How To Keep Color-Treated Hair Looking Vibrant and Healthy

If you dye your hair, you’re likely aware that color-treated hair requires special care to look and feel its best. Chemical treatments can be damaging, and repeatedly dyeing your hair can leave your strands feeling dry and brittle. Knowing how to take care of color-treated hair can help ensure you don’t succumb to widespread breakage after trying on a new hue. A proper routine can also help extend the lifespan of your salon or DIY color. Below, we’re sharing everything you need to know about how to care for dyed hair, from choosing the right hair dye to selecting the best shampoo and conditioner for your color-treated strands.

What Is Color-Treated Hair?

The terms “color-treated hair” and “dyed hair” can be used interchangeably. Essentially, these descriptors mean that the hair has undergone a chemical process to permanently change its color. If you bleach, highlight, or dye your hair with permanent hair dyes, your hair is considered color-treated. The chemicals that enable you to permanently alter your hair color are strong and can be harsh on the hair, even when wielded by a professional. They typically lift the hair’s outer cuticle in order to lift or deposit color. While this process is effective, it’s also damaging and can leave your hair vulnerable to concerns like dryness, split ends, and breakage. Semi-permanent and temporary hair dyes don’t use the same chemicals to deposit color, so they’re not usually included under the umbrella of “color-treated hair.” 

How To Take Care of Dyed Hair

If you color your hair, updating your haircare routine can help keep potential concerns (like breakage and premature color fading) at bay. Ahead, discover our top dyed hair tips and learn how to maintain dyed hair between touch-ups.

Choose the right hair dye for your needs

When you’re getting your hair dyed at a salon, your colorist will create a hair color formula tailored to your hair type, concerns, and desired results. If you’re DIY-ing your hair color, though, it’s important to do your research to find the right hair color kit for your needs. Here are a few options worth considering for your at-home hair color transformation.

For vibrant all-over color

If you’re looking to embrace a trendy new hue, we suggest perusing the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color collection. The lineup features more than 50 stunning shades, from classic brunette and blonde tones to vivid reds and coppers. Choose your favorite of the bunch, then use the kit to dye your hair—you’ll be left with silky-feeling strands and rich, luminous color that maintains its vibrancy for up to nine weeks. 

For gray coverage

Give your hair some TLC and cover up stubborn grays with the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Creme Créme Permanent Triple Care Hair Color. Each of the 30-plus permanent dyes in this lineup delivers 100% gray coverage from root to tip, with results lasting for up to eight weeks. Plus, it’s infused with a Pro-Keratin complex and helps protect hair as it colors.

If you’d prefer to use an ammonia-free dye, pick up the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Creme Universal Nudes hair color kit. The innovative hair dye covers up to 100% of grays while remaining gentle on the scalp and strands. Choose from 10 radiant, natural-looking shades, from soft black to beachy light blonde.

For bold, shimmering color

Those looking to experiment with a trendy new hue would do well to pick up a box of the L’Oréal Paris Féria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Permanent Hair Color. The easy-to-use hair dye kits are designed to transform your hair without savaging your strands, and the fashion-inspired colors in the collection are perfect for those seeking a less conventional hair color.

For DIY balayage 

Balayage highlights may look intricate, but you can replicate the lived-in look at home with the right kit. Our pick: the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Balayage At-Home Highlighting Kit. It comes with a lightener, a toning mask, and an expert-touch highlighter designed to create perfectly blended highlights for a natural-looking result.

For bleaching your hair

If you’re looking to go platinum blonde, you’ll need a hair color kit capable of lightening your hair without destroying it. We recommend the L’Oréal Paris Féria Hyper Platinum Advanced Lightening System Bleach, which lifts hair up to eight levels in a single application. Use the included bonding conditioner after bleaching your strands to help strengthen and reinforce your lightened mane.

