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What Type of Hair Dryers Work for Frizzy Hair

December 13, 2022January 5, 2019

If you have been using your old hair dryer for years, you might find that it takes forever to complete drying and your hair often turns out frizzy. Low-quality blow-dryers, especially those with metallic heating parts, can get too hot and leave your hair looking dry and frazzled. These hair dryers disperse positive ions when heated, which causes the hair cuticles to lift, leading to dryness and frizz.

Your blow dryer plays a crucial role in your hair care routine, and modern blow dryers work better for frizzy hair than old models. The new generation of hair dryers is designed to cut down drying time and preserve the health and beauty of your hair. By investing in a quality appliance and learning the best drying techniques, you can minimize frizz and enjoy smooth and shiny locks.

Here’s a list of the most important features you should consider if you are in the market for a new blow dryer.

a girl drying her curly hair in the bathroom

Blow-Dryers for Frizz-Free Hair

1. Blow Dryers with Tourmaline and Ceramic Components

Ceramics in the heating element helps to distribute the heat more evenly than other materials. Ceramic components radiate non-damaging infrared heat and produce negative ions, resulting in faster drying and less heat damage to your hair. Healthy hair has properly closed cuticles that resist atmospheric humidity keeping your locks smooth and shiny.

Tourmaline is a semiprecious stone that emits negatively-charged ions when heated. When tourmaline powder is infused into the internal parts of a blow-dryer, it accelerates the drying process and seals the cuticles to eliminate static and create a smooth, frizz-free finish.

The gentlest heat is produced when tourmaline powder is combined with the ceramic heating element.

Suggested Brands: 1875w Ceramic Tourmaline Hair Dryer by JIEUSDIRECT, RUSK Engineering Super Freak Professional 2000 Watt Dryer, Asavea Vigor Hair Dryer Pro AC Motor Ionic, Ceramic Fast 1875W Blow Dryer by AsaVea.

2. Frizz Fighting Hair Dryer Attachments

Styling Nozzle

A dryer for frizzy hair should come with an airflow concentrator attachment. Without the nozzle, hot air will just blow around, causing a frizzy mess. A narrow concentrator nozzle produces a faster and more concentrated airflow, resulting in a sleek and polished finish. This attachment is suitable if you want straighter, smoother hair.

young woman using blow-dryer with the nozzle

Hair Dryer Diffuser

A hair diffuser is crucial if you have curly or wavy hair. A diffuser attachment softens the airflow, keeping the blow dryer from frizzing your hair. It helps to create softer, fuller, and more defined curls.

Look for a diffuser with a concave shape and a lot of holes. The high number of holes helps to distribute the airflow more evenly and blow away the frizz.

3. Frizz Defense Technologies

Ionic Technology

Ionic conditioning technology helps to seal the hair cuticle to lock in moisture and leave your hair smooth and sleek. Ceramic parts and tourmaline coating produce negatively charged ions to neutralize positive charges for increased softness and a frizz-free finish.

Although great for combating frizz, negative ions can leave fine and straight hair limp and without volume. Some hair dryers offer an optional ionic function.

Suggested Brands: Conair 1875 Watt Ionic Ceramic Hair Dryer and Revlon 1875W Smooth and Quick Blowouts Hair Dryer

SoftAire Technology

Hair dryers that are powered by SoftAire Technology generate a wide airflow enriched with negative ions to dry large sections of hair quickly and gently. This technology helps to neutralize static, reduce frizz, and increase your hair’s shine.

Suggested brand: T3 Featherweight Luxe 2I Dryer

3D Airflow Technology

3D airflow technology helps to produce evenly heated and constant airflow, letting you dry and style your hair fast with minimal heat damage. Your hair feels healthy and smooth and your style lasts longer.

Suggested brand: Remington AIR 3D Hair Dryer

Nano Technology for Smoother, Shinier Hair

Nano-heating technology draws moisture from the air to hydrate your hair as it is being dried. This technology helps close the cuticle to minimize frizz and enhance hair’s smoothness and shine.

Suggested brand: Panasonic Compact Hair Dryer with Nano Technology

4. Other Anti-Frizz Features

Multiple Heat Settings

Blow dryers with multiple heat and speed settings allow you to customize the drying speed and heat to suit your hair type. If your hair is prone to frizz, stick with the low and medium heat settings.

Cool Shot Button

A cool shot button is another must-have if your hair is prone to frizz. Using a burst of cool air helps lock in your style and keeps frizz to a minimum.

Blow-Drying Tips for Frizzy Hair

In addition to choosing a good dryer, here are some tips for drying your hair to achieve a long-lasting style and a frizz-free finish.

Pat dry gently with a towel to soak up excess water; twisting and rubbing your hair with a towel can cause frizziness.
Let your hair air dry until it is about 80% dry. Blow-drying dripping wet hair can cause damage and frizziness.
Apply the heat protection and hair smoothing products of your choice and evenly distribute them through your hair before blow-drying. AVEDA Light Elements Smoothing Fluid protects the hair from heat, helps tame flyaways, and prevents the appearance of frizz.
Using the highest heat setting may harm your hair and leave it looking frizzy. Use moderate heat to dry your locks, and finish drying with a blast of cool air to create a shiny and silky finish.
Holding the dryer in one place can cause heat damage, making hair more prone to frizz. To evenly disperse the air and heat, constantly move your blow-dryer in circular motions.
Point the nozzle downward when you blow-dry your hair. When the nozzle is pointed down, the airflow creates a smoother and shinier appearance, keeping the frizz at bay.
Use normally sized blow-dryers whenever you can. Travel-size hair dryers don’t have enough power to dry your hair efficiently and gently.

a woman pointing a hair dryer at the camera

Care and Maintenance of Hair Botox Treatments

December 13, 2022December 19, 2018

Botox for hair is a blend of essential nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, collagen, caviar oil, vitamins, and antioxidants that are used to revive damaged, lifeless, and frizzy hair. The mixture can penetrate the cuticle to restore lost keratin and provide your hair with all of the nutrients that have been lost through heat styling, chemical treatments, and normal aging. Hair Botox treatments restore dry damaged hair, leaving it more resistant to humidity, younger-looking, and shinier.

How Long Does Hair Botox Last?

On average, the effects of hair Botox last between 1-3 months. The duration of the Botox effect will vary depending on the product that you have used and how you maintain your Botox-treated hair. Your stylist may give you a home after-care kit to extend the life of your treatment.

To preserve the effects for as long as possible, you should re-evaluate your hair regimen and stay away from chemical-laden hair care products.

young magnificent woman with Hair Botox treatment

How to Wash Your Hair after Hair Botox Treatment

Unlike traditional keratin treatments, there is no specific time you should wait to wash your hair after the application. The directions vary depending on the product.

Although the directions say that you can wash your hair the same day, we recommend refraining from washing your hair for at least two days after receiving hair Botox treatment to maximize product absorption. The longer you wait, the absorption of the treatment is greater.

The effects of hair Botox will wear off faster if you wash your hair too often. To preserve the results, avoid washing your hair frequently and use dry shampoo if your scalp gets greasy quickly after shampooing.

Shampoos for Botox Treated Hair

Ordinary shampoos are not recommended after the hair Botox treatment. Your post-treatment shampoo should be gentle, pH balanced, and free of harsh sulfates. Check your shampoo bottle label to make sure that the product is free of sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and sodium chloride. Choose a pH-balanced shampoo (about 5.5) to keep the hair cuticles closed and smooth.

Shampoos for Botox-treated hair should fulfill the same requirements valid for shampoos for keratin-treated hair.

Also, choose a moisturizing conditioner that has natural seed oils, hydrolyzed proteins, and plant extracts in its formula.

young magnificent woman in luxury dress with Hair Botox treatment

Deep Conditioning

Apply a hair mask once a week to give your hair an extra boost of moisture and to restore strength and smoothness. Choose a rejuvenating formula that is infused with hydrolyzed keratin, argan oil, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides to mend damaged strands and reinvigorate your hair.

Styling Routine

Avoid frequent blow-drying and heat styling, as excess heat can damage the cuticle and negatively affect the treatment. If you decide to use hot styling tools, make sure to use a heat protectant. Use chemical-free styling products enriched with keratin and argan oil for optimal moisture balance and a sealed cuticle layer.

