Tired of your same old black hair? Well, switching things up has never been this easy. Box dyes, permanent hair colour, temporary hair colour sprays. There are just so many ways to add a splash of colour to your tresses! But if we’re being really honest, dying your hair isn’t all that simple because with great power comes great responsibility. Permanent hair colouring comes with its own unique struggles. Simply dying your hair isn’t enough, maintenance is equally important. No one likes to watch their hair colour fade away too soon. So, I guess it’s time to deep-dive into the world of hair colouring and discover ways to make it last!
Ways To Protect Coloured Hair
From using the right dye shampoo to following some basic post-colouring etiquettes, here are all the ways in which you can protect your coloured hair and make it last long:
1. Use A Sulphate-Free Shampoo
The first thing you should do after getting your hair coloured is throw out your regular shampoo and replace it with a sulphate-free colour-protecting shampoo. Sulphate-free shampoos are a lot more gentle than regular shampoos that contain sulphates. Not only do they help retain hair dye, but they also ensure that the hair is not stripped of its natural oils.
2. Do Not Wash Your Hair Everyday
Now, just because you have the right shampoo doesn’t mean that you, or your hair, are invincible. Even the best shampoos for colour-treated hair have their limits and no matter how much you might want to, you simply can’t go back to the old ways of shampooing daily (if that is something you used to do). The less frequently you wash your coloured hair, the better it is. However, don’t go overboard. Wash it as frequently as you need to keep it clean and healthy but be cautious!
3. Experiment With Dry Shampoo
Caring for coloured hair is not easy. On one hand, you don’t want the colour to slowly wash away each time you take a shower. On the other hand, you can’t possibly step out with dirty hair, right? Well, why not consider using a dry shampoo then? Dry shampoos are a great option to fall back on between your washes. They help cleanse your scalp and give your hair a fresh look without having to go through the whole routine of washing, conditioning, drying, and setting your lovely locks.
4. Ditch Those Hot Water Showers You Love So Much
This is a tough one to give up. We know! But it’s important too. Hot water tends to open up the cuticles in your hair. On the other hand, showering with cold water will ensure that your cuticles are nicely sealed off to make sure your colour does not escape.
5. Apply Hair Mask
At the end of the day, hair colouring is a chemical process and your tresses will need all the nourishment that they can get. So, in addition to purchasing a sulphate-free hair dye shampoo, invest in a hair mask as well and apply it once a week. A good hair mask treatment can take you a long way!
Best Shampoos For Coloured Hair
1. GK Hair Moisturizing Colour Protection Shampoo
Colouring is a chemical process, so it only makes sense to balance that out with the goodness of natural plant extracts and seed oils found in the GK Hair Moisturizing Color Protection Shampoo. This colour-protecting shampoo is meant to add life to brittle hair while ensuring that the hair dye lasts for as long as possible. This shampoo is also enriched with an anti-ageing blend of proteins, called juvexin keratin, which helps moisturise, protect and fortify coloured hair. This hair colour shampoo is suitable for both men and women!
2. Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure pH 4.5 Color Freeze Sulfate-Free Micellar Shampoo
Worried about the pH level of your hair getting messed up? Don’t be! This sulphate-free shampoo for coloured hair regulates your hair’s pH level and freezes the colour pigments. In addition to gently cleansing your hair, it also provides protection against UV rays. The Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure pH 4.5 Color Freeze Sulfate-Free Micellar Shampoo ensures smooth, shiny hair and promises up to 90% colour retention.
3. L'Oreal Paris Colour Protect Shampoo
Getting your hair coloured can drain out your pockets. Thankfully, the L'Oreal Paris Colour Protect Shampoo doesn’t need you to spend much! This L’Oreal colour protect shampoo is armed with a protective UV filter that prevents your coloured hair from any damage. Its unique hair-protecting formula nourishes your hair fibre and ensures detangled strands after every wash. For optimal results, pair this hair colour shampoo for men and women with the L’Oreal Paris Color Protect Conditioner and reap the benefits!
4. Matrix Biolage Colorlast Color Protecting Shampoo
Formulated with pure extracts of bee pollen, kelp, and soap bark trees, the Matrix Biolage Colorlast Color Protecting Shampoo is a state-of-the-art formula inspired by nature. One of the best shampoos for colour-treated hair, it is an expert at balancing and retaining moisture in the hair. It also evens out the surface of the hair so that the colour looks vibrant and shiny always. If you want to retain the radiance of your hair colour for a long time to come, this shampoo is your best bet!
