Whether you've recently refreshed your locks with a vibrant new shade or you're a seasoned color enthusiast, one thing remains constant: the importance of proper haircare to preserve and enhance your color-treated hair. No matter how beautiful your locks look post-salon, the work doesn’t end there. If you slack on color maintenance, your strands can fade, turn brassy, and show visible signs of damage.
Here, we’ve got all of the need-to-know tips, tricks, and product recommendations to ensure your freshly colored hair looks radiant, vibrant, and healthy. From choosing the right shampoo and conditioner to protecting your strands against heat styling and sun exposure, we've got you covered with expert advice that can help you keep your mane looking its best.
Good hair day by @delia_nexxthairproject
Wash Like a Pro
Choosing the right shampoo is key for any haircare routine, but it's especially important for people with color-treated hair. The wrong shampoo can potentially strip your hair color, making it look dull. You’ll want to find a color-safe shampoo and conditioner system that will cleanse and nourish your strands and keep your new salon hue in tip-top shape Your stylist will likely recommend you use the shampoo and conditioner system they use in-salon, but we have a couple of suggestions if you need help figuring out where to start.
Wait at least 72 hours after your color service before washing your hair, and then wash your hair with the L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox range. The Metal Detox anti-metal sulfate-free shampoo detoxifies hair after any color, balayage, or lightening service. If you’re a bottle blonde, consider the Redken Blondage Shampoo and Conditioner. This violet-pigment depositing purple shampoo and conditioner protect and tone blonde and highlighted hair. The Pureology Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner Duo is another great option for color-treated hair, and we love that this duo can impart some much-needed moisture back into your strands.
Good hair day by @pati.rodrigz
Deep Conditioning Is Your BFF
We believe that a deep conditioner is a must-have for everyone, but it's particularly essential for those with color-treated hair. While your regular conditioner keeps your hair soft, a deep conditioner for colored hair can provide an extra moisture boost and offer additional benefits like damage repair. We can't get enough of Redken's Acidic Bonding Concentrate 5-Min Liquid Mask, an ultra-conditioning mask that provides deep hydration and repair for all hair types and textures.
If you need a deep conditioner for colored hair that’s perfect for travel, throw the Biolage Color Last Deep Treatment Pack Hair Mask For Color-Treated Hair into your carry-on. The multi-use mask maintains and restores color-treated hair.
Good hair day by @tanarosehair
Turn Down the Heat
The risks of heat styling your hair are nothing new. Unfortunately, those risks multiply when you're dealing with color-treated hair. Hair coloring services can leave your hair in a weakened state, making your strands even more susceptible to damage from heat and daily styling. The best way to protect your color-treated strands while heat styling is to invest in a heat protectant. Look for products that protect your strands from heat damage while helping to nourish and strengthen your mane, such as Kérastase's Defense Thermique Blow Dry Primer.
Of course, heat protection products aren't the only tools available to minimize heat exposure to your hair. Embrace your natural texture with air-dried hairstyles and experiment with styles that don't require heat, such as braids, twist-outs, and heatless curls.
Reduce Sun Exposure
Beach days are undoubtedly great, but all that fun in the sun can do more harm than good to your hair. Over time, prolonged exposure to UV rays can lead to color fading, changes in hair color, and weakened strands. Much like your skin needs protection from the sun, so do your strands. Consider adding a few products with UV protection for colored hair to your haircare lineup.
We love the Sun Exposed Hair x Soleil line from Kérastase, which features a shampoo, hair mask, hair cream, and oil that work together to protect hair during sun exposure and continue to nourish your mane long after the sun goes down. If you're not ready to switch up your entire routine, try using a multi-benefit leave-in spray, like Pureology's Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray. This nourishing leave-in boasts 21 benefits, including moisturizing, strengthening, and color protection.
Double up on sun protection for hair by wearing accessories like hats and scarves. These stylish staples not only help physically block UV rays from damaging your strands but also pull your outfit together effortlessly.
Good hair day by @by__kimberly.
Try Color-Depositing Products
Unfortunately, color-treated hair and color fading go hand in hand, but lucky for you, there is an easy way to keep your hue looking vibrant between appointments: color-depositing products. These formulas contain pigments that can temporarily boost your hair color or help to tone your color-treated hair, helping it to look as bright, shiny, and brass-free as the day you walked out of the salon.
If you’re a bright blonde, every couple of washes, you can swap your regular shampoo and conditioner for a color-depositing system like Matrix So Silver Purple Purple Shampoo and Conditioner. For brunettes, a blue shampoo and conditioner can help similarly cancel out warm, orange tones. Try Matrix Brass Off Shampoo and Conditioner.
Color-depositing products also come in the form of hair glosses, like Pureology's Color Fanatic Top Coat + Tone. These easy-to-use glosses come in a range of colors, including red, copper, gold, purple, and blue, to help restore vibrancy to your hue and banish brass.
Tip: Speaking of glosses, we have to mention Redken’s Acidic Color Gloss. While it doesn’t deposit any color, the collection can help extend the life of your dye job and give your hair a salon-like shine. It’s part of a complete range that’s formulated with amino acids and vitamin E to help seal the hair cuticle, locking in shine and vibrancy. Used as a complete system, it can provide long-lasting color vibrancy for up to 32 washes. Read more in our Redken Acidic Color Gloss Haircare review.
Caring for Color-Treated Hair: The Bottom Line
Maintaining and caring for color-treated hair requires attention to detail and the right products and techniques. Choosing a color-safe shampoo and conditioner system, deep conditioner, color-depositing products, and protecting your hair from heat styling and sun exposure is crucial. Consistency in your haircare routine and consulting a hairstylist for personalized advice will help ensure your color-treated hair continues to look vibrant, healthy, and beautiful.
Next Up: What Is Acidic Haircare? We Asked the Pros
Ready for your next hair color? Use our salon locator to book an appointment at a salon near you.
Header photo credits (left to right): Redken and @delia_nexxthairproject