Coloring Your Hair after Hair Botox Treatment

It is recommended that you color your hair first, then do a Hair Botox treatment after the color service. If you decide to do the Botox treatment immediately after the coloring procedure, use a color-safe clarifying shampoo to eliminate any residue or impurities before the Hair Botox application.

Your hair color will be sealed with the Hair Botox treatment without any adverse effects. Your color will look even more natural and attractive, and the color fading is also slower.

You need to wait at least two weeks to color your hair after the hair Botox service to avoid any undesired side effects. If you color your hair permanently soon after hair Botox service, the chemicals in hair dyes will disturb the cuticle, diminishing the effects of your hair Botox treatment.

Chemical-free hair dyes are more gentle on hair, so they can be used on hair that has recently undergone a hair Botox treatment.

young woman in luxury dress with Hair Botox treatment

Swimming in a Public Pool

Exposure to salt and chlorine can shorten the life of any hair-smoothing treatment. Always rinse your hair with fresh water and apply a pre-swim hair defense product before swimming to minimize the absorption of salt or chlorine.

Rinse your hair with clean water immediately after the swim, to remove chlorine or salt residue.

A bathing cap that fits tightly can also help to protect your hair from swimming pool chemicals.

A woman wearing a swimming cap over botox treated hair

Re-Applying Hair Botox Treatment

When your Hair Botox starts to wear off, you can re-apply the treatment. Some hair professionals believe that hair Botox treatment has a cumulative effect, so you will need fewer applications over time. If you apply the treatment at home, keep in mind that each product is different and follow the directions given for that specific product.

young magnificent woman in luxury dress and botox treated hair

At-Home Hair Gloss Treatments for Smoother, Shinier Hair

December 13, 2022December 8, 2018

What is Hair Gloss?

Hair Gloss is a color-enhancing and shine-boosting hair treatment. It can be applied as a final touch after coloring or can be performed as a stand-alone treatment to refresh dull, discolored hair.

The acidic nature of glossing products helps to seal the cuticle layer. This creates a smooth surface that reflects light, adding a beautiful sheen to your hair. The film around the hair strands keeps color molecules wrapped to lock in your favorite color shade.

There are two main types of hair glossing products:

1. A clear hair gloss contains hair-smoothing ingredients that coat and seal the cuticle to boost shine.

2. A tinted hair gloss is infused with color pigments to revive fading color or enhance your natural hue.

Hair before and after hair gloss treatment

How Long Does Hair Gloss Last?

Since glosses only coat the outside of the hair, they gradually wash out with shampooing. A salon gloss treatment lasts from four to six weeks on average. If you do the treatment yourself, it may last 2-3 weeks. In both cases, you will need to reapply the glossing product periodically to maintain the results.

However, if you just need to refresh your hair for a special event, hair gloss is a great option.

At-Home Hair Gloss vs Salon

Some formulas are meant to be used by professionals (such as Redken Shades EQ Color Gloss) because their application requires skilled hands to achieve the desired shade.

Fortunately, many glossing products are easy to apply at home and can be much more affordable than in-salon treatments.

So, if you want to save some money, give it a try, especially if you are planning to use a clear gloss. Make sure to wait two days before shampooing to allow your hair enough time to absorb the treatment.

Benefits of Hair Glossing

1. Enhances Color Results

When applied after coloring, hair gloss enhances the tone of color-treated hair. When used between colorings, it revitalizes faded color and replenishes lost tones, making the color look fresh and vibrant.

2. Extends The Life Of Your Hair Color

If your color fades too fast, apply hair gloss once a week to maintain the color and prolong the time between coloring sessions. Hair glosses are especially beneficial for overly porous hair that tends to lose color quickly.

3. Adds Smoothness and Shine to Your Hair

A gloss tightly closes the hair cuticle, which results in smooth and polished hair. Hair gloss adds vibrancy and shine to your dull hair and makes it look healthier.

4. Eliminates Unwanted Tones

The application of a hair gloss can cancel out unwanted yellow and brassy tones in blonde hair and neutralize red undertones in brunette hair.

5. Reduces Frizz

This treatment seals the hair cuticle, which helps to reduce frizz and tame flyaway hair. Your hair will look and feel softer, healthier, and shinier.

6. Repairs Summer Damage

If your hair has lost its color vibrancy due to exposure to the sun and seawater, hair gloss could fix the damage and make your overly stressed hair appear shiny and healthy again.

7. Non-Committal

Before opting for permanent hair color, consider getting a glossing treatment instead. This is an easy way to make a subtle color change without using harsh chemicals. You can experiment with different shades without over-drying or damaging your locks. The effects fade away within a month, so there’s no long-term commitment.

8. Fades without Visible Line of Demarcation

Unlike permanent hair color, a hair gloss fades gradually, without leaving a harsh line of demarcation in the hair. So, there is no unsightly contrast between the new growth and previously treated hair.

9. Blends Grays

If you don’t have a high percentage of gray hair, hair gloss will blend your grays nicely, making them less noticeable.

10. Gentle on Your Hair

Hair gloss enhances your hair’s natural beauty, without any unwanted side effects. The application is more comfortable than using permanent dyes, as there is no strong ammonia smell.

Best At-Home Hair Glosses

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1. John Frieda Color REFRESHING Gloss

The John Frieda gloss is available in six shades to match different hair colors. The biggest advantage of this product is that it is very easy to use. This in-shower treatment takes just five minutes to restore hair color and shine. The formula is free of ammonia and peroxide, so it is will not damage your hair.

What this glossing treatment can do for your hair:

Refreshes the vibrancy and tones of color-treated hair between color sessions.
Makes your hair feel healthy and gives it a glossy sheen
Extend the life of your color and prolong the time between salon visits
Make gray strands less noticeable
Leaves hair soft, silky, and manageable
Neutralizes brassiness in blonde, white, and gray hair

How to Use

Make sure your hair is freshly shampooed.
Put a quarter-sized amount of the product into the palm of your hand, then work it through your hair from root to tip to coat each strand.
Leave the product on for at least 3 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Wash your hands immediately after applying.

To keep your color looking fresh, apply this product once a week.

2. Oribe Glaze for Beautiful Color

This clear conditioning glaze is easy to use at home. The product adds a beautiful shine to colored hair and helps your color last longer. It can also be used to boost the shine of virgin hair. It conditions and softens damaged hair leaving it smooth, tangle-free, and healthy-looking.

How to use: Apply a small dime size to damp hair after shampooing, run through the hair, and leave it on for about five minutes. Use once a week in place of conditioner or whatever your hair needs refreshment.

3. Bumble and Bumble Color Gloss

This glossing product comes in five shades: Cool Blonde, Warm Blonde, Universal Red, Brunette, and Clear to match different hair colors. Your highlighted hair will love the Clear.

This hair color enhancer is used to magnify shine and revive any shade of color-treated hair. It also enhances natural hair color and gives instant shine to your locks.

Bumble and Bumble Color Gloss contains conditioning ingredients that leave your hair with more volume, frizz-free, full, and easy to style. The product is free of ammonia and peroxide.

Drawback: This product could be too pricey for regular use. One tube is sufficient for up to 2 applications if you have medium-length hair. If you are not comfortable with the price, you may want to use it only for special occasions.

How to use

This hair gloss is easy to apply, as it can be used straight from the tube.

Divide your dry hair into four sections.
Apply the product throughout each section, then use a comb to spread it more evenly.
Leave the treatment on for 20 minutes, then rinse. The exception is the Cool Blonde, which only requires four minutes after application.
Follow with shampoo and conditioner.

4. R+Co Gemstone Ultra Shine Glossing Treatment

If you prefer products that deliver immediate results without adding additional steps to your daily hair care routine, R+Co Gemstone Ultra Shine Glossing Treatment might be the right choice for you. All you need is to use it once a week in place of your regular conditioner and leave it on for about five minutes.

This vegan glossing cream seals the cuticle giving your hair shine and softness and protecting the color.

The company doesn’t test its products on animals and takes steps to reduce virgin plastic consumption in product packaging.

5. Clairol Professional Radiance Color Gloss

Clairol Radiance Color Gloss is a semi-permanent hair gloss that comes in 21 glamorous shades. This ammonia-free gloss is easy to work with and doesn’t damage your hair. You can apply it to a virgin, colored, permed, or relaxed hair.

