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I remember the first time I got highlights. I was in 8th grade and on spring break with a friend and her mom. I’d always been naturally blonde and this must have been the age when I first started to notice my hair getting darker. Obviously, I was not going to let that happen. My blue eyes and blonde hair were my thing — they made me different growing up on the east coast in a sea of brunettes. So my friend and I convinced her mom to let us get highlights. And since then, I became addicted and haven’t actually seen my natural hair color in years.
While I love how highlights help bring out my “natural blonde” (i.e. they brighten up my mousey brown), coloring my hair so often and for so many years has definitely taken its toll. And since I know I’ll be continuing to dye my hair for probably the rest of my life (if I’m completely honest), then finding ways to keep it as healthy as I can is super important. Here’s some helpful advice I’ve gotten from my hair colorist:
Use Olaplex once a week.
Before you do anything else, you NEED to get Olaplex. This stuff literally rebonds broken strands, reversing signs of breakage, making your hair stronger and healthier. You can ask your hair colorist to use Olaplex within the actual highlighting products as well as after your hair has been colored. And now, you can even get access to Olaplex No 3 so you can use it once a week between appointments as a mask. I just started using it a few weeks ago and am IN LOVE. Snag it here on Amazon!
Shampoo 3 times a week.
You’ve probably heard it before, but it really does help to reduce the number of times you shampoo a week. Think of shampoo like soap for your hair — it can dry it out. So try not to shampoo every time you shower. Just skip it and go straight for the conditioner.
Look for hydrating, protein-rich products.
Coloring your hair can cause breakage, so your goal should be to make your hair stronger. One way to do that is to use protein-rich products. I’ve been using Kérastase Discipline Bain Fluidealiste Sulfate-Free Shampoo and it has definitely helped maintain my color and strengthen my hair. I’ve also noticed that these more high-end shampoos don’t produce as much suds when washing your hair, which is actually a good thing so that your hair doesn’t dry out. I also use Evo The Great Hydrator Moisture Mask as my conditioner, also recommended to me by my hair colorist, and am in LOVE. It makes my hair insanely soft, and not fake waxy soft, like really healthy soft!
Leave your conditioner in for a few minutes.
Even if the directions on your conditioner bottle don’t say to leave it in, do it! Leaving in your conditioner helps give your hair time to absorb all of the hydrating and protein-rich ingredients. I typically wash my hair first so that I can let my conditioner sit while I wash my body, etc. You’ll notice your hair feeling much softer when you go to rinse out the product!
Do you have any tips for keeping color-treated hair healthy?
Monica Says
LOVE your new hair length Amanda! It suits you so much and looks super fresh!
Monica x
Laura Says
What the what?! You cut your hair! It looks sooooo cute. I remember you mentioning in a blog post after cutting your hair awhile back you wanted to grow it back out to mermaid waves length. But I must say I’m loving this on you!
Christina Says
I’m all about skipping on shampooing! I wash my hair 2X a week, but in between I’ll give it a good rinse in the shower without using any shampoo/conditioner.
I find my hair looks the best when it’s a little dirty ;)
Christina | http://www.cuddlepill.com
Taylor Says
I have the same mousy brown color dilemma and love doing a coconut oil mask on my hair every month- it makes it so soft!
Barbara Wilson Says
I heard “olaplex” sometimes, but I have never used it before. I don’t know the affect of it until now. I think I’m going to try using it.
Lillian Schaeffer Says
This is some great information, and I appreciate your suggestion to only shampoo three times a week with colored hair. I’ve been thinking about dyeing my hair for a while now, and I’ve finally decided to do it. I want to make sure it stays as healthy as possible, so I’ll definitely try to reduce the amount of times I shampoo throughout the week. Thanks for the great post!
Emily Says
I’ve been thinking about dyeing my hair for a while now, and I’ve finally decided to do it. I want to make sure it stays as healthy as possible
Kendall Everett Says
Your tip to leave the conditioner in for extra time was really helpful. It makes sense to allow your hair extra time to absorb the nutrients it needs. It may also help to wash your hair at the same time that you shave so you have that extra time.
Kendall Ryder Says
I really do believe that shampooing frequently is not good for the health of your hair. I actually just wash my hair with a cleansing conditioner. My hair can’t stand shampoo, it makes it way too dry. I love the way conditioner makes my hair feel, and I bet it can really help anyone out if they cut back on shampooing a bit more!
Jackie Says
Things that worked for me when it comes to keeping my color is using dry shampoo most of the time. It’s going to sound gross but I was my hair just once a week. I also use a purple shampoo once it starts getting brassy or too warm since I have blonde highlights.
CJ Says
Olaplex is great; all the good salons in L.A use it. I’ve had Olaplex added before as a treatment after balayage highlights and it enabled the stylist to get me quite blonde in one session. Honestly it was still a tad dry even with the Olaplex, probably would have been falling out without.
Elsa Anderson Says
I’ve never dyed my hair before, but my best friend convinced me to try out a new color. I love it, but I’m worried about maintaining the health and color of my hair now. That’s why I really appreciate your tip about looking for hydrating, protein-rich products so that it helps the hair stay strong. I bet if I talked to my salon, they’d have products that would help me. Thanks for sharing!
Maira Says
Hi Amanda, your short hair look very nice, and the color is perfect. Amazing job, thanks for sharing.
Maira
http://www.mispeinados.com/con-trenzas/
Fire Blaze Says
Really appreciate the list of advice here. Some that I can definitely recommend to my clients.
Thanks, came at the right time.
Rick Kang Says
Thank Amanda for the great information! please share some tips for Grey Hair
Mneha Says
You’ve probably heard it before, but it really does help to reduce the number of times you shampoo a week. Think of shampoo like soap for your hair — it can dry it out. So try not to shampoo every time you shower. Just skip it and go straight for the conditioner.
Mneha Says
Even if the directions on your conditioner bottle don’t say to leave it in, do it! Leaving in your conditioner helps give your hair time to absorb all of the hydrating and protein-rich ingredients. I typically wash my hair first so that I can let my conditioner sit while I wash my body, etc. You’ll notice your hair feeling much softer when you go to rinse out the product!
Denise rich Says
I learned a lot.
Henry Killingsworth Says
My wife is wanting to try something new with her hair, and she is thinking that it would be a good idea to get some highlights that can bring out the color of her eyes more. I found it interesting when you explained that it is important to reduce the number of times you use shampoo when washing your hair in order to preserve the color. I’ll be sure to mention to my wife that she needs to shampoo less if she wants the highlights to last a good amount of time.
khola wasti Says
That’s what I was looking for to treat my hair during this lockdown period. Thanks for the post
Peter'sPlace HairColor Says
Hair is our crown glory and should be taken care of. Thank you for giving us tips. Wonderful content!
Helen Mollys Says
When it comes to keeping color-treated hair healthy, it’s crucial to invest in quality products specifically formulated for maintaining color vibrancy and nourishing the hair. Regular deep conditioning treatments and minimizing heat styling can also help preserve color and prevent damage. Personally, I’ve been struggling with managing my grey hair, and I’m on the lookout for effective solutions tailored to women. I’ve heard about products like GR-7 Professional designed for grey hair treatment for women, and I’m eager to explore more recommendations in this regard. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!