Conditioning tips for coloured hair

If you colour your hair regularly, you might want to know some tips to keep that colour locked in for as long as possible.

We all love that freshly coloured look but give it a few weeks and the lustre fades, the colour dulls and the overall look has been turned down a few notches.

Here are just some of the ways that you can keep looking box fresh for that much longer…Thanks to Elle for the tips!

1. Shampooing the day after you dye your hair.

It’s one of the most common mistakes, and one of the most costly. After having your hair coloured, wait a full 72 hours before shampooing. It takes up to three days for the cuticle layer to fully close, which traps the colour molecule, allowing for longer lasting hair colour.

2. Throwing box dye over freshly salon-coloured hair.

If you don’t love how your colour came out, trying to fix it yourself with hair colour from the drugstore could end up making it much worse. Resist the urge to throw something over-the-counter onto your freshly highlighted hair. Most box dyes are permanent colours and will be more drying. Instead, have a pro do your colour correction.

3. Washing your hair too often.

Color’s worst enemy is water. The chemicals in hair dye make your hair more vulnerable to water’s effects. This doesn’t mean you need to stop taking showers — just make simple tweaks to your routine, like avoiding excessive rinsing: Once you’ve shampooed and conditioned, don’t tilt your head back and let the water just run over it for several minutes.

4. Rinsing with hot water.

Adjust your water temperature to lukewarm or cold when rinsing. Hot water lifts the outer cuticle layer, which is one of the most common reasons that colour fades. The hotter the water, the quicker the colour loss.

5. Not using a conditioner for colour-treated hair.

Dyed hair is more likely to become dry and brittle, so treat it with conditioners specifically formulated for colour-treated hair, like Davines Essential Haircare MINU / Conditioner 1000ml. MINU conditioner does not weight down the hair, protects cosmetic colour and untangles coloured hair.

Make sure to condition every time you shampoo, even if you have fine hair. You really want to make sure you condition the longest part of your hair. The tips can be years old and have the most damage, whereas the roots are only a couple of months old.

6. Drying roughly with a towel.

Scrubbing too hard can fade colour and make the ends look dry. Instead, gently blot your hair and let it air dry as much as possible.