Tips for Maintaining Your Hair After Color
If you can’t get your lace front to lay right, or if you just prefer the “real thing”, coloring your hair could be for you. Although some methods / brands are better than others, many chemicals used in the process of coloring the hair causes stress, and even irreversible damage if you don’t care for it properly.
If you have recently, or are considering coloring your hair, natural haircare specialist, Urbane Boozer, shares her tips for maintaining your new hair color!
1. BEFORE Proceeding, Know If Your Hair Can Even Take Color
In some cases your hair may not be in good enough condition to take color, or the porosity of your hair may warrant a different process (it is especially important to know if your hair has high or low porosity if you are coloring your hair at home). A few factors play into the condition of your hair. Not being in good condition can mean that the hair does not have enough protein, or it is damaged from heat, or other chemicals. For some, the remedy could be as simple as switching to better haircare products, or even changing your diet.
It is also important to know if your hair has high or low porosity, as the chemicals and methods you would need to use depend upon your hair’s porosity.
2. Be Prepared to Spend Extra Time & Extra Money
Boozer suggests consulting with a professional stylist before coloring your hair, even if you’re doing it from home!
“Fake News applies to YouTuber’s especially. There are a lot of good hair vloggers out there, but sometimes, people make mistakes, or miscommunicate information,” she said.
“True, anyone can probably box die their hair black at home, but all these wild colors are trending, and more people are trying cheaper alternatives, including DIY’s. But much like natural hair takes a little extra time, money, and patience - so does colored hair.”
Boozer goes on to explain that it simply doesn’t make sense to spend a ton of money on your color, and use poorly made shampoos and conditioners - or the other way around for that matter.
“Usually anything you find in a drug store isn’t going to give you everything you need. See what products your stylist use, and if they have them available for retail. Or do a little poking around online.”
3. Protein Treatments
Depending on your hair color service, a protein treatment is necessary. If you’re lifting your hair a lot (bleaching or blondes), you will need to restore keratin and other essential proteins.
4. Keep Hair Moisturized Between Shampoos
“Your hair should always be moisturized anyway," says Boozer. “But especially when your hair has gone under any type of chemical treatment.”
Using the right moisturizer at the right dosage for your hair will help prevent your hair from looking “fried”.