by Heather Moreland

Created on: November 11, 2010   Last Updated: November 16, 2010

     Shampooing your color treated hair can either ruin your color or enhance it.  Color treated hair should only be washed with shampoo specifically created for color treated hair.

     Oils and chemicals can strip the color from the hair shaft causing color to fade quickly.  The chemical processing from color treating your hair can also dry your hair out.  It is important to be extra careful to replenish your hair's nutrients and moisture which can be done through the correct shampoos and conditioners.

     The best and most expensive way to protect color treated hair is to use sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. A sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner can make your hair color last much longer.  I would recommend using sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners purchased in a salon as the store brand imitations don't do a very good job of moisturizing your hair.  A good one to try is Alterna's Caviar line of shampoos and conditioners.

     If salon brand sulfate-free shampoos are out of your price range, you can opt for a salon brand shampoo and conditioner that is created specifically for color treated hair.  I would suggest Redken's Color Extend or Biolage.  Washing your color treated hair with salon brand shampoos and conditioners is important if you want your hair to look healthy.      

     Another great product is Wen haircare which can be ordered online or on HSN.  Wen is shampoo and conditioner in one product.  Out of the many, many products I have used in a battle to fight fading and drying of color treated hair this is by far the best I have ever come across.  If I could afford to use it everyday for the rest of my life and never use a "regular" shampoo again, I would.  Seriously.

     If all of these options are out of your price range the best thing you can do is wash your hair with baby shampoo (Johnson's is best) or Pantene and condition with Pantene conditioner.

     Obviously, the more you shampoo your hair the quicker your color will fade.  You should make sure you are not washing your hair everyday.  Every three days would be ideal, or longer if you can manage it.  And, every other day at the most.

    After spending so much time and money on coloring your hair, why not choose to spend some extra time and money on keeping it vibrant and shiny? 

     The process of caring for your color treated hair is just as important as the process of making sure it is colored correctly.  If you neglect the care of your color treated hair, your color will quickly fade and your hair could end up dry and coarse.

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