About 5 — Color By Carmen

COLOR AFTERCARE

CARING FOR YOUR FRESH NEW COLOR. Follow these tips to keep your hair color looking fresh longer and keep your hair healthy. Healthy hair holds color better.

If possible, wait 2 days to wash freshly colored hair.

During this time, color molecules are still securing to the hair strand. Waiting to shampoo will give longer lasting results.

Wash Less Frequently.

I recommend shampooing 2-3 times a week. If you typically are an everyday shampooer, time a week. Use dry shampoo in between.

Use Cool Water.

Use cool water as possible on your hair. Hot water opens up the hair strand, allowing color molecules to escape, which causes color to fade faster.

Use color safe products.

Shampoo can make or break your color. Shampoos that include harsh ingredients, such as sulfates, can instantly pull color from your hair. Always use color safe products on your hair to minimize fading. Always feel free to ask for a recommendation on which hair care product fit your needs.

ALWAYS use heat protection.

When styling your hair, be sure to use heat protecting product to protect your hair from heat damage.

UV Protection.

Your hair needs sunscreen too! Use products with UV protection to protect your hair from the sun’s rays. If you plan to have sun exposure for long periods of time, be sure to reapply. I carry multiple products with built in UV protection if you're in need of one.

limit chlorinated water.

If you are a Swimmer, try to limit the amount of chlorine that gets to your hair. Tie your hair up and keep it dry if possible. Wetting the hair with non-chlorinated water and adding leave in conditioner prior to exposure can help saturate the hair so there is less room for the chlorine to soak into the strands.

Get Treatments if your hair is damage.

The healthier your hair, the better color will hold. If your hair is damage, don’t skip the treatments. I offer some in salon, or there are take home ones to keep up on them between appointments.

Hard water can cause fading.

Hard water has high mineral content, which can cause color fading, buildup, and dryness. Use a showerhead with a filter to help keep those minerals away from your hair. Clarifying shampoos and treatments are also available.

THE LIGHTNING PROCESS.

Lightner is applied to your hair to remove color pigment. Depending on your natural hair color, there are a lot of underlying pigments to break through on the journey to blonde. Those pigments range from red to pale yellow. The darker your hair, the more there are to work through. When lightening, we are removing those underlying pigments layer by layer, which is why it takes more than one session to get your desired results. This is where a gloss/toner comes into play.

The Gloss

Gloss is a demi-permanent color added to hair after we have lightened. They are designed to cancel out any unwanted underlying pigment that come through during the lightning process. Demi-permanent color generally last 6-12 shampoos. The less frequently you wash the more longevity you will get out of your color. Glossing maintenance appointments are recommended every 6-8 weeks to keep away those unwanted tones and keep your color looking fresh. Purple/blue shampoos can be a good tool to help extend the life of your color between glossing appointments as well.

[Thank you for supporting me and my business. Enjoy your new color!]