Now that you’ve switched up your hair color, it’s time to update your hair care routine. Flattering new colors bring new challenges, which can make your locks frizzy and brittle. To make sure your curls remain healthy, and your new tress color lasts, here are a few maintenance tips for dyed hair.

Don’t Shampoo 24 hours After Dying Your Hair

Shampoo your hair before applying the dye. By shampooing early, you ensure three things. One, your scalp is clean. Two, you can wait three days before cleansing your scalp again. And three, you will only have to rinse your locks with cold water at the end of the hairstyling process.

Avoid Excessive Hair Washing

Every time you wash your hair, you open your cuticles. The chemical in dyes makes your hair more vulnerable to damage. And, since shampoos are known to strip tresses of moisture, oils, and products avoidance is best. If you must rinse product build-up often, try dry shampoos or have the water run over your hair to remove the excess sud or conditioner.

Rinse with Cold Water

Minimizing heat use includes limiting your hair’s exposure to direct hot water. When rinsing, adjust your water temperature to lukewarm or cold. Hot water lifts the cuticles, allowing for quicker color loss. No, you don’t have to stop taking hot showers — simply tweak your shower habits to reduce your likelihood of leaving the bath with damp or wet curls.

Softly Dry Hair with A Towel

Gently blot sections of your hair with a microfiber towel or rag. There are also lots of fun, trendy hairstyles to let your hair air dry in such as Bantu knots, wash-and-go mini-braids, and flat twists. These styles make sure you look great for a quick run to the grocery store or video-chat meeting, while your hair dries.

Eat Your Proteins and Drink Water 

Your hair needs a good regimen to stay healthy. But you also need to eat a well-balanced diet rich in iron, water, proteins, and an assortment of vitamins. Your diet feeds your hair. Adequate amounts of nutritious foods maintain healthy hair and encourage growth.

That doesn’t mean you have to radically change your diet. Additions of whole eggs, nuts, salmon, turkey peas are great sources of proteins outside of traditional meats. Avocados plus spinach naturally increase your iron levels. While sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes make hair-boosting snacks rich in vitamins and minerals.

Re-dye Less Often

Dyed hair isn’t the touch-up regularly, high-maintenance type. Unless your hair grows fast and you’re trying to keep your gray roots covered. You can wait for six weeks or longer before your next refresh. Color-treated locks get dry and brittle pretty easily. Repeat touchups intensify the likelihood of split ends and breakage.

Protect and Hydrate Your Hair

Colored hair is more vulnerable. Don’t skip the conditioning after you have cleansed your scalp and locks. Deep conditioning with homemade masks of hydrating oil treatments for 30-minutes or overnight also aid the health of processed hair.

The Wrap

If you’re looking to keep your color gorgeous and your curls healthy, make sure to change your hair care routine according to the needs of your new ‘do.