Dyed Hair: How to keep it beautiful for as long as possible?

AVOID THE MISTAKES BEFORE DYEING  

At least a week before dyeing, leave the conditioner, hair mask and other hair treatments alone. In an effort to protect the hair from the environment and other external factors they close the surface of each hair. But our goal is to colour the hair to the very core, not just on the surface. Therefore, skip all these "smoothers" and "healers" a few days before dyeing. You will be rewarded with a more intense colour.

Next, grit your teeth and let your hair shine. The dyeing process can really dry out your hair. If you don’t wash it for a couple of days and your scalp will have provided the protection your hair needs. In addition, the greasier the hair when dyed, the better and more deeply the new colour takes hold. At the same time, a slightly greasy film on the skin of your head will protect it from irritation. Therefore, for the most part, forgive the slightly neglected appearance, it has its merits.

So what do I do next?

• Don’t wash your hair the next day. Even if you are used to washing your hair every day, do not do it after dying. To make sure that add freshly applied dye has really had chance to soak in to the core of the hair, you need to give it more time. So how long should you leave it before you wash your hair again? The longer the better (of course, we aren’t talking about washing the dye out, follow the directions exactly).
• Only use products for dyed hair. Hair with a "new" colour requires particularly special care. This process is unnatural, and it’s undoubtedly in some ways a burden for your hair. Therefore, if you want healthy hair that keeps the colour and shine, use only high-quality hair cosmetics for dyed hair. It first nourishes and strengthens from the inside, and then seals  the surface of each hair to prevent rapid colour loss. This tip is especially true for distinctive shades like red, golden blond or chestnut.

Platinum blondes might have slightly different worries. Platinum blondes and ladies with fashionable gray hair, have slightly different goals. On the contrary, they try to avoid any colour (especially dreaded yellow). If you belong to this group, focus on special platinum hair cosmetics, such as specialist silver and purple shampoos and conditioners.

• Use products without sulphates and silicones. Sulphates (also referred to as SLS) help shampoos to create thick luxurious lather, they are very effective cleansing agent used in all sorts of products from shampoos to floor cleaners. Unfortunately they are too effective, harsh even. They can literally clean the dye out of your hair. Silicones on the other hand create a different problem. They are used to make your hair shine, and for a while you’ll love the results… They do this by coating each hair with a film that is almost impossible to remove, and every time you use these products you add another layer. This chokes the hair and blocks even the best dyes from penetrating the hair to colour it.
• Don’t wash your hair every day. This isn’t beneficial for several reasons. First, hair works just as intuitively as the rest of the body. When you eat small portions more often and healthily, your body will lose the fear of starvation and won’t need to "store stocks for later" - so your body won’t accumulate so much fat. Similarly, when you break the routine of washing your hair everyday the scalp doesn’t feel the need to get overprotective, trying to replace the oils that washing strips away. Secondly, the chlorine in tap water (which is great at killing unwanted germs) kills oils and is tough on hair and its colour. If you feel that your hair needs to be washed try to use a dry shampoo. It’s popularity has gone from strength to strength and there is a wide range available. If you fear that this "miraculous white powder" will be visible on your hair, choose a type specialised for your hair colour.
• Beware higher temperature. Very important, not just for dyed hair. Try not to overdo the straightening, curling and blow drying. If you are going to use a heat treatment of some type make sure you’re looking after your hair with a heat protection product.

One last great tip

So time has gone by since you last dyed your hair but it’s not quite time to go through the whole rigmarole. Those blasted roots are reappearing! Stop them in their tracks with a root touch up spray. They’ll keep you on top form for another week or two.