I have been coloring my hair regularly since 2013. Back then, I didn't know how important it is to take of your hair and I didn't have much knowledge of products/treatments in order to avoid damage. My hair were really soft and silky naturally so I never felt the need to do something extra. After a few months of coloring, my hair started to get damaged and I went through all kinds of hair problems; damage, dryness, breakage and thinning. Once I started doing my research and kept discussing it with my doctor, I got to know a lot of things and started taking care of my hair and believe me, it made a HUGE difference! Now my hair is getting healthier. I would love to share some tips with you guys which, I believe are very helpful!
Before I start, I would like to remind you that there are 2 kinds of colored hair, bleached and non-bleached. If your hair is non-bleached, they can look just as healthy, soft and shiny as virgin hair and even better if you nourish them properly but when it comes to bleached hair, they are going to get damaged at some point depending how intense the bleaching was . No matter how hard you try to repair the damage, they still might not be as soft and shiny as non-bleached hair. What bleach does is that it kills the hair's natural pigment and leaves your hair dry and damaged but it doesn't mean that you can't make them look beautiful. They just need some extra care. So here are some tips to rehab your hair!
Pre-Coloring measures
1. Go easy on your hair
If you are coloring your hair for the first time, don't do any kind of intense experiment. If your hair are dark, don't go for blonde tones because your hairdresser is going to use very strong bleach to strip the natural dark color off and give you what you asked for but later on, your hair will be uncontrollably damaged. What you can do instead is, go for a medium-light brownish tone for your dark brown/black hair and then wait for 2-3 months and color them again, this time go for even lighter color. Meanwhile, keep nourishing your hair, this way; you will achieve the color you want eventually, with minimal damage.
2. Select products carefully
Do your research before coloring. If you are going to a salon, make sure it is a good one. You can ask the previous customers about their experience with the salon. Don't risk your hairs' health just to save some money. If you are going to do it at home, make sure your dye is ammonia free. Use good quality products and buy them from a good store.
3. Don't dye damaged hair
If your hair is already dry and damaged, do not color them. Nourish them until they are healthy again and then, you can go for it. It's always best to start nourishing your hair 15-30 days before you color them. It is better to wait than to destroy your hair.
How do I rehab my color ravaged hair?
Repairing is going to take its time but once you start taking care of your hair, they'll start to get better. Here are some tips on how to rehab damaged hair.
1- Moisturizing
Our bleached hair is very thirsty because coloring and bleaching kills the hair's natural pigment and they must be moisturized on daily basis in order to prevent dryness and damage. Here are some products that you might want to try. I use the third one.
- Herbal Essences Honey I am Strong mask
- Pantene Professional Level Damage Repair Ampoules
- Loreal ABSOLUTE REPAIR cellular
2- Oiling
You must oil massage your hair once every week. Olive, coconut, almond and Moroccan oils are very good for your hair.
3- Shampooing & Conditioning
It's a myth that conditioning hair regularly is not good for your hair. You must condition your hair after EVERY hair wash. Conditioning leaves your hair soft and silky so they tangle less. Here are the conditioners that I recommend.
P.S buy products that have Argan oil in the ingredients
- Redken Extreme conditioner and Shampoo is the best without a shadow of doubt! It is for extremely damaged, bleached hair.
- Aveda Dry remedy moisturizing shampoo and conditioner
- Kérastase Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm It not only cleanse your hair but also hydrates them
- Tresemmé Split Remedy Split End Sealing Serum: Treats split ends
- John Frieda Clear Shine Luminous Glaze: gives shine that lasts for a week
4- Increase your protein consumption
Our hair are made up of pure proteins thus, consuming more proteins inevitably makes our hair stronger, healthier and shiner. Here's what you can do to make sure you are taking enough proteins.
- Consume more meat & soy
- Start eating eggs
- Consume more dairy products
5- DIY Hair Masks
You can easily make these organic masks at home and trust me they work like magic!
- Egg mask (provides proteins to your hair)
- Coconut and olive oil hair mask
- Avocado and egg yolk mask
- Banana and honey mask
- Papaya mask
6- Salon/Clinical Treatments
Going to salon for hair treatment is like having facial for your hair. Colored hair need something extra to stay healthy. Here are some treatments that I would recommend.
- Goldwell Vivecap treatment
NANOMAX HAIR TREATMENT
3. Keratin treatment
4. Protein treatment
7- Multivitamins
There are multivitamins in the market that are specifically for your hair. If you take them regularly, you can get rid of all kinds of hair problem unless your hair problem occurred as a side effect of something or is genetic. You can use Ovation Vitamins and Extracts for healthy hair and scalp, Prefectil hair plus, Xtendlife Omega 3 DHA Fish Oil tablets and BIOTIN natural supplements for hair.
8- Avoid Heat
We all know that heat is really bad for hair and specially colored treated hair because they are more vulnerable. Avoid straightening or curling as much as you can. Avoid blow drying, let your hair air-dry after shampooing.
So, that was all for now. Hope it was helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to email, mahafatima.hsm@gmail.com :)