This home glossing treatment gives smoothness and sheen to dry, color-treated hair. It revives the color, providing even and lasting coverage.

If you need something to improve your lifeless and dull hair between salon appointments, Clairol Professional Radiance Color Gloss is a great color enhancer. It also leaves your hair looking healthier and shinier, and helps to define your curls.

This gloss keeps your hair shiny for approximately four to six weeks, and will slowly fade away with each wash.

How to Use

The product should be applied to damp, freshly washed hair. Make sure to also purchase the Clairol Professional Radiance Color Infuser. Use latex gloves during the preparation and application stages.

Mix 2 oz. of the Clairol Professional Radiance Color Gloss with the Clairol Professional Radiance Color Infuser in an applicator bottle.
Shake hard for about one minute.
Apply the solution to your hair and distribute it evenly to coat every strand.
Leave the mixture on your hair for 20 minutes.
Cover your hair with a plastic cap and use a hairdryer for 15 minutes. The heat helps the product to penetrate better. However, using heat is not recommended if you apply the gloss immediately after a relaxer.
Rinse your hair with warm water and apply a deep conditioner.
Rinse the conditioner and then dry and style your hair as desired.

Get Shiny Hair by Using the Right Shampoo

December 15, 2022November 19, 2018

What Makes Hair Shiny?

The external layer of your hair, known as the cuticle, helps retain moisture inside the hair and protects the inner hair structure. A properly sealed cuticle layer reflects light well, giving your hair a smooth and shiny appearance. A glossy shine is the most visible sign of clean and healthy hair.

When the cuticle layer doesn’t lie flat, your hair absorbs the light rather than reflecting it. Such hair appears dull and lifeless, even when it’s freshly washed and clean.

A loss of hair luster can be caused by excessive brushing, heat-styling, chemical treatments, and prolonged sun exposure. Other factors that influence hair shine include ethnicity, hair color, aging, and the shape of your strands. By understanding why your hair might lack shine, you can more easily find a way to restore its luster and vitality.

Shampoos for Shiny Hair

The right shampoo is a key factor in making your hair appear shiny. Hair shampoos are not able to change the shape of your hair or your hair color, but using the right shampoo can efficiently eliminate many causes of hair dullness.

No shine-boosting shampoo restores lost shine for all hair types. Your stylist should analyze your hair condition to determine the root cause of your hair dullness and then suggest the right products to target your specific issues.

1. Remove the Dulling Buildup by Using a Clarifying Shampoo

Dry shampoos, mousses, gels, hairsprays, serums, and other chemical-laden hair products can leave residue in your hair that accumulates over time. Even your regular shampoo and conditioner can leave residue behind, especially if they contain silicones. This overload of products can weigh your hair down, taking the shine and bounce away from your locks.

Ordinary shampoos work to remove dirt and excess oil, yet most standard shampoos are not able to completely remove stubborn build-up from your hair.

If your hair is dull and unmanageable due to product buildup, you need to use a deep cleansing shampoo to get rid of unwanted product residue and restore shine and vitality to your limp hair.

A clarifying shampoo is specially formulated to deeply cleanse the hair and scalp and remove old shampoos, conditioners, and daily styling products.

Chose a sulfate-free formula and use it every two weeks or once a week, depending on how many hair products you use.

Related products (all sulfate-free): Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo, Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two, Malibu C Un-Do-Goo > pH 9 Shampoo, and Solutions by Great Clips Clarifying Shampoo.

2. Chelating Shampoos Remove Mineral Deposits from Hair

If you live in a hard-water area, your hair probably loses its shine due to the high mineral content in your water. The accumulation of calcium, magnesium, and iron creates deposits on the surface of your strands, causing the hair to look flat, dull, and frizzy.

Chlorine in swimming pools can also have a damaging effect on your hair, leaving it rough, brittle, and discolored.

To remove the mineral deposits and chlorine that take the luster out of your hair, you need a chelating shampoo.

Chelating shampoos are formulated to remove hard water deposits and pool chemicals from your hair. This type of hair shampoo refreshes your hair, living it clean, shiny, and bouncy. Use a chelating shampoo about once a month and always follow up with a good conditioner.

Related products: Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three, Nothing But Clarifying Shampoo, and Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Shampoo.

3. Keratin Shampoos Bring Shine Back to Your Locks

Frequent coloring, heat styling, backcombing, and chemical straightening can damage your hair, leaving it dry and overly porous. Dullness is an obvious sign of hair damage. Damaged hair cuticles can’t reflect light.

If you suffer from hair damage, you need a repair shampoo designed to strengthen and restore damaged strands and make your hair more manageable and glossier.

Repairing shampoo enriched with hydrolyzed keratin fills the gaps in the hair shaft and temporarily repairs and strengthens damaged hair. Keratin shampoos also seal the cuticle, keeping your hair smooth, frizz-free, and shiny.

Related products: Keratin Enriched Shampoo by BELLISSO, Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner Set by O’GREEN SKIN CARE, and Keratin Protein Smoothing Shampoo by HASK.

4. PH Balanced Shampoos Keep Cuticles Sealed

pH-balanced shampoos have a pH range of 5.5 and 6.5. A shampoo with a higher pH level can cause a pH imbalance and open the cuticle. Such shampoo often contains harsh detergents that can “rough up” the cuticle layer, leading to dry, lifeless, and frizzy hair.

Check the pH level of your shampoo and select one with the correct pH balance. A pH-balanced shampoo keeps the cuticles smooth, giving your hair a shiny and healthy appearance.

Related products: Giovanni 50:50 pH Balanced Hydrating & Clarifying Lightweight Shampoo and BIOLAGE Colorlast Shampoo.

5. Moisturizing Shampoos Make Hair Elastic and Shiny

Washing your hair too frequently, especially if you use harsh shampoos, may damage the protective oily barrier around hair strands, leading to dry and brittle hair. Dehydrated hair tends to appear dull due to the porous surface of the hair shaft.

If you are dealing with dry hair, you can benefit from a moisturizing shampoo. This type of hair shampoo gently cleanses and deeply hydrates dry hair, leaving it stronger, smoother, and shinier.

Related products: R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo, SheaMoisture Curl and Shine Coconut Shampoo for Curly Hair, and Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Moisture & Shine Sulfate-Free Shampoo.

6 Tips for Glossy Hair

Wash your hair regularly. Clean hair reflects a greater amount of light than unwashed hair.
After shampooing, give your hair a final rinse with cool water. The cold water helps to seal the cuticle, leaving your hair looking smoother and shinier.
Use a deep conditioner once a week. This is especially important if your hair is very dry or suffers from chemical damage.
Consider purchasing an ionic blow-dryer, which is known to reduce drying time, tame static, and increase hair shine.
Ask your stylist for hair glossing treatment. This treatment will make your hair super lustrous. Many hair glossing products can be easily applied at home.

a girl with glossy hair and casual outfit

How to Use Semi-Permanent Hair Dyes and What Results Should You Expect?

December 15, 2022November 10, 2018

Semi-permanent hair dyes are a gentle alternative to permanent hair colors. Unlike most permanent formulas, these dyes are free from ammonia and most of them don’t require a developer. Semi-permanent dyes simply stain the hair, without chemically altering the hair structure.

Semi-permanent hair dyes provide you with longer-lasting color than temporary dyes, but they fade out faster than permanent colors. Depending on the brand, base color, and porosity of the hair the color can last between 4-6 weeks and tends to fade gradually.

This low-commitment color is a good option for people who prefer colors that are easy to change. If you want to experiment with a new shade but are not ready to make a permanent commitment, a semi-permanent color is the best choice.

How do Semi-Permanent Dyes Work?

These hair dyes are not capable of lightening hair as most don’t contain peroxide. These highly pigmented dyes work by depositing pigments on the hair shaft without opening the cuticle and penetrating the hair.

When used on unbleached hair, they condition your strands and restore color vibrancy. To achieve vibrant colors and long-lasting results, you need to pre-lighten the hair.

This type of hair dye is easy to use, and in most cases, you can apply the color straight from the applicator. You can easily do it yourself as long as you follow the directions.

What Results to Expect?

