 Let's have a chat about how heat can influence your hair.
Unfortunately, both natural and artificial heat can have negative impacts on your hair. This includes things like hot water, the sun, heaters in your home and car, straighteners, curling irons, hairdryers, rollers etc. All these different influences can dry out your hair causing damage. It can cause frizz, dry hair, split ends, colour fading in natural and artificial, minor hair breakage. You can try different things to help your hair from being affected by heat. Here are 4 easy tips to follow to avoid heat-stressed locks; → It is recommended when washing your hair to have the water cold. If this is not possible then as cold as you can tolerate, even lukewarm. → When in the sun, using a leave-in conditioner that has UV protection and or wearing a hat can reduce heat stress. → If you are using electrical heat then try to keep usage to a minimum and use a thermal protection spray beforehand. → When using a straightener or curler, hotter is not always better. If you have temperature control, set it to 160-185 degrees. These tips can help reduce stress on your hair and keep it looking as healthy as possible in the future.
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 Whilst red hair can be super fun, it can be just as costly in maintenance as being blonde, but here we're going to cover all the ways to get the most out of your red hair adventures!
The number one rule with red hair colour or any colour for that matter.... HEAT REMOVES COLOUR!! Yes hot water, hair dryer, straightener or other heated appliances, and the sun, will all be responsible for your colour fading, some more than others. For longevity in your colour avoid heat at all costs, so wash with cool water, let it air dry and wear a hat in the sun. Secondly, if you've ever had a fashion colour and understand that the colours can run, be mindful to use a dark towel for your hair, and a dark pillow case if you must go to bed with wet/damp hair (should be avoided for scalp health), and depending on the colour product you have use, avoid getting caught in the rain. The next problem with colour fade is the products you use. If you are truly committed to your colour adventure the ditch the shampoo! Yes throw out your shampoo! The main ingredients in shampoo's are usually water, salt, detergent and silicone. Salt is drying your hair out, reducing the hair's ability to retain colour and moisture. Detergents being the cleaning agent is stripping the colour from your hair and also reducing the hair's ability to retain colour and moisture. And silicones are responsible for making your hair feel amazing with every wash, but it is not easily removed and then builds up on the hair shaft coating it and preventing future colour from attaching to your hair as it should (not going to get super scientific for you, just going to keep it basic). There are a huge range of cleansing conditioners commonly referred to as co-wash, that are ideal substitutes for shampoos, or if you really can't break away from a shampoo as a part of your routine, the you could look at some baby shampoos as they are incredibly gentle for both hair and scalp. Finally, maintenance. If you can follow everything mentioned above you should see a significant change in your colour longevity, however, if you hair is not in the best condition it is likely you will still be experiencing some fade. If this is the case for you there are two more suggestions for you; • Pigmented Conditioners (warning, can be messy), and • In salon colour refresher.  We spend our hard earned cash on getting our hair coloured, whether it be to cover the pigment challenges strands, to be different, or to simply have a change, but....
Are you washing your cash down the drain!? Start preserving your cash and your colour now. Colour fades for a number of reasons...
We've covered in previous blogs the effects of chlorine and sun on the hair, you can read these here Chlorine & Sun Like the sun, heat damages colour molecules whether they be natural or organic. Avoiding sun and heated appliances are crucial to preserving your colour, but just as important is washing with cool water, I have seen colours wash straight out with even warm water, and for different reasons. Fashion colours are notorious for it as is damaged or porous hair. So I bet you've already wondered, what is considered damaged or porous hair!? Your hairs outer layer is called a cuticle, it best described as fish scales, and these cuticles in healthy hair close down along the hair shaft protecting the inner core of the hair as well as locking in protein, moisture and colour. When the cuticle becomes damaged it cannot close and retain protein, moisture or colour, but it also allows other chemicals, heat and pollutants in. Damaged or porous hair looks dull and lifeless, tangles easily, soaks up water easily but can dry very quickly. Washing hair too often shortens the life of your colour, you're using hot water and shampoo, as I mentioned earlier you hair has a cuticle layer and shampoo is designed to open the cuticle slightly to allow the removal of dirt, oil and pollutants, and with this then removes colour. It is recommended that you wash every 3 days as a minimum, and don't forget to use cool water. In recent years there has been a lot of hype around paraben and sulphate free products and I'm sure at some stage you've learnt that silicone's are bad too, and as a result most professional products have eliminated the use of these ingredients but another thing to be aware of is the alcohol content of the products you use, including styling products. Alcohol is a drying agent and when used frequently on the hair it has the same impact. May your colour last the distance! If you have anything to add or any feedback, please leave your comments below. |
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