Regretting colouring your hair? Magic mantras to infuse life back in your dead tresses

Hair colouring was once considered as a way to shut down the grey strands, declaring our age out loud. The wheel of time turned and it became a raving trend to dye your hair in all kinds of hues. So much that coloured hair fanatics have checked out each shade ever found in the colour charts.

But seriously, look around yourself! Every other person around you has either streaks or a dip-dye. Even the closest of your family and friends post pictures of themselves getting a balayage or a vibrant crimson clump. Everyone flaunts their fresh hair pigments and it makes many get their hair done too! Guilty!

But, the black clouds of hair damage wash your colour-laden tresses sooner than you think. One hardly finds them looking spic and span after the first wash. Lack of hair care, heat styling and environmental damage churn out their own hair killing conspiracy. Uff!

To get some tricks on rescuing coloured hair from this agony, HealthShots spoke to Dr Nivedita Dadu, a renowned dermatologist. She listed a hair care guide that can help your tresses redeem their shape and healthy texture.

Here are some rules for coloured hair to abide by:

1. Always use sulfate-free products:

The sulfates present in hair products are responsible for producing lather when mixed with water. These hair care baddies are detergent in nature and strip the hair of natural oils, hydration and moisture. It removes the free lipids present in the cuticles of the hair. Once this protective compound is gone, water can penetrate easily, resulting in faster colour loss. Hence, Dr. Dadu suggests switching to sulphate-free, colour safe shampoos and conditioners to lengthen the vitality of the hair colour.

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2. Keep your coloured hair hydrated

The after-effects of hair colour is mostly moisture loss. Your limp straw-like hair is proof. Just shampooing or using a conditioner will not be enough. Deep conditioning helps the hair retain its moisture, making it soft and shiny.

“It is also a good idea to get a hot oil treatment at least three days before colouring. Hot oil treatments not only nourish the hair but also protect it from drying out, owing to all the chemicals in the dye.” says Dr Dadu, who is also the Founder and Chairman of Dr. Nivedita Dadu’s Dermatology Clinic.

3. Avoid washing your hair with hot water

Hot water tends to open up the cuticles, which can lead to the hair colour fading faster. That’s one of the reasons for that washed out look on hair. Washing coloured hair with hot water can make the colour fade faster than it naturally would. This strips the hair of its natural oils and fades color tremendously. Therefore, it is advisable to adjust your water temperature to lukewarm or cold while washing your hair. You can also try oil cleansing for your colour treated hair.

Dr. Dadu suggests the right way to wash your coloured hair. Start with lukewarm water to prepare your tresses for shampoos. Once done with the cleanse, use a hydrating conditioner to nourish deeper. Let your conditioner work on your hair for 5-10 minutes. Lastly, rinse your hair with cold water to lock in all the hydration.

4. Protect your hair from heat

Colored hair is more damage-prone and vulnerable to heat. So, you should have some mercy on your fried hair ends! To keep your hair color looking ‘right out of the salon’, it is crucial to reduce heat exposure. So, break up with that blow dryer, straightener, and curling iron. If you can’t, use a good heat protectant spray to minimize the damage. High heat is not good for hair, coloured or not!

5. Use a protein hair mask for extra nourishment

Got your hair streaks? Now you got to mask it too! Using nutritional hair masks should become a strict habit if you want to reverse the hair damage. Almost an hour before shampoo, try to apply a protein hair mask to deeply moisturise your hair. Protein hair masks are great as your hair is also made up of protein as it’s component. A hair mask acts as a high-powered conditioner that can significantly improve the health of the hair.

While everyone is getting a fall-favourite mocha colour done to their hair, you really don’t have to miss out on the fun. Just follow these tips and let that Bollywood style hair flip do the rest!