The results may vary depending on your natural hair color and the porosity of your hair. Semi-permanent dyes are only capable of darkening existing hair colors. If a vivid color is your goal, you have to bleach your hair first.

You can skip bleaching only if you have very light hair or you just want to add a subtle tint to your dark locks. The lighter the hair, the darker the color outcome.

If you are a natural blonde, your hair will look richer and shinier after semi-permanent coloring because the pigments give your hair a boost of shine.

Benefits of Semi-Permanent Hair Color

Semi-permanent hair colors have many benefits, especially if your hair is dry and porous:

They are harmless: These dyes are free of ammonia, peroxide, and other harsh additives, so they are gentler on fragile hair than permanent dyes. Semi-permanent hair colors condition the hair and smooth the cuticle, leaving your hair smoother and softer than before coloring.
Fade gracefully: When the color starts to wash out, it still looks beautiful. These colors gradually fade into a gorgeous pastel that is just as beautiful as freshly applied color.
Boost shine: Semi-permanent hair dyes are often used to remove brassy tones from hair and to add instant shine to lackluster, dull hair.
No noticeable regrowth: Semi-permanent colors fade nicely and evenly without the harsh demarcation line of grown-out roots.
Low commitment: You can switch up the color without a long-term commitment. The color gently fades between services, so you can simply choose another color to experiment with.
More volume: Fine and thin hair looks thicker and denser because the pigments instantly provide more volume.
Easy to use: They are easy to apply, so you can easily do it yourself! You don’t have to mix anything and can apply the color straight from the bottle.

Can you Cover Gray Hair with a Semi-Permanent Color?

If you’re looking to cover a small percentage of gray, most of the semi-permanent dyes will do the job, blending gray hair nicely. The color fades without showing a harsh root line. Make sure to leave the coloring product to process for longer because gray strands can be stubborn about taking color.

If you have a lot of gray hair, a permanent hair dye will give you better coverage.

Clairol Natural Instincts Semi-Permanent Hair Dye is advertised to provide 100% gray coverage but this brand contains hydrogen peroxide in its formula.

young woman with fashion hair color using smartphone in bed

Will Fashion Colors Show up on Dark Hair?

The semi-permanent color will coat all of your strands, but the resulting color depends on the underlying color and the color you choose to apply.

If your hair is dark and you want a bright color, you have to bleach your hair until it is almost white to get an appropriate base for the desired color. Otherwise, vivid semi-permanent dyes will just slightly tint unbleached dark hair and the color only shows as a hidden tone in the sunlight.

If you have darker hair with highlights, the color will show up very vibrant on the highlighted strands while giving a nice tint to the rest of your hair.

Another problem with using funky colors on unbleached hair is that the color will fade quickly.

Although you typically have to pre-bleach your hair to play around with fashion colors, there are some exceptions. Splat Midnight Semi-Permanent Hair Dye and Lime Crime Unicorn Hair Dye for Dark Hair are formulated to give you fun hair color without having to pre-bleach your locks.

How Long Does Semi-Permanent Color Last?

Semi-permanent colors will typically start to fade after 4-8 weeks, depending on the porosity of your hair, underlying color, and how often you wash your hair. The color loses brightness gradually with each wash. Use lukewarm water to minimize color fading.

Virgin hair is more resistant than processed hair, so the color pigments will not stick to the surface, and may wash out quickly.

High porosity hair grabs color pigments easily and holds them for longer than virgin or healthy hair. However, overly porous hair may fade unevenly.

beautiful young girl with pastel pink hair

How to Dye Your Hair with Semi-Permanent Hair Color

Semi-permanent color products come ready to use. The application is simple and can be easily done at home. Follow the instructions carefully.

Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo and repeat if needed. Don’t use conditioner!
Dry your hair completely before starting the color application.
Apply protective cream around your hairline and on your ears to prevent the color from staining your skin.
Put on latex gloves, then apply the color onto desired areas and massage it in to coat the strands well.
Leave the product in your hair according to the instructions on the bottle. For a more intense, longer-lasting color, leave the product in for longer than directed.
Rinse the hair away from your face using cool to lukewarm water. Rinse until the water runs clear. Do not shampoo.

If you like your color to appear more pastel, dilute the dye with your conditioner.

To replenish the color, mix some of the dye with your regular hair conditioner and use the mixture for 10 minutes once a week or bi-weekly.

If you are using the same color, you can redo it once a month or more often if you like. But, if you are going to change your color, you might want to wait a few weeks after the previous color treatment.

How to Make Semi-Permanent Hair Dye Last Longer

Shampoo your hair less often as the color fades with each shampoo.
Use sulfate-free shampoos formulated for color-treated hair.
Wash your hair with relatively cold water and avoid using very hot water for that purpose.
Always follow with a conditioner!
Wait a week or two before going to swim in a chlorinated pool.
To keep your color looking fresh, periodically add a few drops of the color to your conditioner and use the mixture after shampooing.

The drawback:

These dyes can stain anything they come into contact with during color processing. The pigments may continue staining your hands, your clothes, your towels, and your pillowcase for another week.

To minimize the mess, use latex gloves, wear an old shirt, and cover all your bathroom surfaces with “throw-away” towels. Also, use old towels to cover your pillows and wear dark clothing for the first couple of days. Use a bathroom cleaner with bleach to clean the surfaces.

Popular Brands: Arctic Fox Semi-Permanent Hair Color Dye (very gentle and fades out gracefully), Special Effects SFX Hair Color Hair Dye, Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids, Iroiro Premium Natural Semi-Permanent Hair Color, Joico Intensity Semi-Permanent Hair Color, Splat Hair Color Kit, Semi-Permanent Conditioning Hair Color by Punky, L’Oreal Paris Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color, and Lime Crime Unicorn Hair Semi-Permanent Hair Dye.

Temporary Hair Dyes You Can Use on Dark Hair without Bleaching

December 15, 2022October 17, 2018

People with light hair can easily change how they look by using temporary hair dyes. The results can be seen immediately and they can easily switch to different hair colors.

However, if your hair is on the darker side and you want to play with different hair colors, it may be hard to find a temporary hair dye that will show up on your hair without bleaching. Most temporary hair dyes don’t work well on brunette hair as the color is too subtle.

Although the options are limited, it is not impossible to add fun colors to your dark locks. There is still a range of temporary hair dyes for dark hair that can create a cool effect on dark locks, giving you an instant party look. It does take a little bit more investigation to find available and affordable products that work without involving bleach. Also, remember that the color may take a bit more effort to show up the way you want it.

brunette girl with strakes of temporary color

Colored Hairsprays for Dark Hair

Colored hairspray is the easiest way to cover broad areas of hair. Some brands of temporary hair sprays work on all color shades. If you are a brunette, you may need to apply an extra amount to get the color to show up.

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1. Color Hair Spray by Graftobian is a professional, transfer-resistant formula made in Germany. Several shades are suitable for covering newly grown or thinning hair but you can also purchase red, green, purple, silver, or white color. All these colors show up well on dark hair.

2. Temporary Hair Color Spray by Jerome Russell comes in many vivid colors that work beautifully on dark hair. The product has a mild and pleasant scent. The color is easy to spray in and wash out.

Drawback: The color can rub on the skin and can also get on your clothing. Once you apply it, refrain from touching your hair.

3. Dark and Lovely Go Intense Color Sprays by SoftSheen-Carson is available in 7 shades. This color spray works well on dark hair. The color appears more vivid in daylight than indoors. The product is easy to apply and washes out completely with shampoo.

Drawback: The color rubs off easily and the product can leave your hair feeling stiff.

Hair Chalks for Brunette Hair

Hair chalks work great for putting streaks of vibrant color in your hair. They produce the brightest results on light-colored hair. It takes patience to get them to show up on brunette hair. If you are a brunette, chalk markers will suit your hair better than hair chalk sticks.

1. Arteza Temporary Hair Chalk Pens are supposed to work on every hair color. Most colors show up well on dark hair, giving you gorgeous, muted pastel hair colors.

2. Hair Chalk Set by Philonext offers hair chalks with a rotating head to control the length. This makes the application more convenient and less messy for your hands. This chalk can be applied to clean, dry hair of any color but it will look brighter when applied to light hair.

