Getting your hair colored is exciting, but keeping it vibrant takes work! Color-treated hair needs special care to stay bright and healthy.
Many everyday habits can secretly damage your beautiful new color and leave your hair looking dull or feeling rough. Let’s look at common mistakes that might be ruining your color investment.
1. Washing Hair Too Soon After Coloring
Your fresh color needs time to settle into hair strands. Shampooing within 48 hours can wash away dye molecules before they’re fully absorbed.
Wait at least two days before that first wash to maximize color longevity and vibrancy.
2. Using Hot Water in the Shower
Steamy showers feel amazing but spell disaster for colored locks. Hot water opens hair cuticles, allowing color molecules to escape quickly down the drain.
Rinse with lukewarm or cool water instead to seal cuticles and trap that gorgeous color inside.
3. Forgetting Heat Protectant
Straighteners and curling irons fry colored hair without proper protection. Heat opens cuticles and accelerates color fade while causing brittleness.
Always spritz a thermal protectant before styling with hot tools – it creates a protective barrier between heat and your investment.
4. Swimming Without Protection
Chlorine is color’s worst enemy! This chemical binds to hair proteins and strips away dye molecules almost instantly.
Wet hair with clean water before swimming and wear a swim cap. For extra protection, apply leave-in conditioner as a barrier against pool chemicals.
5. Overexposure to Sunshine
UV rays are silent color killers. Sunlight breaks down artificial pigments in your hair through a process similar to how it fades fabrics.
Shield colored strands with UV-protective sprays or wear cute hats when spending time outdoors. Your color will thank you!
6. Skipping Color-Safe Products
Regular shampoos contain harsh sulfates that strip away color along with dirt. These cleaning agents are too aggressive for treated hair.
Invest in products specifically formulated for colored hair. They clean gently while preserving those precious pigments you paid good money for.
7. Washing Hair Daily
Frequent washing accelerates color fade no matter how gentle your products are. Each rinse removes a tiny amount of dye.
Try extending time between washes with dry shampoo. When you do wash, focus cleansing on the scalp rather than length to preserve color molecules.
8. Brushing Wet Colored Hair
Hair is most vulnerable when wet, especially after chemical processing. Aggressive brushing stretches and breaks strands, causing both damage and color loss.
Use a wide-tooth comb or specialized wet brush, starting at ends and working upward gently to minimize breakage.
9. Neglecting Deep Conditioning
The coloring process creates tiny holes in your hair’s protective layer. Without repair, these openings allow color to escape while moisture evaporates.
Weekly deep conditioning treatments seal cuticles, locking in both hydration and color molecules for longer-lasting vibrancy.
10. Overlapping Color During Touch-ups
Applying fresh color over already-colored sections creates excessive damage and uneven results. This common mistake leads to over-processing and breakage.
Focus new color application only on roots and virgin growth. Let the final rinse carry color through ends just enough to refresh them.
11. Using Regular Towels Roughly
Standard terry cloth towels create friction that lifts color-treated cuticles. Vigorous rubbing further damages the protective layer that holds dye molecules.
Blot gently with microfiber towels instead. These smooth-textured alternatives minimize friction while absorbing moisture more efficiently.
12. Applying Styling Products Incorrectly
Heavy products applied directly to roots weigh down color-treated hair and can create buildup that dulls vibrancy. Some ingredients even interact negatively with color molecules.
Start with small amounts on mid-lengths and ends. Work upward with whatever minimal product remains on your hands.
13. Ignoring Water Quality Issues
Hard water contains minerals that build up on colored hair, creating dullness and altering tone. Chlorinated tap water continues the fading process between salon visits.
Consider installing a shower filter to remove these color-stripping elements before they touch your precious strands.
14. Coloring Too Frequently
Back-to-back coloring sessions don’t give hair time to recover from chemical processing. This creates a cycle of increasing damage that eventually leads to breakage.
Space out full color services by 6-8 weeks minimum. Use color-depositing conditioners between appointments to refresh without damage.
15. Mixing Incompatible Hair Treatments
Some treatments fight against each other! Keratin services, perms, or certain medications can interact badly with hair color.
Always disclose previous treatments to your colorist. Wait the recommended time between different chemical services to avoid unexpected reactions and color disasters.