How To Keep Highlighted Hair Healthy
Highlighting your hair can add rich tones and depth, which looks gorgeous.
The volume and depth that highlights give are worth the effort of having them done, but you cannot stop there when it comes to caring for highlighted hair!
Keeping highlighted hair healthy takes some changes to the routine and a lot of effort, but it is so worth it to keep the tones and natural-looking colours for as long as possible.
Highlighting your hair can also damage your hair, especially if bleach was used. This can dry hair out quite a bit.
So, how do you keep highlighted hair healthy?
There are several methods for keeping highlighted hair healthy, including avoiding daily shampooing, using colour-safe, gentle sulfate-free shampoo, washing with cooler water, and more.
For both reasons, it really helps to know how to care for highlighted hair.
There is quite a bit you can change in your routine and that you can add to your hair care to keep highlighted hair healthy. Keep reading to find out all the helpful tips!
Keeping Highlighted Hair Healthy
The two main rules for keeping highlighted hair healthy are to avoid adding any more stress to your hair and to nourish it as much as possible with moisture and protein.
Any type of highlighting, even when it does not contain bleach, is a chemical treatment and will damage your hair to some extent.
Caring for your hair after highlighting it and avoiding stress on it are essential for healthy highlighted hair.
Here are the things you can do to keep highlighted hair healthy:
1. Do Not Shampoo Hair Daily
You really do not need to shampoo your hair every time you get into your shower. Your hair does not need to be shampooed just because it is wet.
The best routine for healthy hair is to shampoo it only 1–2 times a week, giving it time to replenish its natural oils and make the most of them before shampoo washes them away.
Shampooing your hair too often after highlights can also dull the colours you just put in.
The highlights and the shampoo can both dry out hair, so you need to give your hair time to produce natural oils and nourish itself.
If you feel like your hair needs a little extra moisture, you can condition it and rinse it out instead of shampooing as often.
This is a much gentler way to treat your hair, and it helps remove knots and tangles that highlighting and drying your hair might have caused.
If you have oily hair and feel like you need to wash it more often, try using dry shampoo between washes instead, and put your hair up in styles that mask the texture, like braids or buns.
Eventually, washing less often will help you keep oils at bay for longer.
Ditch the everyday shampoo habit and wash your hair every 3–4 days instead!
2. Use Sulfate-Free Shampoo
It is essential that you use only sulfate-free shampoo and other products when washing your hair. Sulfates can be really harsh on hair, drying it and stripping it of colour.
Shampoos that contain sulfates lather and foam up really well, which many of us think means the shampoo is working.
The much-hidden secret is that shampoo does not need to lather to clean your hair, and those that don’t lather are actually much better for your hair!
Using sulfate shampoos will speed up the fading of your highlights and added colour, so it’s best to avoid them if you want your highlights to shine.
There are some great sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner options to choose from, which will do so much to care for your hair.
3. Use Leave-In Conditioner
The right leave-in conditioner can be your best friend when trying to keep highlighted hair healthy.
This is especially true for highlighted hair that has dried out or been damaged by the highlighting process and needs a little extra love.
Choose a hydrating, nourishing leave-in conditioner free from sulfates, and use it 2 times a week to help boost moisture in your hair.
Certain leave-in conditioners will also help to protect your hair from environmental stressors.
Hopefully, using the right leave-in conditioner will deliver deep nourishment to your hair, keep your highlights in great condition, and restore moisture to any damage or dryness the chemical process might have caused.
4. Lower The Temperature Of Your Showers
It might be tempting to stick to your hot showers, but hot showers can actually be bad for your highlights!
Scalding hot water in the shower opens the hair cuticles, which could lead to the colour washing away.
The hot water can also lead to dry hair, which does not help if your hair is already dry after being through the highlighting process.
As much as you can, try to have lukewarm showers instead to keep the colour in your hair and prevent it from drying out further.
You can also rinse your hair with cold water at the end of your shower for added benefits and to close the follicles, helping your strands hold on to moisture.
5. Use Nourishing Products
If your hair has been dried out or damaged through the highlighting process, it will definitely help to use different nourishing treatments.
Some of the good options include hair masks and oil treatments.
These will help to moisturise your hair and add some extra protein.
Protein treatments are also a great option for building hair structure and strength, and helping it recover from highlighting damage.
You can do protein treatments every other week to fortify your hair.
6. Avoid Heat Damage
Styling tools such as irons or straighteners, and even hair dryers, can damage your hair quite a bit and cause even more damage if your hair is already dry from being highlighted.
Using heating tools on your hair can strip it of moisture and leave it drier than it already was, giving your hair a very straw-like texture.
If you cannot avoid using hot styling tools, you should use a heat-protectant spray on your hair first.
This will help protect your hair somewhat from heat damage and moisturise it during the process.
The heat-protectant spray acts as a small barrier between the heat and your hair.
Try also using the styling tools or a hairdryer on a lower heat setting to reduce exposure to high heat.
If possible, try air-drying your hair instead of using a hairdryer, and braid your hair while it is damp to create waves, rather than using a curling wand.
Heat damage can really ruin your highlights, so avoid it where possible!
7. Trim Your Hair
A great way to keep your hair looking and feeling healthy after highlighting is to get a trim.
A small trim will remove split ends and breakage, and it goes a long way toward helping hair look smooth and healthy and reducing the risk of tangles and knots.
8. Minimising Damage Done To Your Hair By Highlights
Keeping your highlights healthy starts before you even get your highlights done.
There are ways to minimise the damage done to your hair by highlights, which helps keep your hair healthy after they are done.
9. Strengthen Hair Before Highlighting
Try to fortify and strengthen your hair before highlighting it.
Use deep conditioners and protein treatments to strengthen your hair before getting highlights.
This reduces the damage done by the highlights and leaves your hair in a healthier state.
10. See A Professional Stylist
The best thing you can do is to see a professional stylist.
They will be able to check your hair before highlighting and ensure it is properly treated and cared for throughout the process.
Many people successfully highlight their own hair at home, but for every successful home highlight, there are multiple disasters!
A stylist can also help you choose the right colour and tones for your highlights that best suit your hair colour and complexion.
Final Thoughts
Keeping highlighted hair healthy isn’t difficult, but you will most likely need to make some changes to your routine and hair products.
Avoid shampoos and conditioners containing sulfates, reduce the temperature of your showers, don’t shampoo every day, and nourish your hair with deep conditioners to keep highlights healthy.
To help your highlighted hair even more, strengthen your hair before the highlighting process, and see a stylist to help you achieve the most beautiful highlights.
Related Questions
Do highlights damage hair?
Highlights do not damage hair as much as bleaching does, but they can alter the hair’s internal structure, which could lead to drying and a loss of shine.
What should you not do after having highlights done?
You should avoid washing your hair for 2–3 days after having highlights done to avoid washing the colour out too soon.
You should also avoid washing your hair too often and excessive rinsing.
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