Colored Hair Pomades

1. Joyous Hair Dye Wax by Silvercell is a strong-hold hairstyling product designed to color your hair instantly. It comes in gray, purple, red, blue, and golden shades. The colors show up well on dark hair.

Drawback: This product may leave your hair feeling sticky, and the color may bleed onto your skin.

2. White Hair Wax by HailiCare allows you to style and temporarily color your hair simultaneously. The color will show up well on your brunette hair, but you may have to use much of the product to get the desired color.

Drawback: It stains your hands and can leave your hair feeling hard and stiff.

Colored Hair Gels for Dark Hair

1. Moon Glow – Blacklight Neon UV Hair Gel comes in several UV colors that glow under blacklight. The colors are visible in natural light also. The color shows up well on darker hair, but you may have to apply a more generous amount of the product to get a bright color.

Hair Makeup 1-Day Color

1. Colorista Hair Makeup by L’Oreal is an innovative jelly formula that offers a palette of 10 shades for brunettes. Although some shades are made exclusively for brunettes, the colors look subtle on very dark hair.

This makeup for hair is not suitable for full head hair color, but it allows you to have one-day hair highlights. The application is not messy and once dry the color is transfer resistant. To apply, you must massage the drops of color into the tips of your hair and comb through them.

Drawback: The product may leave your hair feeling sticky and greasy.

Colored Clip in Hair Extensions

These small pieces of hair come in multiple colors. You just need to snap them into your hair to get the vibrant rainbow colors that look super bright against dark hair. These colorful pieces are great for experimenting with different colors without having to dye your hair.

Drawback: These clip-ins can easily get tangled.

beautiful young woman with colored hair strands in her hair

Temporary Hair Dyes: Types, Advantages, and Limitations

December 28, 2022October 7, 2018

What is Temporary Hair Color?

According to the color durability after the application, hair dyes can be classified into several basic types: temporary, semi-permanent, demi-permanent, and permanent.

Temporary hair dyes are the easiest way to change your hair color without a long-term commitment. You can color your hair just for a special event or add a little fun to your night out.

Temporary hair dyes are formulated to change your hair color quickly and will last until you wash your hair. Unlike permanent hair dyes, their pigment molecules don’t penetrate the hair shaft. Instead, they adhere to the hair as a temporary coating outside of the hair shaft. When you wash your hair, the pigment will be rinsed off and your original color will be back to normal.

a student girl with short hair colored with temporary dyes

The variety of color choices and a convenient wash-out nature make these cool products highly popular, especially among teens. Temporary hair colors are ideal for special occasions such as Halloween, festivals, performances, or theme parties.

Types of Temporary Hair Dyes

Temporary hair dyes come in a variety of forms, such as hair chalks, pigmented shampoos, colored waxes, hair sprays, gels, and hair mascaras.

1. Hair Chalk

Hair chalks are becoming increasingly popular due to their beautiful pastel colors and easy application process. The color usually lasts until the next shampoo. But if your natural hair is an ultra-light color, it may take up to four shampoos to wash out.

To help the color adhere to the strands, spray each section of your hair with water. Use protective gloves to prevent getting your hands stained. Using flat iron over colored strands can provide you with longer-lasting color.

A chalk comb is a hairbrush with hair chalk in it, so you can apply the color without staining your hands. You just need to comb your hair with the chosen color. Repeat if you want a more intense color.

Popular brands: Hair Chalk Set For Girls by GirlZone, Alex Spa Hair Chalk Salon, and Hair Chalks Set for Girls by Original Stationery.

Refrain from chalking your hair too often because it can strip your hair of its natural moisture.

2. Hair Color Spray

Colored hairsprays coat your hair with pigments and come in a variety of different colors. They are very effective and easy to apply. Hair color sprays deliver rich color without harsh chemicals, so you can use them wherever you’d like without harming your hair, and they are easy to wash out. Some brands work on dark hair nicely.

Popular brands: B Wild! by Punky, Temporary Hair Color Spray by Jerome Russell (works pretty well on dark hair), L’Oréal Paris Colorista 1-Day Hair Color Spray, and Manic Panic Amplified Color Spray.

3. Colored Wax

The colored wax is intended to color your hair while styling it. It stays in your hair until you wash it out. The application is easy, just use your fingers to run it through. Hair wax can give a rigid texture to your hair. It works best for short and thick hair.

Popular brands: Mofajang Hair Color Wax, Color Crazy Hair Wax by Ashley Lee, and Temporary Hair Dye Wax by HailiCare.

4. Colored Hair Gel

Tinted hair gels are used similarly to regular styling gels. They offer a good hold, with the added benefits of no-commitment color. A bright, neon-colored gel that glows under UV light is perfect for completing your outfit on fun nights out.

5. Colored Mascara Wand

Colored mascara is usually used for creating streaks and highlights. It would take longer to apply it to your whole head, especially if you have long or curly hair. This mascara also can be used to temporarily cover your gray roots.

Advantages of Temporary Hair Colors

These color products come ready to use, straight from the applicator, which makes the application easy. No need to use a developer and a mixing bowl.
Temporary hair colors can be applied to hair without bleaching. That is why they are not as harsh on your hair as permanent hair dyes are. Since wash-out hair dyes are made from non-toxic materials, you can use them as often as you want without getting your hair damaged. They are also safe to use on permed or chemically straightened hair.
Washable hair dyes are ideal for experimenting. You can change your color whenever you wish, and there is a wide range of shades to choose from. You can also use them to try out a new color without committing to it before dying your hair permanently.
The added layer of color temporarily increases the volume of your hair, making it look fuller and thicker.
Temporary dyes don’t contain ammonia, so they don’t have a strong and unpleasant chemical smell like permanent hair dyes.
Washable hair dyes can be used to temporarily cover gray roots and prolong the time between root touch-ups.
Temporary hair colors can also be used to remove unwanted yellowish tones in white hair.

Limitations

Because of their very low penetrating ability, temporary hair dyes have some limitations.

If you want the color to last longer, you’ll need to re-apply it after each shampoo. The application process can be messy.
The pigment may stain your hands every time you run your fingers through the hair. If you get caught in the rain, the color could run and may stain your clothes.
For people with naturally dark hair, temporary hair dyes are not very effective. When applied to dark hair without bleach, a temporary color may not show up. Fortunately, there are some exceptions.
Damaged and overprocessed hair can grab the temporary color quickly, resulting in unevenly colored hair after washing it. Using Neutral Protein Filler before the application will provide you with more consistent results.
Temporary colors can add too much texture to your hair and leave it feeling heavy, knotty, and crunchy.

How Long Does Temporary Hair Dye Last?

Since this type of hair dye coats only the top of the hair, the effects usually last till the next shampoo. How quickly they will wash out depends on the product and the porosity of your hair.

Some brands can last for several washes, so check the label for the information.

If you have high-porosity hair due to bleaching or other chemical treatments, your hair can “grab” the color and keep it longer than virgin or dark hair. You may need more than one washing to remove the color completely from your hair.

Color Depositing Shampoos that Keep Your Color Fresh and Vibrant

December 28, 2022August 30, 2018

Freshly colored hair color is gorgeous and eye-catching. Though, after a few washes, your dye job starts to fade and your hair may appear dull and lackluster. This happens as a result of regular washing, heat styling, and harsh environmental factors such as exposure to sunlight, sea salt, or chlorinated water.

Is there a solution to fading color without having to constantly run back to the salon? Fortunately, the answer is yes! The revolutionary cure for color fading is a color-depositing shampoo!

If your hair is dyed, a color-depositing shampoo will prevent color fading and revive your existing shade by depositing color pigments with each wash. This product is especially helpful for upkeeping colors that fade easily.

cute girl with hair washed with color depositing shampoo walking outdoor

What is Color-Depositing Shampoo?

Color-depositing shampoo is a tinted shampoo formula that deposits temporary color onto your hair while cleansing it. Unlike regular shampoos, the main purpose of this product is to replenish your color to prevent fading.

The color pigments within the product replenish the color that washes away during shampooing. Your hair looks beautiful and freshly colored.

Color-infused shampoos can also be used to color your pre-lightened hair in bright fashion colors.

Since color-depositing shampoos just deposit color molecules on the hair shaft, your hair needs to be lightened and porous to grab the pigments readily and give you the desirable results. These products don’t work well on untreated low-porosity hair.

