It's now smack dab in the middle of the winter blues for most people. We are ready for those gusty winds that signal warmer weather is coming. Just a little bit longer..... But February weather is still a big opponent for healthy hair. Seasonal dryness of a different kind is coming for our hair. Your hair color is an investment. You need to be able to protect that investment and get as much bang for your buck as you possibly can. Below are my tips for protecting your color and helping it last as long as possible.
1. Cold water. Cold seals the cuticle of the hair, lessening the chance that those color molecules will slide right out of your hair along with your shampoo. Does this mean cold showers in February? No, just make sure that you are not washing your hair in hot water. Tepid is perfect for washing and if you are brave enough and flexible enough, rinsing conditioner with cold water is perfect!
2. Color Care Products. Sounds like a no brainer but I am consistently surprised by people complaining about hair color fading who reply Treseme or Suave when I ask what shampoo and conditioner they use. These products are mostly water and harsh detergents. In this case you truly get what you pay for. Joico's Kpak Color Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner are super concentrated and formulated specifically to keep hair from letting those color molecules slip out. This means that you can use less product for each shampoo and your bottle will last much longer. Most professional lines of haircare products make all of their shampoo and conditioners safe for colored hair. The difference between Joico's moisture recovery and color therapy shampoos are the ratio of ingredients. They have the same ingredients, just in different amounts to specifically target certain conditions. So if your hair is extremely dry but also colored, moisture recovery is perfect for you. It will concentrate on retaining moisture but also protect your color.
3. Wash less often. This is good for your hair, your pocketbook and your color. Unless your hair is extremely oily, you only need to wash it once every 2 or 3 days. Less washing= less opportunity for hair color to wash out due to hot water or sub par shampoo.
4. Keep it moisturized. A healthy strand of hair has a smooth cuticle, which will keep color molecules in. Unhealthy hair has a blown out cuticle which lets things in (hot water, harsh chemicals, shampoo) and lets things right back out ( color ). Use conditioner and a good moisturizing oil every day, get an in salon hair treatment every other month, and use an at home conditioning treatment like Joico's Luster Lock Treatment once a week.
5. Use low heat. On styling tools, blow dryers and in the shower. Again, cold seals the hair cuticle, while hot opens it up. If your styling irons or blow dryer does not have an option to lower the temperature, you are most likely damaging your hair and it is time to purchase a new one with adjustable temperatures.
6. Keep it trimmed. Get a haircut at least every other month. If you are growing your hair out or not, you need to keep the ends trimmed and healthy. Hair color stays in healthy hair with a healthy cuticle well. When you have dry, split ends, hair color has a hard time staying in.
If you have any questions about the above or are interested in finding some new products, styling tools or just more education about this, please come in and see me or email me @ lorisbeautyshop@gmail.com