Whether you’re new to hair dye or have been doing it for years, maintaining colour-treated hair is essential for hair health.
Hair expert Victoria Pantin told GB News that regulating the temperature of your shower can massively enhance the duration of colour treatments.
Hot water is one of the common culprits that compromises hair colour, the expert explained, recommending lukewarm water instead.
She said: “No one wants to be washing their hair in freezing cold water, but equally washing your hair in piping hot water that is lovely for our bodies isn’t necessarily great for our hair and our hair’s colour.
Hair risks being stripped of its colour is washed in hot water
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In essence, hot water can lift the outer cuticle layer, which holds the colour in, thus speeding up the rate at which it fades.
Pantin continued: “Typically warmer water will help to raise the cuticle layers, allowing product below the hair’s surface. This is great for shampoos.
“However, once we’ve conditioned the hair we want to close the cuticle layers to lock the moisture in and have beautiful shiny hair.”
She added that cooler water “is great for maintaining colour, especially if you have more vibrant or semi-permanent colours”.
Celebrity hairstylist and educator Gustav Fouche echoes this advice, explaining that cold water has additional benefits for the scalp.
“Rinsing hair with cold water primarily benefits the scalp rather than the hair,” he said.
“While cold water can help shrink the cuticle – making it lie flatter and appear smoother – its main advantage is soothing the scalp and reducing inflammation.
“Cold water forces blood away from the scalp’s surface, which helps calm any irritation.
“Using very hot water can overheat the skin, so cooling it down with cold water is much better for the follicles.”
Fouche recommends switching up the regimen every six weeks by adding a clarifying shampoo on the scalp.
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Clarifying shampoos remove a build-up of silicone on the scalp
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“Using a clarifying shampoo every six weeks can help eliminate product buildup, especially if you use a lot of styling products.
“Whether you need a clarifying shampoo depends on whether your products contain silicones. Silicone-free products typically do not require clarifying as silicones can accumulate and damage hair over time due to their water-resistant (hydrophobic) nature.”
Extending the time between washes will also help the scalp retain its natural oils and thus, colour.
By coating the hair shaft, sebum prevents dehydration and keeps locks supple.