Benefits of Using a Color-Infused Shampoo

Salon dye jobs can be expensive and time-consuming. A shampoo with a color tint extends the life of your color so you can stretch out the time between trips to the salon. Regular use of this product keeps your color fresh and glossy between touch-ups.
A pigmented shampoo enhances and maintains bright colors, reducing the need for frequent use of hair dyes. A tinted shampoo doesn’t contain permanent hair dye, so you can use it as often as you want without compromising the integrity of your hair.
It refreshes the color instantly, so you can see a difference after the first use. You can shampoo your hair as often as you want without fear of stripping your color!
Shampoos with color tint are a lifesaver for colors that are hard to maintain, such as red.

Downsides of Tinted Shampoos

Color-depositing shampoos will temporarily stain your hands, fingernails, and light-colored towels. Consider wearing gloves and using dark-colored towels. If you don’t wear gloves, thoroughly wash your hands and nails with soap as soon as you finish the application.
The pigments will also stain your shower walls and other surfaces. To ensure there won’t be permanent stains, you need to rinse all surfaces immediately after shampoo application. Your pillows or clothes won’t get stained unless your hair is wet.
Color shampoos can make your hair a little dry. Make sure to follow with a good conditioner.
Tinted shampoos will not deposit color on virgin hair that lacks porosity. To get the desired results, your need to bleach your hair. These also won’t work on gray hair or your naturally-dark regrowth. However, if you use a generous amount and leave it on for longer than recommended, you may get a bit of color.

charming girl with red hair washed with color depositing shampoo

How Long Does Color-Depositing Shampoo Last?

The color will look fresh as long as you use color depositing shampoo regularly. The color will continue to fade if you start to wash your hair with regular shampoo. It washes out a little each time you use regular shampoo before it completely disappears.

How to Use a Color-Depositing Shampoo

You can use a color-infused shampoo for each wash (if your color tends to fade quickly) or alternate it with your regular shampoo. You can also use this product either alone or after your regular shampoo. If your hair is oily or fairly dirty, use your regular shampoo to cleanse it first. Leave the shampoo in your hair for five minutes or for as long as directed. Repeat if you want a more intense color.

cute girl with hair washed with color depositing shampoo

What Is The Best Color-Depositing Shampoo?

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1. Celeb Luxury Viral Colorwash is a line of color-rich enhancer shampoos designed to stop fading and boost and maintain fashion shades.

Since fashion colors fade quickly, you need something to extend the life of your color service without having to pay for expensive salon touch-ups. This color-depositing shampoo is perfect for maintaining fashion shades because your color gets brighter and more vibrant with each wash.

It is meant to boost your existing shade; it can’t totally change the color. However, it can create beautiful fashion shades on hair that has been lightened to the palest blonde.

This shampoo will not deposit visible color if you have dark or naturally blonde hair, and it cannot be used to cover your gray strands. If you have highlights, the color will stay just on the bleached hair.

The results last for a few washes or until using the product regularly. Once you stop using this shampoo, the color will start to fade out.

Celeb Luxury Viral Colorwash is great for experimenting! You can mix it with your regular shampoo for less intense color vibrancy. You can also combine two different shades to create one unique color. The possibilities are endless.

charming girl with red hair washed with color depositing shampoo walking outdoor

2. Watercolors Color Maintenance Shampoo is supposed to be used to refresh hair color while cleansing your locks. This sulfate-free product comes in a variety of shades formulated to enhance and maintain rich color between salon visits. Watercolors Color Maintenance Shampoo can also be used to enhance the natural hues in virgin hair.

3. Watercolors Intense Shampoo is available in 11 fashion colors and can be used to maintain and intensify existing fashion colors. The product also can be used to provide temporary colors on the hair that has been pre-lightened to level 7 or higher. The color will be more intense if your hair is pre-lightened to a higher level.

4. Joico Color Infuse collection of shampoos and conditioners are designed to prevent color fading and boost the intensity and shine of brown, auburn, and red hair colors.

Color Infuse Copper Shampoo is formulated for Auburn and red-colored hair to restore rich auburn and reddish color and help slow down fading. It also works for blondes that want to achieve a warmer tone.

Joico Color Infuse Brown Shampoo is formulated to refresh all shades of brunette and ensure that the color will stay rich. It enhances light to medium brown shades, boosts golden highlights, and adds a beautiful shine.

Also available at Walmart.

Olaplex Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner – Do You Really Need Them?

December 28, 2022August 22, 2018

Olaplex has revolutionized the process of coloring hair and enabled professional colorists to achieve higher levels of bleaching lift without compromising the integrity of the hair. They developed a line of innovative products to protect the hair during bleaching and coloring sessions, as well as to repair damage caused by previous chemical treatments. Olaplex’s repairing treatments restore structurally damaged hair by reconnecting broken disulfide bonds in over-processed hair.

Olaplex No.1 Bond Multiplier and Olaplex No.2 Bond Perfector are meant to be used in a salon by hair professionals. Olaplex No.3 is a take-home treatment, formulated for consumers who need to improve the condition of their hair and prevent further damage, regardless if they have received Olaplex salon treatment or not.

A gorgeous young woman with processed blonde hair

The company has recently extended its Bond Maintenance System by releasing – Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. Olaplex shampoo and conditioner are both formulated using patented OLAPLEX bond-building technology that has been proven to improve the integrity of damaged and chemically processed hair. The concentration of the active ingredient – Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate is significantly lower than in Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector.

Should you Use Olaplex Shampoo and Conditioner?

If your hair is damaged, dry, and porous, it will benefit from using Olaplex shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo helps strengthen weakened strands by rebuilding broken bonds in the hair to increase elasticity and reduce breakage. Less breakage means less frizz and static and shinier, healthier hair. If you have dyed blonde hair, you might want to include this shampoo in your hair care regimen to keep your locks healthy and stunning.

However, if your hair is not damaged or overly porous you probably will not see any visible improvement by using this shampoo. People with virgin fine hair can even feel that their locks are weighted down and flattened after using Olaplex shampoo.

The same applies to the conditioner. Using conditioner is important to infuse hair with moisture and prevent tangling. For damaged and porous hair Olaplex No 5 will provide even more benefits. However, if you have healthy, low porosity, or oily hair, you don’t need this conditioner. You should use a lightweight conditioner in moderation and apply it only to the ends of your hair.

Attractive young woman with processed blonde hair

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No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo is designed to repair and moisturize your hair during shampooing. It is formulated to relink broken bonds and leave your hair stronger and healthier with every wash.

The Olaplex shampoo has a thick consistency and great foaming capability. It creates a rich lather despite the lack of harsh sulfate cleansers. Moreover, you only need to use a pea-sized amount to get your hair clean and nourished.

It has a pleasant and refreshing citrus smell.

Key Ingredients

Mild, sulfate-free surfactants derived from coconuts leave your hair feeling clean without stripping its essential moisture.
Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate helps repair disulfide bonds that have been damaged or broken during chemical processing, such as bleaching, perming, and chemical straightening.
The formula is free of harsh sulfate cleansers, parabens, sodium chloride, and gluten.

Benefits:

Re-links broken bonds to repair and strengthen the hair
Repairs the ends prolonging the time between haircuts
Reduces tangles and tames frizzy and flyaway hair
Soften coarse hair and makes it easier to manage
Reduces the damaging impact of hair products and external stressors

How to use: Shampoo as you normally would. You only need a dime-sized amount of shampoo to create rich leather.

Beautiful young woman with blonde colored hair

No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

Olaplex No. 5 Conditioner is a highly-moisturizing hair care product that uses Olaplex bond-building technology to repair damaged hair and prevent future damage.

The conditioner is hard to squeeze out of the bottle due to its super thick consistency. Make sure to store the bottle upside down to get the product out easier.

Much like the No. 4 shampoo, this conditioner has a light, citrusy fragrance.

Key Ingredients

Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate helps protect and restore damaged hair by repairing broken disulfide bonds.
A vegetable-derived bio-lipid complex called Phytenso provides long-lasting moisture and color protection.
Avocado oil has intense moisturizing properties that help detangle hair and reduce breakage.
Acai berry extract helps strengthen hair from the root and supports new hair growth.

