Life

11 Things You Shouldn't Do To Dyed Hair So You Can Keep Your Color Fresh
by Sarah Bunton

There are few things more satisfying and confidence-boosting than how you feel after getting your hair colored or dyed. Whether you just refresh your natural color with a glaze or you go full-out with bleached hair and funky colors, there are some basic maintenance mistakes plenty of women can unknowingly make. You may already know some of the things you shouldn't do to colored hair, like over-bleaching it or just straight-up not following your hairstylist's advice. But there still might be some dyed hair don'ts that would surprise even the more regular hair dyer. If your color seems to fade away too fast or your once luscious locks now more closely resembles a bale of hay, common colored hair mistakes may be to blame.

Don't worry. You're definitely not the first person to ever accidentally fry your ends or strip out the color. Even celebrities aren't immune to the damage that can come from over-processing their hair. But if you're wondering how celebs maintain crazy hair colors, it isn't just the work of numerous assistants or mega expensive products that cost more than your rent. Many stars have been clued in to the things you should never do to dyed hair by expert stylists. And now you can know all the colored hair don'ts, too!

1

Cover Up Faded Locks

Your frequently colored hair is looking a bit worse for wear, so you decided to use store-bought color for a quick fix. Huge no-no. As Matrix celebrity stylist George Papanikolas told Refinery29, you should never apply boxed color over dyed hair because this will only make it harder for a professional stylist to fix the underlying problem.

2

Over-Hydrate Your Hair

You probably think your color-treated tresses need all the moisture they can get, but it's probably not in the way that you think. Diane Minar, a senior scientist at Nexxus New York Salon Care, told Elle that wetting your hair too often causes the strands to swell which lets the color out. Trade in your daily washes for some dry shampoo treatment.

3

Turn Up The Heat

You may love the sleek look a flat iron provides, but all that heat could be doing some serious harm to your dyed mane. Dr. Jeni Thomas, a senior scientist for Pantene Pro-V, told Glamour that colored hair is more susceptible being damaged by heat so you should always keep your tools on a low setting if you must use them.

4

Over Wash

No one is suggesting you forgo shampooing all together (unless you're into that, then girl do you). But it turns out that too much hair-washing is a major no-no for colored hair. Haleh Lekkos, a colorist from Base Color Bar, told Bustle that dyed hair only should be washed every two to three days to avoid prematurely stripping the color.

5

Neglecting Blonde Shades

If you prefer platinum or sun-kissed tresses, then you probably don't want them to turn yellow or brassy. Cassondra Kaeding, a colorist at Sally Hershberger Los Angeles, told Allure that hair can turn brassy by not using purple-toning hair products. The purple hue isn't permanent; it just counteracts the orange or yellow tones in your hair.

6

Tussle With A Towel

No one wants to waste time on wet hair, but getting ready too quickly is a definite mistake. Lisa Marie, VP of shows and education for Farouk Systems, told Good Housekeeping that roughing up your hair with a towel can leave frizzy ends and even fade color. Opt for an air dry method or at least take a gentler approach.

7

Soak Up The Sun

As tempting as it may be to soak up some rays, your dyed hair is basically like a vampire when it comes to the sun. Celebrity stylist Lona Vigi told Elle that UV rays can fade and damage color-treated tresses and suggest protecting them with a hydrating mask.

8

Switch Salons Too Often

Bouncing from salon to salon could actually be taking its toll on your strands. Celebrity colorist Rita Hazan told Refinery29 that your hued hair will never look consistent if you never go to the same stylist twice. Find a stylist you love and stick to them.

9

Use Too Many Chemicals

You may swear by your favorite hair products, but they may not be color-friendly. Celebrity colorist Sharon Dorram told New Beauty that hairspray and styling products with high alcohol content will dry your treated hair out really fast. Opt for sprays and creams that are specifically designed for colored hair.

10

Go Glossy

Overdoing the products which make tresses glisten is bad for your dyed 'do. Colorist Cassondra Kaeding told Allure that hair gloss isn't meant for everyday use and can even alter the shade of your hair to an unsightly green.

11

Forget Pool Rules

OK, so you already know now that UV rays are a no-no for colored hair, but did you know that heading to the pool can be bad for another reason? Yup, I'm talking about the chemical component. Colorist Adrian Wallace from the Rita Hazan Salon told Glamour that the chlorine in pool water strips color regardless of the shade, but it's especially bad for blondes. So next time don't forget to put on a swimming cap the next time you're going swimming.