Products To Repair Your Colored Hair
I always sway back and forth on whether or not I want to color my hair, and in recent years you could say I gave in to the light side. As someone with dark hair, lightening my hair is always a risk because brassy is not cute. If you could believe it, I only began coloring my hair about during my senior year in college. I probably colored it once or twice a year, usually just toning it / bringing my balayage up a few inches. Since my hair grows pretty fast, I'm never too fussy about my hair. As I mentioned, I gave in and lightened my hair up. Partially because I was bored with my hair and was nearing 1 year of not adding any color in, and partially because I missed having some dimension when I curled my hair. At the beginning of 2018 I went in with baby lights and lightened up pretty much my entire head. In 2019 I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my hair for the wedding and pretty much did my hair every month or two. Don't get me wrong - my hair is healthy, but of course with coloring comes some damage. I thought I'd share some of my favorite products to reach for to keep my hair in tip-top shape.
One thing you do not want with any sort of blonde / light colored hair is a brassy tone. I know that people always comment on using purple or blue shampoo - and I've tried both. Purple for natural blondes, blue for natural brunettes. I have tried a blue shampoo from Joico before and wasn't overly a fan - mostly because it really stained my fingers and my shower (not pleasant). I did like purple shampoo as it left a more cooler blonde and almost a bit silvery-ash, depending how long you left the purple in for. I had heard some rave reviews about the LUSH Cosmetics Daddy-O Shampoo so I picked that up to start using once my hair got brassy. My hair stylist gave me the tip not to use any sort of purple/blue shampoo until I started seeing the brass - and not a moment sooner. I definitely do think it helps keep the brassy bits at bay as I've had my hair lightened for over a month now and once the brass started peeping through, I reached for this. While it is getting a bit warmer toned, the purple is helping to keep my hair looking nice and light - in a good way!
I've had quite a few new recent introductions into my haircare routine, mostly due to my new lightened hair. I recently came into the R+Co Palm Springs Pre-Shampoo Treatment Masque * which is one I was most excited to try, as it was a concept I've never done before. I've used this a handful of times and will run it through my hair before I jump in the shower. This is perfect as I'll usually tidy up my bathroom counter / storage unit before I hopping in the shower. This stuff is incredible and leaves my hair feeling silky smooth - love!
In conjunction with the R+Co Pre-Shampoo Treatment Mask, I'll usually reach for the Macadamia Hair Repair Mask. This is one of my all time favorites as it doesn't break the bank, smells so good, and actually works. I do think they've slightly changed the formula and it's been a while since I used this last. I think I had said I didn't like the formula but a 20% coupon at Ulta led me back to this. This stuff smells absolutely incredible and leaves my hair feeling silky smooth. After I lightened my hair most recently, it was knots galore. In the beginning I used this twice a week (aka each time I washed my hair) and it helped let my hair feel soft and touchable again. I've cut back to once a week, but it does so much good for my hair, I'm definitely looking to try more of their haircare range, namely their regular shampoo and conditioner.
Outside of the shower there are a few products that I like to reach for. On wet hair I usually use some sort of smoothing spray or the Phyto Phytokeratine Extreme Exceptional Cream*. One reason why I love this stuff is that it's easy to use on both damp and dry hair. I like to take a pump or two and run it through my hair before drying, mostly at the bottoms. It always leaves my hair looking shiny and feeling really soft. After I dry my hair it can get a little poofy - as that's just how my hair usually is - so I'll usually go in with a few drops of the Ouai Hair Oil and it leaves my hair feeling soft and looking smooth. I still recall the first time I ever used this and made everyone at work the next day touch my hair because it was so incredibly soft. I also think this smells incredible although it is very floral-y, which not everyone may be a fan of.
So with colored hair comes a different type of hair maintenance. The less you wash your hair, the better. The color stays in longer and you don't need to go in as often to freshen it up and tone it. Fortunately my hair leans more on the dry side so I can actually go 3 days without feeling ever so slightly greasy. The thing for me is not having that fresh clean hair scent. Of all the dry shampoos I've tried, the MILK Makeup Dry Shampoo is my absolute favorite. It gives that extra fresh clean scent and also helps give an extra touch of volume to your hair. As someone with dark hair, it also doesn't leave the dreaded powdery white residue - win. Unfortunately it looks like they’ve discontinued this :(. Lately I’ve been reaching for the Ouai Super Dry Shampoo* and I have been loving it. It has the classic Melrose Place scent which just smells so damn good. It also adds a touch of volume to my hear and always makes it look like freshly washed hair.
What are some of your favorite haircare items for colored hair?
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Products marked with (*) were gifted to me, but all opinions remain my own.
This post also contains affiliate links. Feel free to read more on my disclaimer.
( This post was drafted in January 2018 - I tweaked it a little bit since most of it was still valid. But wowza haha.)