For most products, a “color-safe” label means it's free of any harsh chemicals that can cause your hair color to fade. The most prevalent chemicals you'll see in shampoos are sulfates, which are strong detergents meant to cut through grease and enhance that bubbly lather most of us are used to.
If your hair is colored, you have to get a shampoo and conditioner that is safe for color-treated hair. There are lots of cleansers out there that claim to be color safe, but the best way to know is by looking at the ingredients and finding out if the product in question contains sulfates.
Let's break this down: Color-safe shampoos are basically little scientists in a bottle. They use sulfate-free formulas and hydrating ingredients to keep hair healthy while locking in color in the cuticles. Most color-safe shampoos have an acidic pH that helps smooth and seal your hair's cuticle (the outermost layer).
Using the wrong type of shampoo
To keep your hair looking vibrant, you need to choose a shampoo formulated to protect, preserve, and amplify your hair color. If you don't use a color-safe shampoo, your hair color could fade.
A color safe shampoo with the right ingredients can do wonders for colored hair by offering everything from protection from UV rays to hard water. Many shampoos contain natural ingredients that pack a punch.
The most important part of caring for color-treated hair involves avoiding the following ingredients, as shared by pro colorist Richy Kandasamy: sulfates (SLS or SLES), parabens, sodium chloride, and petrochemicals.
Sulfate-free and paraben-free shampoos
Sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner are gentler on color-treated hair while still cleansing and nourishing the hair.
While they might be healthy for your body and skin, they should be avoided when it comes to your hair. Besides being potentially irritating, essential oils like rosemary, peppermint, rose, vanilla, cedar and patchouli can darken your color.
As if that weren't bad enough, sulfates like SLS can also completely strip color-treated hair. You've been warned! To avoid potential issues, it's really best to look for sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. These use gentle surfactants to create a lather that WON'T strip your hair of color or natural oils.
Bleached or dyed hair? Use this color-safe shampoo with its matching conditioner to give your hair vibrant color protection for up to 40 washes.
Regular shampoos, especially those with sulfates, can quickly dull and fade color-treated hair. On the other hand, color-safe shampoos cleanse without stripping away color. This means you can flaunt your stunning hues for longer and extend the gap between salon appointments.
By lathering up within 24 hours of their appointment, they risk fading their shade – so encourage them to wait. This is especially important if you've colored their hair with a demi-permanent or semi-permanent hair color Opens in a new tab.
Pantene Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair Treatment Set, Volume & Body for Fine Hair, Safe for Color-Treated Hair.
Avoid shampoos that contain sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and sodium chloride. Sulfate in shampoo can cause hair color to fade.
Do You Really Need to Use a Color Protection Shampoo? If you care about the vibrancy of your color, how long your color lasts, or the health of your hair, a color safe shampoo is an absolute must.
One of the primary reasons why premium hair care brands like Loreal, Redken, Wella, Goldwell, and Pureology are more expensive is due to the quality of ingredients they use in their formulations.
Redken Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate-Free Shampoo
They also came out on top for making color look shiny, richer and more vibrant. An impressive 100% of users agreed the set left hair clean and soft. “My hair color did not fade using these” and “they left my hair feeling silky and shiny,” two reported.
Shampoo Color-Treated Hair Less Frequently
To prevent water from washing away your vibrant color, the answer is simple: Wash your hair less often. To retain those natural oils that help condition your color-treated hair, shampoo just two or three times per week, and never more than every other day.
There are some sulfates included in shampoos that can be quite strong and inadvertently cause your color to fade. They do this by penetrating the hair's cuticle, which strips natural oils and dries out your hair.
These natural hair dye options allow you to color your hair without harsh chemicals like ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, and peroxide commonly found in conventional dyes. Some brands to look for include Khadi*, Surya Brasil*, Manic Panic*, Arctic Fox*.