Cute young woman with blonde colored hair wearing a red dress

Benefits:

Strengthens damaged hair by re-linking broken internal bonds
Hydrates hair to boost elasticity and combat brittleness
Makes detangling easier
Adds softness and volume to fine, processed hair
Eliminates frizz and adds a healthy shine
Leaves hair silky, bouncy, and easy to manage

How to use: Leave the conditioner on your hair for about three minutes. You only need a dime-sized amount since the product is pretty thick. Distribute it evenly throughout your hair. Rinse, dry, and style your hair as you normally would.

Cute young woman with blonde colored hair

Purple Hair Masks: The Royal Treatment for Blonde Hair

December 28, 2022August 9, 2018

Why do Blondes Need Purple Toning Products?

After a few weeks of color appointments, you typically notice that your gorgeous blonde hair starts to turn brassy or yellowish. Light-colored hair is prone to discoloration because the bleaching process leaves hair incredibly porous. Chemical processing opens up the cuticle, which allows the controlling pigment to wash out from the hair. Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to reside in Windsor or Buckingham Palace to treat give your hair the royal treatment today using purple hair masks for bright and nourished blonde hair!

Mute the Band: While brass is super cool in a band, it’s hellish in your hair. Porous hair soaks up environmental elements, minerals in the water, and chemicals in hair care products. The brassy tones in blonde hair can also be caused due to using harsh shampoos, overusing heat-styling tools, and long-term sunlight exposure. Let purple masks mute the band and make your hair color march with pride and power!

Blonde woman after treated her hair with a purple mask

To ensure that your hair won’t turn brassy, you need some purple toning products in your bathroom cabinet. These products are infused with violet pigments, which temporarily remove the brassy tones, making blonde hair look brighter and more attractive.

If you have blonde, white, or highlighted hair that tends to turn brassy, purple toning products are a lifesaver. Purple products can also be used on naturally blonde hair to banish yellow and brassy tones that may develop over time.

Purple Princesses or Princes: Purple Toning Masks

Purple masks enable you to give yourself royal treatment as far as hair color maintenance. These special purple masks are formulated with violet pigments to remove unwanted yellow and brassy tones while nurturing your gorgeous blonde hair. Be a purple princess or prince as you pamper your blonde colors!

Spin the Wheel: The violet pigments help cancel out the yellow, like any other color that counteracts the directly opposite color on the color wheel. Spin and win with purple masks!

What’s Great About Using a Purple Mask?

Salon Spawned: Reduces the brassiness in blonde hair, making the color appear bright and fresh as if you’ve just come out of the salon.
Cool Cat: Enhances cool tones and keeps your highlights looking fresh and beautiful. That’s something to purr about!
If I Could Turn Back Time: Stretch out the time between color appointments by using purple masks. Pay homage to that iconic Cher song when you turn back time!

Why Masks, You May Ask: Advantages Over Purple Shampoos

1. Heal and Feel Luxurious: Purple masks have significant conditioning properties that you won’t find in a purple shampoo. Thanks to their nourishing ingredients, these masks leave your hair feeling incredibly soft, which makes them suitable for over-processed and damaged hair.

2. Girl (or Guy) Power: Most purple shampoos tend to dry out the hair, while purple masks moisten hair and leave it nourished. A purple mask also leaves your hair soft, unlike a purple shampoo, which can be too harsh on bleached hair. In addition to toning your hair, a purple mask revitalizes your hair, making it healthier and stronger. Grab some girl or guy power for your blonde hair!

3. Go Green: Most purple shampoos use sulfate-based cleansing agents that are harsh on colored or chemically straightened hair. Purple masks don’t contain sulfates, so they’re gentle on colored and keratin-treated hair.

4. Mega Multitasker: If you have very coarse hair, a purple mask will make it softer and more manageable while toning it, too. Talk about a mega multitasker, eh?

Brand Fans: What are the Best Purple Hair Masks?

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1. Peaceful Hues: Pravana The Perfect Blonde Purple Toning Masque promises to instantly neutralize unwanted brassy and yellow tones. This nourishing purple masque is specifically formulated to help maintain blonde hair color and blonde highlights. Give your blonde hue some peace and love!

Benefits

Effectively maintains the brightness of platinum blonde locks.

When used regularly, it ensures that your hair keeps a cool tone between color sessions.

Can diminish a good amount of the brassiness after just one use.

When used with good-quality water, can tone down the brassy look and exude a cool blonde color.

Leaves your hair feeling soft, nourished, and manageable.

How to use: Apply once a week to freshly shampooed hair. Leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse it out. Don’t leave it on the hair for longer than 10 minutes, as your hair might take on a purple tint.

2. Silver Ahead: Purple Hair Mask for Blonde, Platinum & Silver Hair by Bold Uniq

This purple mask promises to neutralize yellowish, golden, or brassy tones in natural and colored blonde hair. The violet pigments work to enhance blonde, white, platinum, silver, and grey color.

BOLD UNIQ Mask is enriched with Vitamin B5, natural oils, and soy protein to nourish your hair in the process and improve softness and elasticity.

If you use a lot of styling products, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo before using this mask. Apply the mask to clean, towel-dried hair and leave it to sit in the hair for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. To achieve more silver shade, leave it in for 10 minutes or even longer.

The results wash out gradually within 4-6 shampoos. Use once a week to keep the brass away.

The violet pigments in this mask are less intense than the pigments in the purple shampoo from the same company.

3. Project Runway: TIGI Catwalk Fashionista Violet Mask is developed to reduce brassy tones and add a lustrous shine to blonde, grey, or highlighted hair. It’s formulated with a brightening complex, conditioning agents, and violet toners to create a smooth and shiny finish and keep the blonde color looking fresh.

This great-smelling mask also helps to repair damage from bleaching while simultaneously defending against future damage from heat and environmental factors.

Use weekly on clean, towel-dried hair, and work it into the mid-lengths and ends. Leave on your hair for 3 to 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly. You’ll be runway-ready as a result!

4. Sci-Fi Sensation: Matrix Total Results Brass Off Mask is a treatment mask formulated to bring out cool tones in blonde hair. This mask uses intense violet pigments to neutralize brassy undertones and reveal clean blonde hair.

In addition to toning, this nourishing formula moisturizes your hair and protects fragile strands from heat damage and breakages.

Apply to wet hair while avoiding your scalp. Leave on the hair for 5 minutes. To tone down stubborn brassy tones, leave it for up to 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. Like the Matrix movie, this one is a Sci-Fi sensation!

(Available at Walmart).

Imperfectly Perfect?: Less Perfect Features of Violet Masks

If you leave the purple mask on longer than needed, your hair may take on a bit of the lavender color, especially if you’re a lighter blonde. If this happens, just rewash your hair using non-tinted shampoo, and the color should fade away.

Extremely porous hair is prone to fast pigment absorption and is more likely to turn purple than normal or low-porosity hair. On the other hand, some people intentionally leave the mask on their locks for a little extra time to get a slight lilac hue.

Mask Mania: How Often to Use a Purple Mask?

Although you can often see the difference in the tone of your hair after just one use, one single application won’t keep your color from getting brassy again. To enable your color to look fresh and to prevent brassiness from developing, aim to use a purple mask once a week. To ensure that you use your product correctly, thoroughly read the directions, or ask your hairdresser how to use it.

Blonde woman with hair toned by purple mask wearing a hat

How to Fix Split Ends: Prevention, Treatments, and Products

December 29, 2022July 29, 2018

What are Split Ends?

Split ends occur when a hair splits into two parts. The tips are the part of the hair that is most prone to the appearance of split ends, however, the hair can split anywhere and one hair strand can split at multiple points.

The presence of split ends in the hair is inevitable and normal, but too many split ends can make hair look unhealthy, frizzy, and dull. Hair with split ends is also prone to tangles and breakage, making it hard to achieve your desired length.

What Causes Split Ends?