5. Wella Professionals INVIGO Color Brilliance Shampoo With Lime Caviar
Retaining hair colour is all about the cuticles. If the cuticles aren’t sealed shut, it leaves room for the dye to escape. With the Wella Professionals INVIGO Color Brilliance Shampoo With Lime Caviar that worry is put to rest. This hair dye shampoo has a low pH formula which helps seal the cuticles after colouration. Enriched with lime caviar, which is rich in antioxidants and vitamins, this is the best colour-protecting shampoo for coloured hair that’s dull and damaged. This shampoo offers marvellous colour protection for up to 7 weeks!
6. LOreal Professionnel Series Expert Resveratrol Vitamino Color Shampoo
Finding a shampoo that is phenomenal at cleansing hair while also ensuring that the colour doesn’t fade is the dream, and the dream has a name: LOreal Professionnel Series Expert Resveratrol Vitamino Color Shampoo. This L’Oreal colour protect shampoo is everything you could ever want. It also has a unique water-repelling technology that protects the colour in your hair by double locking it so that the texture remains silky-smooth and the colour vibrant and eye-catching!
7. BBlunt Colour Protect Shampoo
The infallible formulation from BBlunt carries amino acids and UV filters that grant your tresses up to 90% colour protection. The meticulous shampoo cleanses the hair and scalp while ensuring the vibrancy of the hue. Furthermore, enriched with BBlunt’s signature shine tonic, the shampoo bestows the mane with an incomparable glossy shine. What the Nykaa team loves is how the BBlunt Colour Protect Shampoo has been crafted for Indian hair types and hence caters to every hair texture.
8. Bare Anatomy EXPERT Color Protect Shampoo For Coloured Hair
Supercharged with amino acids and quinoa protein, this Bare Anatomy bestseller locks in the colour pigment to ensure colour retention. Free of parabens and sulphates, the potent shampoo also helps enrich the colour with every wash, making it look vibrant and sharp. All you need is a dollop of this creamy concoct to get lush, soft hair, a claim verified by 87% of the 300 testers. Now that’s an eye-opening stat!
9. Revlon Outrageous Color Protection Shampoo
If you’re looking for a colour-protecting shampoo that does the job gently, look no further than Revlon’s Outrageous Color Protection Shampoo. Made using ceramides, silicones, and MPG molecules, this shampoo offers intensive protection and reduces hair damage that comes with maintaining hair colour. It also contains d-panthenol, which helps add thickness and strength.
10. Vaadi Herbals Color Preserving Pink Lotus Shampoo
For those of you who would prefer a natural formulation at a pocket-friendly price, give the Color Preserving Pink Lotus Shampoo by Vaadi Herbals a try. Made with Pink Lotus and Honeysuckle extracts, this formula works to add shine and moisture to your coloured mane. Customers especially love this shampoo as it is simple and good for regular use.
FAQs On Maintaining Coloured Hair
- Is coconut oil good for coloured hair?
- What happens if you use a regular shampoo on coloured hair?
- How do you keep colour-treated hair shiny?
- How often should you wash coloured hair?
- Does the environment impact hair colour?
- Does heat styling damage hair colour?
- What are the best shampoos for colour protection?
Yes, coconut oil is good for coloured hair as it acts as a moisturiser. Applying coconut oil on colour-treated hair will not fade the colour. Instead, it will moisturise, repair damage, and stimulate growth. You can apply coconut oil an hour before washing your hair. You can also apply it at night before sleeping, leave it on overnight, and then wash your colour-treated hair in the morning.
Regular shampoos tend to contain sulphates and other harsh ingredients in them. These ingredients might strip your hair colour. Regular shampoos might also eliminate natural oils and leave your hair feeling dry and rough.
Using the right hair care products can help maintain colour-treated hair. For starters, make sure you replace your regular shampoo with a sulphate-free hair dye shampoo. Pair the shampoo with a moisturising sulphate-free conditioner. Also, try to use a hair mask once every week.
If you want your coloured hair to last long, then try to wash it as infrequently as possible. Washing it once every 2–3 days is ideal. This will help retain the colour and natural oils in your strands.
External environmental factors like pollution, heat, humidity, and sun exposure, make the hair dull and lifeless. The UV rays in sunlight can break down the pigment molecules and oxidise them, causing colour and shine loss. However, mostly lighter hair shades are susceptible to this. Further, humid weather can cause the colour to bleed more from hair as the moisture damages the shaft of your hair.
Excessive heat from styling tools can cause the colour to fade faster, as high temperatures cause the hair cuticle to open up. This in turn leads to stripping the hair off natural moisture and also the deposited colour molecules.
You can consider using the following colour-protecting shampoos:
