The highs and lows of coloring is a rainbow mix of product and regime. If you are like me, you enjoy occasionally switching up your look with a splash of color, highlight, balayage…whatever the newest color trend of the year is. Since we’ve been quarantined it’s been hard for everyone to establish a new regime and upkeep their colored tresses at home void of their go-to stylists or salon. It can be a hard lane to navigate, but we’ve got you covered with all the deets on how you can maintain healthy hair while at home.
Image Source: @kaylaniquiocho
Color Treated Curly Solutions
Deep Conditioning
While deep conditioning is already a staple of your curly hair regime, it should also be a part of how you keep your colored curls healthy. Deep conditioning can help repair the damage that color treatments do to your hair by giving your curls added moisture and protein. The more you deep condition your hair, the better chance you are giving your curls to be soft, manageable, and preserving your overall color. Here’s a few deep conditioners that are guaranteed to help keep your hair healthy including the Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment, SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Masque, or the TGIN Honey Miracle Mask.
Purple Shampoo
Don’t worry, despite it’s purple complexion, this shampoo won’t have your hair resembling a grape. Purple shampoo works to fight yellow tones in your hair that can make it appear brassy. Brunettes and blondes alike flock to brands like SheaMoisture Purple Rice Water Strength + Color Care Shampoo that can help restore shine and strength while naturally brightening color treated hair.
Olaplex Treatments
If you have ever had your hair colored, there’s a good chance you may have already had an Olaplex treatment and didn’t even know it. Olaplex is used to treat hair before and after a color treatment and can help stop the damage that color can cause to hair.Naturally curly hair benefits from Olaplex treatments because it works with your to prevent damage before it starts. You can find Olaplex at any local salon or request an Olaplex treatment from your stylist.
Sealing With an Oil
A cost-effective way to help preserve your color is by using an oil treatment to help seal in the moisture for your hair. You can use coconut, argan, or avocado oil before/after or as a hot oil treatment. Using oil can help form a protective layer over your hair and protect it from sun/heat damage which can cause your hair color to fade over time.
Keep The Temperature Lukewarm
Believe it or not the temperature of your shower water can greatly affect the longevity of your color treated hair. Hot water can not only make your hair dry and frizzy but robs your hair of the vital moisture it needs, which is already depleted when your curls have color. Washing with cool or lukewarm water can help to keep your color shiny, seal in moisture, and reduce hair volume.
When Coloring At Home
Using a Box Dye
A box dye’s….gotta love em’. You may have passed them in your local supermarket or drugstore because these little boxes of fun are everywhere. A home dye box usually ranges between $5-$25 and comes with gloves and instructions for how to color your hair at home. You mix the color, apply for the instructed length of time, wash it out, and voila you have ready to go colored hair. Sounds easy right? Well there are certain risks you take when coloring your hair at home.
The Risks
The formula used in box dyes is more concentrated than what they use in the salons because it has to be able to adapt to any hair type. Since it’s a stronger formula that can be used on any hair type, it doesn’t include any ingredients or nutrients specific to caring for your hair type. As untrained professionals, people run the risk of improper application, not applying enough dye, and keeping the product on for too long which can lead to damaged hair. When people aim to go lighter or even use bleach on their hair they can also run the risk of their getting brassy because there isn’t gradual application of the product like at a salon.
When To Use a Box Dye…
Understand that your overall hair color may not match the color of the model on the box.
If you are going slightly darker you can use a box dye to adjust the tone of your hair.
You can touch up your roots with a color that matches your natural hair color.
Using semi-permanent color can be a great way to see how your hair reacts to the box dye formula.
Do your research and read the ingredients, reviews before applying any box dye to your hair.
Recommended Box Dyes:
- Clairol Beautiful Collection
- SheaMoisture Nourishing Hair Color Kit
- Dark and Lovely Go Kit
- oVertone
- Lime Crime
- KeraColor
What The Experts Say…
Aleisbel Vázquez, Founder CEO CURLPOP ®
Image Source: @curlpop
“Maintaining your color has a lot to do with how healthy you maintain your hair especially now that we are in Quarantine we can pay full attention to our hair.
Keeping your scalp healthy and free of unhealthy pore clogging build up is a must.
Use great conditioners but be careful with conditioners having heavy amounts of oils . This will cause color to fade. Use conditioners that will enhance the color that’s been done from the salon such as oVertone. At home you can also use gloss which is a conditioning color that lasts 4 to 6 weeks, but it is non-permanent.
If you’re a blonde color treated curly girl or you have gray curly hair use conditioners with violet or blue based tones. This will make the hair color free of brassiness and will enhance and add shine to revive the blonde.”
Kauilani Goodwyn Master Colorist Mizani Artist, Co-founder, The Texpert Collective
Image Source: @thetexpercollective
“If you’re roots have grown out and you are unable to see your stylist due to COVID-closures, please wait, do not use box color…you can use eyeshadow or root cover sprays (Style Edit, Toppik, or L’Oreal”> in the meantime; apply to front hairline and part, if you have one.
- Moisture Rich Shampoos, Conditioners, masks, Cleansing Conditioners, and post chemical service treatments are great to use (Mizani Moisture Fusion Line, True Textures Cream Cleansing Conditioner, and Strength Fusion Treatment are some of my faves”>.
- Leave-in conditioner (my absolute favorite to date is the Mizani 25 Miracle Milk or 25 Miracle Cream depending on your Texture type and porosity”> before you layer your styling products.
- “Pineapple” your hair at night and sleeping on a satin/silk pillowcase to extend the longevity of your Wash n Go, twist out, rod set, lacer set, or finger coil set (Check out the Perfect Pineapple on Ti-Kai Facebook Page”>.”
Alejandra Salcedo, Owner Tailored Hair Studio
Image Source: @hairbyale07
- Don’t wash with hot water but instead use warm to cool water.
- Make sure to use a color safe shampoo and conditioner. (ex. Neuma’s Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner”>
- Keep your hair hydrated by using deep treatments 2-3 times a month. (ex. Ouidad Curl Immersion Triple Treatment”>.
- Wash your hair no more than twice a week.
- Make sure to use a hair product with SPF to protect your hair from the sun. (ex. Semi Dilino Sublime Cristalli Liquid”>
The fall season is approaching and whether you are touching up your hair at home or going for the box dye, always make sure to do your research. If you are unsure of how a color or ingredient mix will interact with your hair, contact your local stylist or salon who can help instruct you on alternatives that won’t damage your hair.
Since you’ve been home, tell us your tips and tricks you have used to help maintain your color in the comments!
