I have been dying my hair for well over a year now, with vibrant, often light colors that do need a lot of work! I refresh my own hair in between going to my local salon, but I am often looking to make sure my hair’s vibrant color sticks for as long as it can. There are a few things you can do to help with vibrant color lasting. Often, when getting your hair dyed a vibrant color, you’ll want to make sure you are washing your hair only 1 to 2 times a week (I wear a shower cap if it’s not a day to get my hair wet) and make sure you are using cold or cool water. You need to ensure you are not using heat tools when possible, and if you are, you should use a strong heat protectant. One other thing, which is extremely important, is your shampoo and conditioner. There are a lot of brands out there that make shampoo and conditioners specifically for colored hair, as they need to be sulfate-free. I’ve tinkered around with a few different brands and want to share my thought:
Olaplex Shampoo and Conditioner
Now, I have previously made an entire post around the Olaplex Shampoo and Conditioner, which aren’t advertised as “for colored hair” and instead are advertised as “all hair types”. It’s the most expensive of this list, but I do feel that Olaplex is worth it, not just for colored hair, but for all hair types. Particularly, though, if you are bleaching your hair, this shampoo and conditioner will do wonders. I found my hair SO much softer, my color vibrant, and everything felt very healthy. This shampoo and conditioner is thick, so for thicker hair, you might be using a lot. If I am showering twice a week, I do one shower with this and one shower with a cheaper brand, as you do not need to use it several times a week, unless your hair is really damaged. I also let the shampoo sit in my hair for at least 10 minutes before washing it out, then do the same with the conditioner. It’s really nurshing and worth the price tag.
Color Wow Color Security Shampoo and Conditioner
When I first started coloring my hair, I went with the Color Wow Color Security Shampoo and Conditioner. Color Wow is a well-known brand, but it does have a higher-end salon price point. For me, as someone already spending money on coloring my hair, this is a well worth investment. They do have two options; one for fine to normal hair that has argan oil and one for normal to thick hair, that has avocado oil, which helps untangle hair. This shampoo and conditioner does lather more than the previous one, which is something that I very much like, and it doesn’t feel as thick or heavy. It’s good at striping out all residue in your hair, so if you have dry or coarse hair, you might find it drying if you use it to often. I found that with the way I was bleaching my hair and also going into chlorine pools without hair protection, it wasn’t restoring my hair as much as I would have liked. Either way though, Color Wow Color Security Shampoo and Conditioner a very solid option for those looking to keep their hair vibrant.
Herbal Essence Ignite My Color
Herbal Essence Ignite My Color is a very affordable, well known brand of color specific shampoo and conditioner. It is a shampoo and conditioner designed for color hair, according to the bottles, but it does still contain sulfates. This will make your hair dryer and will strip color faster. The Herbal Essence Ignite My Color does do a good job of cleaning and hydrating your hair, for the price point, and does have a nice sweet floral scent which lasts a good amount of time. We do like the Herbal Essence brand and often use it in our household, as a good budget brand, but for colored hair it’s not ideal. If you are using the first shampoo and conditioner in this post, this is an okay option to use in between, but it doesn’t have a lot of benefits for colored hair despite the name.