An Ultimate Guide: How to Care For Color-Treated Hair

It may be ridiculously fun to switch up your hair color, but later on it can be a nuisance trying to keep it looking healthy and staying vibrant. Here are my top tips to create, care for, and style absolutely stunning color-treated hair.

1. Grow healthy hair

You can't expect to have healthy color-treated hair if it wasn't healthy to begin with. Here are some nutrients and supplements to try including in your diet to grow strong, healthy hair:

• Healthy oils and fats (eggs, fish, seeds, nuts, avocadoes, olives, etc.)
• Lots of water!
• Vitamins A through E, best absorbed through a healthy diet rather than supplements
• Biotin
• Collagen

2. Minimize damage from the coloring process

The best way to control damage is to prevent it from the start. There are a few ways to minimize damage done and nourish it during the coloring process.

• Use the lowest number of developer as possible when bleaching. Better yet, avoid bleaching altogether!
• Use a high quality color
• Use natural dyes or ones that contain conditioning ingredients. Click here to read my blog post all about natural dyes and how to use them! 

3. Use high quality hair products, and use them correctly

• Ditch sulfates and silicones: All my hair products are free of ingredients that will damage your hair and scalp in the long run. Check them out here!
• Use a high quality conditioner: My conditioners contain many nourishing, hydrating, protecting, and detangling ingredients. You should definitely get one here.
• Wash less often, and do it correctly: Have a look at this guest post on my blog about how to wash your hair properly.
• Co-wash: Check out my blog post about what co-washing is all about. 

4. Style your hair properly

• Ditch hair elastics: Elastics slowly damage hair over time. Instead try out claw clips, hair sticks, or hair forks! There are so many fun designs made by artisans on Etsy, Instagram, and elsewhere.
• Ditch heating tools: Heat quite literally fries hair, so it's best to keep your use of heat tools at a minimum. For a beachy look, try running some mousse from scalp to ends of wet hair and gently scrunching it as it air dries. There are mountains of heatless styling tutorials found on YouTube specific to your hair type. In a pinch, a diffuser is the best option to quickly dry it.
• Microfiber towel: These towels gently wick away moisture and are nonabrasive, unlike your average terrycloth towel! They are getting more popular so you may find them just about everywhere now. I got mine from Sephora.
• Silk pillowcase: One of these may help prevent damage to your hair while you sleep. They're widely available these days.
• Sleep in style: Pin your hair into a bun while you sleep so it doesn't get all bunched up and tangled.
• Comb it less often: Excessive combing and brushing can be damaging. Use a wide tooth comb in the shower while conditioning to gently remove tangles. When you brush your hair, do so sparingly, when it is dry, and with a natural hair bristle brush.
• Get regular trims: You've heard it before, but it can't be stressed enough. A trim every few months will keep all those split ends at bay. 

I hope these help you keep your hair looking amazing! Do you have any favorite tips? Please tell my readers and me in the comments!