Protein Fillers for Perfect Color Results

Last Updated on December 16, 2022 by Gaga

Multiple bleaching and coloring can leave your hair extremely dry and over-processed. When hair cuticles are damaged, color molecules are not tightly locked inside the hair shaft, and can easily be washed out with shampoo. Plus, overly porous hair absorbs color well in some places but not in others. You need something to help improve your hair color results and seal in color to ensure greater color longevity.

The solution to your problems is simple and very affordable- a protein filler for hair. This miracle product has been for a while a preferable way to prepare porous hair for coloring and help it to absorb the dye more evenly.

A porosity-equalizing hair filler contains hydrolyzed proteins that cling to your hair and fill in the areas of porosity, leaving your strands thicker and smoother.

Woman with beautiful hair color after using protein filler

A protein filler is often used before the color process to protect the hair from chemical damage and prevent uneven color results. This product comes in either clear or tinted versions, but the clear or neutral shade is the most common and simplest to use.

The most popular product in this category is the Neutral Protein Filler by Colorful. This protein filler is exceptionally effective on porous hair that doesn’t take the color evenly. It is affordable and very easy to use if you prefer doing your coloring job at home.

Benefits of Using Neutral Protein Filler

Allows for even penetration of the dye: Most damaged and porous areas of your hair will process color too quickly, making your color results uneven. When applied before coloring service protein fillers reduce hair porosity, preparing your hair for more even color absorption.

Protects against chemical damage: If your hair is badly damaged from using bleach, it will repair some previous damage and protect hair against future chemical damage.

Better and longer-lasting results: When applied before coloring, protein fillers help porous bleached hair take color more uniformly and help lock in the color for longer.

Consistent results: The color will look close to the color on the box, regardless of damage from bleaching or previous color build-up.  Protein fillers make your dying job much more effective, enabling you to get professional results at home.

Improvement in overall appearance of the hair: Protein fillers fill porous ends, add a lustrous sheen, and make hair look healthier and thicker.

How to Use a Neutral Protein Filler

The most common way to use this product is as a pre-color treatment, especially if you suffer from porous hair. This could be a miracle product for you, but you must use it properly.

1. Pre-color treatment: Apply the filler evenly throughout your clean, towel-dried hair, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Do not rinse the product from your hair. Apply the color as usual. After rinsing the color follow up with a moisturizing conditioner.

Some people are curious if they get even better results if leave protein filler in their hair for longer. The answer is no. 30 minutes is the maximum time because anything longer can lead to protein overload and hair that is brittle and weighted down.

Many users have reported good results when 1-2 ounces of the protein filler are added directly to the color mixture. However, according to the instructions, applying this product as a pre-color treatment will ensure the best results.

The product is pretty runny. You can transfer it to a spray bottle for easier application.

Fashion girl colored hair after using Neutral protein filler

2. Protein repair treatment: Neutral protein filler can also be used as a conditioner treatment simply by mixing 1 ounce of water with 2 ounces of neutral protein filler.  Work the mixture into towel-dried hair, leave for around 20 minutes and rinse. The protein filler will restore the keratin stripped out of your hair, making your strands feel stronger and healthier. This treatment is highly recommended for hair that feels overly porous and damaged due to previous relaxing and bleaching sessions.

Do this repairing treatment once a month between colorings to compensate for the protein that has been lost from your hair over time and to keep your hair in good condition.

Precautions: As a protein treatment, Neutral Protein Filler works exceptionally well for hair that craves protein. However, do not use a protein filler more than once a month to avoid overloading your hair with protein. Some people may go into protein overload when leaving protein treatment in their hair for longer than recommended. Too much protein in the hair can cause the opposite effect and your hair will become inelastic and break easily.

Any kind of protein treatment should be followed by a moisturizing treatment to replenish lost moisture in the hair.

Make sure to refrigerate any leftover conditioner. Once the formula has been diluted, bioactive ingredients may spoil quickly.

Color Protein Fillers

Professional protein fillers come in various colors, but be aware that the shade you will get is not the same color you see in the bottle. Besides helping with color absorption and providing protection against hair damage, color protein fillers add missing color back into the hair and help counteract unwanted undertones. They also help color last longer and make it easier to manage some problematic hair colors, like red.

A woman with long hair and perfect color results

Some common examples:

1. If you want to take your over-processed, bleached blonde hair to a red or brown shade use red protein filler to help cut any greenish color and counteract orange tones.

2. When dying your hair white blonde use platinum protein filler (which has purple color) as a pre-treatment to avoid any brassy tones and to get a cooler shade of platinum.

The application can be messy. The easiest way of application is to add the product to your color mixture and leave it in your hair during showering.

Before using a protein filler with color for the first time, you should consult an experienced colorist to help you start.

A woman with red curly hair

About the author

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Gaga is a blogger and founder of the Softer Hair website. She often says that insomnia is to blame for her first blogging attempts. Being the night owl, she hated the morning alarm. She left her office job and returned to what she loved most - writing.

 

4 thoughts on “Protein Fillers for Perfect Color Results”

  1. Hi, thanks for the article. I recently (about 2 months ago) dyed my partially bleached blonde hair dark brown using a red protein filler. Only the top part was blonde, the bottom was virgin brown hair. However, I need to re-dye it brown Bc the previous blonde hair, of course, has faded a little bit. My question is, do I need to use the red protein filler again or will that be a mistake? Thanks.

  2. Great article but the instructions on how to use As a protein repair treatment are incomplete. Mix with water…then what? How long to leave on hair? Should we add heat, sit under a dryer? Use a conditioner afterwards?

  3. I used it before I coloured my hair. I dampened my hair down, I put a half of a small bottle of premium filler I a spray bottle, I sprayed all over my hair, combed through and waited around 20mins. I dried my hair and applied my colour. It seems to have worked my colour is the best and more even than it’s ever been. Just waiting to see if my colour stays on now!
    Patricia.

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