sun exposure. UVA and UVB rays can damage your already sensitive cuticles. Use a UV protectant spray or fashion a lovely sun hat when spending a lot of time outside.

5. Wait to Get Another Treatment

If you don’t love your new color, that’s okay. Unfortunately, you can’t wash it out or immediately re-dye over it.

It’s recommended to wait at least 6 weeks before color treating your hair again. This is about the time you’d want to touch up your roots anyways.

Overcoloring can lead to excessive breakage, which ruins the work your stylist did to make your hair shine. Don’t desperately put box dye in your shopping cart. Instead, book another appointment with your stylist to achieve your desired look.