Wash your hair with lukewarm water

We know—at the end of a long day, nothing feels better than a piping hot shower. Unfortunately, washing your hair with super-hot H2O can strip your hair of its natural oils, which can wreak havoc on your dyed hair. As much as it pains you, try turning down the dial next time you wash your hair. Trust us, your color-treated strands will thank you for it in the long run.

Use products for color-treated hair

If you have dyed hair, care for it every day by using a shampoo and conditioner designed specifically for color-treated hair. There are plenty on the market, but we recommend looking for a duo that’ll help strengthen and reinforce your hair, such as the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Bond Repair Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Bond Repair Conditioner. The citric acid-powered duo gently cleanses, detangles, and smooths while remaining safe on salon or DIY color. For additional benefits, incorporate the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Strengthening Pre-Shampoo Treatment into your routine as needed. When used alongside the shampoo and conditioner, this dyed hair treatment helps repair damaged hair from the inside out, leaving it stronger, smoother, and healthier looking.

Deep condition weekly

Even if your hair doesn’t look or feel damaged, indulging in a weekly deep conditioning treatment can work wonders in helping to prolong the lifespan and vibrancy of your dyed hair. Once a week, or as needed, swap out your regular conditioner for the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Power Restore Multi-Use Treatment. The luxurious formula melts into the hair fiber to help renew the hair, leaving it strong, silky, and healthy-looking. You can also use it as a leave-in treatment to help fuel hair strength throughout the day.

Use leave-in treatments for extra hydration

After every wash, it’s a good idea to use a leave-in conditioner to help keep your strands feeling hydrated and healthy. Look for one designed for use on color-treated hair, like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Moisture 21-in-1 Leave-In Conditioner for Dry Hair. This powerful multi-tasker moisturizes, nourishes, detangles, adds shine, and fights frizz to help promote smooth, manageable strands. Simply mist the lightweight formula onto damp hair from the mid-lengths to ends, detangle with a wide-toothed comb, and continue with your styling routine as normal.

Limit your use of hot tools

Heat-styling your hair can both damage your strands and contribute to premature color fading, making it something to avoid if you have color-treated hair. Of course, completely swearing off hot tools isn’t always possible—sometimes, there’s just not enough time to air-dry your hair. If you must use hot tools, put them on a lower heat setting and prep your mane with a heat protectant to help shield it from damage. We love the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Repair Hair Oil-in-Serum, which softens, adds glass-like shine, and helps protect against temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lean on dry shampoo

After coloring your hair, you may want to take a beat to reassess how often you lather up—washing your hair too frequently can cause your color to fade and leave your hair feeling drier than you may like. Instead of shampooing daily, try washing your hair two to three times per week. If your hair tends to get greasy after a day or two, use dry shampoo or disguise oily roots with a strategic hairstyle, like a slicked-back bun.

Stock up on root cover-up

When dyeing your hair, visible roots are something of an inevitability. While you can re-color your roots every couple of weeks, doing so can be damaging. So if you’re wondering how to keep dyed hair healthy without having to sport visible roots, we recommend nabbing a root cover-up spray. These temporary dyes are designed to be sprayed directly onto regrowth and can help camouflage unsightly roots until it’s time for your next coloring session. We’re especially fond of the L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover-Up because it’s easy to apply, water-resistant, and suitable for all hair types and textures.

Adjust your routine seasonally

With each season comes different stressors that can affect your hair color. In the summer, swimming and sunbathing can damage your hair and cause your color to fade more quickly than it otherwise would. In the winter, hot showers and cold air can dry out your hair, leaving it fragile and dull. If you have color-treated hair, it’s a good idea to take steps to shield your hair from these seasonal stressors. In the winter, for example, you can boost hydration with a leave-in treatment like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Moisture Plump Serum, which helps lock in moisture for up to 72 hours. In sunnier weather—or anytime you’re spending a lot of time outdoors—consider protecting your color-treated hair with a wide-brimmed hat and protecting your hair when swimming.

Next Up: Should You Wash Your Hair Before Dyeing It?

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris