Receiving an excellent hair color treatment is about having another ‘great hair day.’ Right after you get out of the salon, you’re so excited – and confident too – to show off your crowning glory. The fantasies about achieving new lovely hairstyles excite you even more.
But the idea that some attractive styles require straightening your hair takes a more significant toll on all those beautiful fantasies. You know that the heat from straightening tools and chemicals in the straightening treatments can damage your hair, especially when it’s colored.
The good news is whether straightening becomes damaging for your dyed hair or not is in your own hands. This means if you know the dos and don’ts of straightening dyed hair and become a bit choosy about the products you use, a mere straightening can never keep you from acquiring beautiful styles on your colored hair! Doing something safely is easy when you know what you’re doing.
But what are we here for? Good question. We came up with extensive research as well as expert opinions on how you can safely operate straightening tools and have treatments which products you should keep handy and which ones to avoid entirely.
So, in this article, we’ll be explaining:
- How to safely straighten your hair after you dye it,
- Different at-home straightening methods,
- How to care for your dyed hair, and;
- The most important frequently asked questions in terms of dyeing and straightening your hair
But before all that, the hub query must be answered in the first place.
Can I Straighten My Hair After Dying It?
Yes, but only after ensuring your dyed hair is not severely damaged during the coloring process. Even if the hair isn’t dyed, the high temperatures and chemicals in straightening methods can cause damage. Following the post-dyeing straightening guide below can make the process safer and more accessible.
How Long Should I Wait To Straighten My Hair After Dyeing It & Why?
Ideally, wait for at least two weeks before flat-ironing or having a professional straightening treatment. It takes 48-72 hours for hair to expel excess color, and the dye pigments take around 8-10 days to settle into the hair core. Straightening hair two weeks after coloring could lighten your hair two or three shades.
Does Straightening Hair Fade Color?
Whether it’s your natural hair or hair extensions, everything used to straighten it may cause the colored hair to fade. The same rule – High heat causes it to change its color and causes split ends and dry hair. The same goes with straightening treatments – the chemicals penetrate the hair core and change its internal structure, causing hair to change color.
Also read: How to Dry Your Hair When Camping? A Simple Yet Effective Guide
How to Straighten My Hair After Dyeing It?
Well, there are mainly two established, popular, and effective methods to straighten your hair after dyeing it. Using a flat iron and having a keratin treatment. Each one has its pros and cons. But with the proper techniques, you can minimize the risk factors and boost the results without your hair color getting faded.
So, let’s jump ahead to the flat ironing first.
How to ‘Flat Iron’ My Hair After Coloring It
Flat ironing dyed hair is different – and sometimes tricky – than undyed hair. You don’t only have to focus on mere straightening; saving your hair’s color is the main focus, keeping it from damage and breakage.
So, we turned our heads to a few expert hair stylists and got what they suggest when flat ironing your dyed hair.
1. First, Prep for the Straightening Process
This means washing it out before you straighten your dyed hair. It won’t cause your hair to change color unless you use cold water. Francesca Rapolla, an expert from the Research and Development team at Unilever, said, “Hot water opens up the hair cuticle, possibly making more color leach out.” In contrast, cold water tends to “seal” the cuticle.
Washing out dyed hair beforehand will also help remove any product build-ups, making it smoother and more refined and making the straightening process faster, much easier, and more effective. Also, during the washout, hair care products labeled “smoothing” may be able to help prepare the strands for the process by providing significant moisture.
2. Now, Let Your Hair Dry
Never think of picking up the iron before your hair is bone dry. Yep, almost 100% dry.
“Hair should be bone dry when you straighten.” If you see steam or you hear a sizzle, stop and evaluate the situation,” says Harry Josh, the stylist behind the sleek hair of models like Taylor Hill.
And if you’re pretty sure that the hair is dry, the evident moisture may be that of the product build-up that you may have used to dry your hair. “You must be selective about what products you use before flatiron,” insists Sarah. “You should avoid applying anything to dry hair, which makes straightening different from curling. Because the iron clamps down on the hair, there’s nowhere for the product to go. You’re essentially boiling the product into the follicle, which isn’t a great idea, especially when it contains alcohol.”
The hair dryer is the perfect option to dry your hair. Right? Wrong. Tim Rogers, the creative director for Living Proof, says, “The blow dryer is what’s the most damaging to the hair, so that makes all the difference when you’re trying to get a sleek finish.”
Still can’t kick the dryer idea off? You have two things to be mindful of then. First, select the hair dryer according to your hair type, so you don’t risk your hair getting damaged. For example, using a hair dryer for 4C hair onto your acceptable hair type won’t be a great idea since the high heat and powerful airflow from that specific dryer would be enough to fry that suitable hair type.
Second, Sarah suggests rough drying, which involves shaking the dryer back and forth over the head until it’s 80% finished.
“But it’s important to keep the nozzle facing the entire time downwards. Otherwise, the hair will frizz,” she notes. To the next 20%, apply your product, let it air dry, or, Tim says, “Blow it out smooth for the best result,” Tim says.
3. Use A Thermal/Heat Protectant
According to celebrity hairstylist Jill Buck, “Heat protectants are designed to be the first line of defense against any heat before your natural oils and moisture,”
The quality heat protectants contain ingredients like humectants, which preserve moisture and block frizz; amino acids to strengthen hair and provide antioxidants; and natural oils and extracts, which protect and seal the hair’s cuticle.
Turns out, the more your colored hair is moisturized and heat-protected, the lower the chances of heat making any negative impact on it.
4. Now is the Time to Pick your Iron
Here, you need to be careful about two aspects. First is the quality and overall workability of the iron. This involves some features of the iron that contribute to less hair damage and hair color fading.
- The iron plates should be ceramic or tourmaline, and it the best if there’s a mixture of both materials. Both materials distribute the heat evenly over the entire surface of the flat iron and make straightening safer, more straightforward, and quicker.
- It should emit negative ions that prevent your hair from frizzing up.
- It should have adjustable temperature settings to control better the heat your hair can bear.
Our research also showed this HSI Professional Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron to be the best as it meets all the criteria above.
The second important thing is handling the iron, meaning using it with the proper technique. This YouTube video will help you understand how to safely operate the flat iron, reducing the chance of fading color and hair damage and breakage.
5. Monitor Your Temperature
Avoiding too-hot temperatures will not only lower the color fading chance but save your hair from becoming overly dried and brittle. Usually, flat irons’ temperatures range between 400-450, which is scorching for color-treated hair.
“Coarse hair does need a higher heat,” says T3 stylist Jeanna Piazzolla. “But fine hair and especially damaged or color-treated hair should stay in the safe zone of 300 to 350 degrees.”
“The 450-degree setting was designed specifically for in-salon, professional keratin treatments,” Tim says. “It wasn’t meant for consumers. But now, everyone can use it, which makes the at-home process faster.” This comes at the expense of your hair’s health and the beautiful color you’ve just paid big bucks.
6. Lastly, Moisturize your Hair
Doing all pre-straightening preps is good, but flat ironing can still make your hair look and feel a bit dull and dry. You need to revive the lost hydration back. Moisturizing treatments add moisture to the hair strand cortex, fill any missing gaps in the cuticle, and increase the hair’s elasticity.
Also, moisturizers help add shine to your hair and make the color more vibrant and fresh. Before you moisturize post-ironing, make sure your hair is entirely relaxed.
The Perfect Straightening Treatment After Coloring the Hair
Some crucial aspects determine which straightening treatment will work the best. First, the same 15-day gap between coloring and straightening applies no matter which treatment you go for. Secondly, you must ensure the treatment you choose is less damaging and reactive and more beneficial and results-oriented.
Amongst dozens of straightening treatments available, we consider keratin straightening the most suitable and easy. Though keratin may have setbacks, it’s still worth doing compared to others.
Also read: 10 Tips on How to Stop Hair from Tangling at Nape of Neck
Keratin Hair Straightening Treatment: What is it?
Keratin treatment, aka Brazilian blowout or Brazilian keratin treatment, is a chemical procedure usually done in a salon that can make hair look straighter for as long as six months. The only issue with keratin that might be bothering you is that it pushes you out of your comfort zone. Yes, it does, but the good news is that you can get your keratin kit and straighten your hair in the comfort of your home! Before we get into how you do that, let’s first mention its pros and cons.
So why is it better for your colored hair? We have so many reasons for that.
If you do keratin before dyeing your hair, it’ll stop the color from penetrating it. This very penetration-blocking thing turns into good news for your colored hair.
Keratin, when done post-coloring, creates a barrier and wraps around the strands, replenishing the natural keratin in your hair. This helps in batting away harmful environmental factors, from humidity to smog and pollution.
This way, you’re better at locking in the color and giving your hair more shine and vibrancy.
Our bodies naturally produce keratin, a protein in hair and nail makeup. Some additional benefits that a keratin treatment can give include:
Smooth, shiny hair,
- More manageable hair
- A constant hair growth
Cons of a Keratin Treatment
- Though not all, many keratin treatments contain formaldehyde, which is what only makes the hair look straighter. This chemical can be dangerous if inhaled.
- Each salon keratin treatment can cost anywhere between $300-800, plus a tip.
- This treatment becomes hard to manage in many ways. You have to lessen water interaction by washing your hair or swimming.
Now, we think you’re pretty convinced that the keratin straightening treatment is suitable for a long-lasting straightening effect post-coloring your hair. If you’re unfamiliar with how to have this treatment at home, this YouTube video can help you figure out the process.
After you’re done with the at-home keratin treatment, the only thing you’ll have to arrange for is to restore your hair’s natural glory, which was affected a bit during the process. For that, you need to apply a product that repairs that damage. We recommend getting this Keratin-Infused Anti-Frizz Hair Repair Bundle that includes a serum and a hair masYourour hot shower feel rebuilds strands from within and forms a protective coating around straightened hair. The keratin hair mask is formulated to restore, nourish, and strengthen hair. Thomas acts as soon as you apply it to your hair, restoring the structure of the hair to renew elasticity, shine, and softness.
How to Maintain Dyed Hair? The Guide
By following a few tips and making a few changes in your hair care routine, you can make the dye last significantly longer than ever. So, there we go!
1. Wash Time is Important
Coloring the hair causes the cuticle layer to open, easily penetrating the hair shaft. When you wash your hair too soon after dyeing it, it becomes easier for the color to be washed down the drain.
So what’s the ideal time to wash it out? Wait 72 hrs before shampooing it. The color takes at least three days to bear a shampoo wash and your hair cuticles to close.
2. Never Shampoo Too Often
After that three-day wait, don’t shampoo-wash your hair regularly. Frequent washing not only causes the natural hair oils that moisturize your hair and keep the color looking Fresh, but it also washes away a little bit of your hair dye. So, the key to making your dye last longer with its full vibrancy is keeping a 2-3-day gap between each wash.
Also, replacing your regular shampoo with color protection can help a lot. These special shampoos help keep color-treated hair from fading and maintain the color over a more extended period than regular shampoos. Also, these shampoos give color-treated hair a healthy shine and keep it moisturized and well-nourished.
3. Conditioning is a Must
Do you always condition after each shampoo wash using your favorite conditioner? Great! But color-treated hair needs more care and moisturization to keep it looking fresh and increase the dyeing time. The perfect way to achieve both goals is by conditioning the hair with a unique color. A color-last conditioner offers the moisturization and smoothness your hair needs and gives the dye a better lock.
4. Hot Water Isn’t So Great for Hair Color
When shampooing, keep the temperature down no matter how amazing your hot showers feel. Hot water causes your hair cuticles to get opened, making an easy path for the color to get drained out of your hair.
5. Never Forget to Protect it from the Outside
Here, we mean protecting your dyed hair from ultraviolet rays. No matter the season, extended exposure to sunlight can fade your hair color. But if it’s impossible for you not to face the sun, you can apply a UV protection filter.
Another factor that may cause hair color to fade is the chlorine in the swimming pool water. Chlorine can dramatically cause discoloration and drive it to leak. But that’s not to say you will miss a fun swim session with your friends – you can check this guide on keeping your hair dry and safe when swimming, and there you go for the exciting venture without taking any toll on your dyed hair.
5. Eat Right
What you eat has a significant, direct impact on the health and looks of your hair. The nutrients a healthy diet offers energy that fuels hair growth and luster. A high iron and protein diet increases your body’s protein keratin, improves your hair’s texture, strengthens it, and stimulates its growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Straighten My Hair Before Dying?
Yes, but it’s better to dye the hair when it’s free of products, except for shampoo. Straightening requires you to use the serum to protect your hair, which could cause the dye to not penetrate properly into the hair. But if you still want both services, don’t do them on the same day or week. Instead, you should always wait for 15 days between straightening and coloring. The chemicals in the hair dye will dampen the effects of hair-straightening ingredients.
Can I Have My Hair Straightened and Colored at the Same Time?
Yes, you can. But you will have to do one action at a time or another at another. This means either straightening your hair before dyeing it or vice versa. Doing both, especially with less time between them, is the recipe for not having the results. If you choose to straighten your hair post-dyeing, you’ll have to follow the tips and tricks for the safest and result-oriented straightening session.
Can I Straighten Bleached Hair?
Yes, you can. But it all depends on the condition of the bleached hair. Hair that stretches and doesn’t spring back, or hair with a melting or sticky texture, isn’t something you shouted straighten. Straightening is possible with hair that is healthier than hair that stretches and shrinks back.
Can I Dye My Hair With Leave-in Conditioner In It?
Products like leave-in conditioners contain chemicals that can react with the chemicals in the dye, which may affect the overall result of the final results. However, having some products like hair spray or natural oils in hair when dyeing is usually okay. Your stylist recommends washing it for 1-2 days before dyeing it.
Wrapping Up
If you ‘really’ want to achieve something, you ultimately find a way to do so, and vice versa. The same applies to straightening your hair when it’s dyed. Your job was just to find the way, and our job was to present that to you. Now, we can say nothing but wish you have your next dyed – and straightened – excellent hair day. Let’s say a resounding, “A mere straightening can never keep you from acquiring beautiful styles on your colored hair!”