Welcome to Part 2 of How to Care for Your Chemically Treated Hair!
Last time we covered how to prep for coloring your hair and how to do some basic maintenance once the color has set.
This time we’re addressing the heavy hitters when it comes to restoring your hair after the dye job. From hot oil treatments to UV sprays to braving a cold shower, we’re arming you with the tools to combat fading, dryness, roughness, and brittleness.
Read on for more!
Special Treatments
Leave-in treatments – These are deep conditioners you work into your hair and don’t wash out. Because these stay in your strands until the next time you wash your hair, they penetrate strands deeply, reversing damage from coloring, blow dryers, straightening irons, and the sun.
Dax Super Hair Conditioner eliminates frizz and protects brittle hair from further damage.
Hot oil treatments – As a rule of thumb, oils penetrate your hair follicles better than conditioners and creams, so it’s a good idea to apply a hot oil treatment once a week. They also smooth rough surfaces. You can make a hot oil treatment at home (see a recipe here) or purchase one like Alberto VO5 Hot Oil Therapy.
To use: Heat up the oil first. Then comb through your hair and massage the oil into your scalp and hair. Leave on for the directed amount of time (about 1 minute for VO5 or up to half an hour for homemade hot oil), then rinse out with cool water to seal the shine.
Styling
If your hair had its way, you would never set foot near a heat styling product. But the perfect pomp or stylish undercut can’t just create itself.
Heat protectants and UV protectants allow you to sport your favorite heat-styled hairstyle without bulldozing your hair, and sometimes you’ll be lucky enough to find them both in one product.
Heat protectants – These are sprays that act as an invisible shield between your hair and the blow dryer. They’re designed to guard against heat and friction while adding shine. Try TRESemmé’s Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray, which is activated by heat and won’t leave your hair crunchy.
UV protectants – The sun will fade or lighten your hair color, so toss on a hat before you head outside.
Double up on your efforts by spraying on a product with UV protection, like ALTERNA Haircare Bamboo Teach Summer Sunshine Spray Protective Shine Veil. UV protectant products will guard your hair against the elements, and usually contain vitamins to restore color-treated hair.
Tip: Spray on periodically throughout the day to ensure maximum protection.
Restoring Shine
Ironically, coloring your hair is exactly what makes it tough for your new hair color to show. That’s because when you color your hair, you’re lifting up the protein layers across your hair shafts so color can penetrate where the permanent color molecules reside. This leaves hair dry, rough, and dull – the opposite of shiny hair, which requires cuticles to lie flat so light bounces off uniformly.
While you can’t completely undo the damage, there are a few options for restoring shine (and healthier-looking hair):
Reduce the use of hot tools – Heat destroys hair proteins, which aggravates an already rough hair texture. But if you must, just remember to spray on that trusty heat protectant before breaking out the blow dryer.
Try to reduce the frequency of blow drying and using hot tools, and dial down the temperature.
The T3 Featherweight 2 comes with 3 heat settings, tourmaline technology to reduce frizz and increase shine, plus a super-fast drying time so there’s less time to do damage. Check it out here.
Go for a glaze – A glaze will add shine back into your hair, if temporarily. Similar to the function of a clear coat finisher for your car’s paint, a glaze protects the color underneath while making hair look healthier. Get a glaze at the salon for month-long shine.
Try a gloss – Glosses aren’t just for the ladies. Used sparingly, they can rejuvenate brittle, damaged hair. You can opt for a serum/gloss hybrid like Spice NEO Serum Milk Gloss, or a shine spray like Suavecito Grooming Spray.
Tip: The type of gloss or shine spray you use depends on your hair type. Guys with thicker hair can use a rich silicone-based solution, while guys with thinner hair should spritz on silicone-free sprays.
Take a cold shower – The direct heat from hot water weakens the bonds in hair, so the cuticles don’t lie as flat and leech color.
If the idea of shivering in the shower doesn’t sound appealing, do a cool-water rinse at the end.
