Protecting Your Colour Treated Hair

Colour treated hair has different needs from untreated hair. First, many colourants affect the texture of your hair. They may also rob the hair of vital moisture. Therefore, you must be careful to not compound the damage with hot rollers or unsuitable cleansing products.

The first step in protecting or revitalizing colour treated hair is to select shampoos and conditioners that return moisture to the hair and that lock in that moisture between cleansings. As an added benefit, these products counter the brittleness of dyed hair and give it an added sheen. [Since coloured hair is usually less elastic than non-treated hair, be sure to use a wide-toothed comb to minimize breaking fragile hair shafts.]

After shampooing, always apply a daily, leave in conditioner. One excellent product is Lok's Post Shower Colour Sealant. Meant to be applied to towel-dried hair, this light-weight conditioner imparts body to your hair. Its powerful antioxidant and UV absorbers fight sun and free radical damage, and its heat absorbing polymers protect your hair from the ravages of hot rollers. Since heat is particularly hard on coloured hair (and a leading cause of colour fade), Colour Sealant saves your hair on many fronts.

It is also important to give your coloured hair a once-a-week deep conditioning. Use a suitable product and stroke it thoroughly into your hair, paying particular attention to the ends. Leave the product on for up to fifteen minutes and then rinse your hair until the water runs clear.

Finally, to keep your hair soft and shiny, apply a hot-oil treatment once a month. As with other conditioning products, work from the ends up the shaft to the follicles and leave it in long enough to be absorbed.

If you follow these simple rules, your colour treated hair will stay healthy and keep its fresh, vibrant look.