Split ends are a sign that your hair is weak and brittle. The most common causes of this condition are:

Excessive heat: Frequent use of hot styling tools such as hair straighteners, curlers, and blow dryers can leave hair dry and damaged. The chance for damage is higher if you use these tools frequently and set them at high temperatures. The damage is also more likely and severe if you don’t use heat protection or use low-quality appliances.
Physical manipulation: Harsh rubbing with a towel when towel-drying hair can create tangles and disrupt the cuticles, increasing the possibility of splitting. Rough combing, while the hair is wet and without using a detangler, can make locks vulnerable and prone to splitting and breakage. Vigorous brushing of dry hair can lift the cuticles and result in the appearance of frizz and split ends.
Chemical treatments: Bleaching and frequent coloring dry out hair and disrupt the cuticles, leaving hair weakened and less resistant to damage due to physical manipulation. Chemical treatments such as hair straightening, and permanent waving harm hair health and elasticity. Since the ends of your locks have been exposed to chemicals longer than other parts, they are the most vulnerable part of your hair.
Over shampooing: Washing your hair too often, especially if you use strong sulfate-based shampoos can strip your hair of its natural oils. Natural oils create a protective barrier that helps retain moisture inside the hair. Dry and overly porous hair loses its moisture easily and becomes inelastic and is prone to breakage and split ends.

How to Prevent Hair Splitting

Avoid washing your hair daily and use only sulfate-free shampoos.
Give your hair a break from heat styling. When you do use hot styling tools, set the temperature on low settings, and make sure to use a heat protectant.
Buy quality appliances and use the necessary attachments when blow-drying your hair.
Stay away from harsh chemical treatments and use gentle alternatives when possible.
Don’t over-use bleach and let a hair professional lighten your hair. Use semi-permanent dyes for experimenting with colors.
Apply a deep conditioner once a week and use a leave-in conditioner to moisturize your thirsty ends.
Do pre-shampoo treatments to prevent the drying effect of hair shampooing.
Go to the salon every 8 – 12 weeks to get your ends trimmed.
Be gentle when towel-drying, combing and brushing your hair.
Use bond-building hair products to repair damage due to heat styling and coloring.

Regular Trimming

Trimming off half an inch of your hair every eight to ten weeks is the best way to get rid of split ends. Your hair will still grow because the average hair growth rate is 1 to 1.5 cm per month.

After careful trimming, you need to use the right products to prevent split ends from occurring. You also must avoid hair care routines that lead to the appearance of split ends.

Split End Menders

A blonde woman fixes split ends with hair serum

Although split ends cannot be permanently repaired, some hair products such as hair serums, smoothing balms, and leave-in conditioners can be used to “glue” split ends together and fix them temporarily. This makes split ends less noticeable and prevents them from progressing.

Split end menders: Brazilian Blowout Split End Professional Repairing Solution Treatment, ORIBE Split End Seal Beautiful Color Treatment, Marrakesh Endz Lotion, Fanola Nutri Care Restructuring Fluid Crystals, and Redken Unisex Extreme Length Sealer Treatment.

A New Generation of Products for Damaged Hair

December 29, 2022July 17, 2018

What Causes Hair Damage?

If you regularly use hot styling tools or expose your hair to harsh chemical treatments, you’ve probably noticed some undesirable signs of hair damage.

Hot styling tools can make your hair dry over time, resulting in split ends and breakage. There is no way to reverse serious heat damage, so if this happens getting a haircut may be your only option.

Chemical treatments are another major cause of hair damage. Bleaching, permanent waving, and chemical straightening can compromise the protective outer layer of the hair, called cuticles, leaving your strands porous and prone to further damage.

a young woman feels bad about her damaged hair

Unfortunately, structural damage also affects the appearance of your locks. Your hair may turn into a tangled, frizzy mess that is difficult to style.

Over the past decade, some innovative products have been developed to prevent damage and rebuild the structure of your hair after exposure to chemicals. Most of these products are meant for use at home, so you can easily incorporate them into your regular hair care routine.

Here is a short list of the most innovative products for damaged hair that are available on the market today.

1. Hair Bond Builders

Lightening and color processing can weaken or even break the disulfide bonds that are responsible for your hair’s strength and elasticity. The bond breakdown is the main risk associated with hair coloring, and it can happen even if you have your dying job done by an experienced colorist.

You will be happy to know that there are products on the market that will forever change the way you color your hair!

Hair bond builders were developed to reinforce the bonds in your hair to prevent the damage from happening and relink some of the broken bonds, leaving your hair in better condition than it was before coloring. These products make the coloring process much safer and allow you to experiment with different shades without the worry of ruining your hair. Bond multipliers also help to improve color vibrancy and prolong color retention.

Nowadays, bond multipliers are a very important part of every color service. Bond builders don’t work to mask hair damage like most so-called hair-repairing products. Instead, they restore the structure of damaged hair, bringing it to a healthier state.

Bond builders can be added to your bleach or color mixture to prevent and minimize damage or can be used for restorative treatments.

In addition to color processing, bond multipliers also protect from potential damage from other types of chemical treatments, such as perms, relaxing, and keratin straightening.

Certain bond-building products are meant for professional use. However, each product line typically includes some kind of at-home treatment designed to maintain the integrity of the hair between salon sessions.

2. Protein Fillers

attractive model with long wavy red hair

Coloring and other chemical treatments can damage the natural keratin in your hair. Damaged cuticles make your hair porous and leave weak spots on the hair shaft. Overly-porous hair doesn’t absorb color well and the color also may wash out fast.

To reinforce the internal structure of your hair, you need to rebuild lost and damaged keratin. That’s when protein fillers come in. These products are intended to add body and volume to bleached and overly-porous hair to ensure the perfect color results.

A protein filler fills the gaps and weak spots in the hair shaft, making hair look smoother and healthier. It replaces keratin that has been lost due to chemical processing and heat styling. This helps prevent breakage and protects the remaining keratin in your hair from further damage. When used with color, a protein filler helps seal the color within the cortex so it won’t fade as fast as usual.

You can use a protein filler before coloring to equalize the porosity in your hair and help the color to take more evenly. The protein filler will also prevent chemical damage and help your hair to stay in good condition.

A protein filler can be mixed into bleach, color solutions, straighteners, or relaxers to protect hair from chemical damage and used after chemical treatments to rebuild lost protein and strength.

When used as a reconstructor, this product needs to be diluted with water or added to your conditioner. Using it along with other protein-rich hair products can lead to protein-overloaded hair.

There are two main types of protein fillers; clear and tinted protein fillers. Clear protein fillers contain no color/pigment and have conditioning and protective properties while color protein fillers add warm tones back into the hair in addition to fixing the damage.

3. Hair Products with Hydrolyzed Keratin

Healthy hair consists of about 80% of keratin. The loss of keratin leaves hair weak, dull, and unmanageable. Using products infused with hydrolyzed keratin (amino acids) can temporarily repair hair structure and improve the appearance of damaged hair, making it smoother, shinier, and more manageable. Amino acids are small building blocks of keratin that can penetrate the hair shaft to rebuild damaged hair giving it a fuller and silkier look.

Amino acids also help maintain the moisture level of your hair, so you don’t have to worry about potential protein overload.

Hydrolyzed proteins can be an ingredient in hair shampoos, conditioners, leave-in treatments, hair masks, and other hair care and hair styling products to temporarily make your hair stronger and healthier.

The results are not permanent as the keratin particles wash away from your hair over time, so you need to use keratin replenishing products regularly to keep the damage under control.

Related article

Innovative Salon Treatments for Damaged Hair

4. Placenta Hair Treatments

Placenta-based hair treatments contain animal-derived placenta extract. A placenta is a rich source of protein and bioactive components that can work wonders for chemically damaged hair. Placenta hair products come in two main forms: rinse-off and leave-in treatments.

Benefits of placenta for hair:

Repairs damage and restores the life and luster of over-processed hair. The protein fills in the gaps in the hair shaft to keep the hair looking and feeling healthy.
Increases the elasticity, preventing breakage and split ends.
Smoothens hair cuticles, reducing frizz and increasing shine.
Leaves hair conditioned, soft to the touch, silky, and more manageable.
Gives more volume to fine hair.
Boosts blood flow to the scalp and decreases hair shedding.

How to use rinse-off placenta treatment: Apply the treatment to freshly washed and towel-dried hair. Cover your hair with a cap and leave the product on for about 10 minutes. After the allotted time is over rinse the hair with water.

How to use leave-in placenta treatment: Once the hair has been washed and towel-dried apply the treatment evenly to damp hair. Don’t rinse. Style your hair as usual.