What is not good for color treated hair?

Author: Dr. Erling Lehner  |  Last update: Tuesday, September 16, 2025

What ingredients should you avoid if you have color-treated hair? 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.

What ingredients are not safe for color treated hair?

Oxidizing Agents: Hydrogen Peroxide, bromates, and persulfates can break down natural and chemically processed color. Color-Distorting Preservatives: Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Diazolidinyl Urea, and Polyaminopropyl biguanide have also been shown to distort hair color.

What not to use after dying hair?

“Anything from hairspray and styling products with alcohol to too much blow-drying can all contribute to color fading.” The chemicals found in styling products open up the cuticle allowing the color to slip out.

What is bad for colored hair?

Sulfates can strip color from hair, so look for a sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates contain salt, which strip away moisture, and moisture loss is one of the main causes of color fading.

What pulls out hair dye?

Use equal parts of white vinegar with warm water. Apply this mixture on to hair and leave it there for 10 minutes. The natural vinegar will also help clear product buildup from your scalp. The acidic content will work on the hair dye and bring your hair back to its original state.

HAIRCARE TIPS FOR COLOR TREATED NATURAL HAIR (Healthy Long, No Breakage, Moisture) | Annesha Adams

What products strip hair dye?

The fastest way to remove hair dye is typically by using a clarifying shampoo or anti-dandruff shampoo. These shampoos contain strong cleansing agents that can effectively strip color from the hair. It's important to follow up with a deep conditioning treatment, as these shampoos can be harsh and drying on the hair.

What ingredient fades hair color?

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.

What damages colored hair?

Shampoos, particularly those with harsh sulfates, can strip away the hair's natural oils and colour molecules, leading to dullness. Furthermore, hot water can open the hair cuticles, allowing the colour to escape. Heat styling tools can also contribute to losing vibrancy in hair colour.

What shampoo is not good for colored hair?

Some of the chemicals in shampoos that should actively be avoided are:
  • ALCOHOL. The high alcohol content in shampoos can cause dehydration of the hair, making it brittle and dry. ...
  • SULPHATES. ...
  • MINERAL OIL AND PETROLEUM. ...
  • FORMALDEHYDE. ...
  • SODIUM CHLORIDE. ...
  • ARTIFICIAL COLOURS AND FRAGRANCES. ...
  • PROPYLENE GLYCOL.

How often should you wash color-treated hair?

If you're worried that overshampooing is stripping your color, try washing your hair only two or three times a week. “Washing too often and heat styling is killer for maintaining color and the integrity of the hair and over-shampooing can strip the hair of its natural oils,” Vandyke says.

What is the best shampoo for color treated hair?

Best shampoo for color-treated hair overall
  • Kérastase Chroma Absolu Shampoo for Fine to Medium Color-Treated Hair. ...
  • Kérastase Chroma Absolu Shampoo for Medium to Thick Color-Treated Hair. ...
  • Malin+Goetz Moisturizing Shampoo. ...
  • Sachajuan Colour Protect Shampoo. ...
  • Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance™ Shampoo - 8.5 Oz.

Do you shampoo immediately after coloring hair?

The best thing to do is to avoid shampooing directly after dyeing your hair. Instead, rinse with cold or lukewarm water to avoid washing the color away.

What should I not do before dying my hair?

What Not To Do Before Dyeing Your Hair. Along with washing your hair right before dyeing it, avoid applying any styling products, like dry shampoo or leave-in conditioners.

What is the most damaging ingredient in hair dye?

P-Phenylenediamine (PPD)

This toxic hair dye chemical is especially common in darker shades. However, PPD can cause irritation to the skin and eyes and may also trigger asthma symptoms. In more severe instances, exposure to PPD can lead to dizziness (vertigo), convulsions, and even coma.

What products cause hair buildup?

Build-up is typically caused by film-forming ingredients. Some examples of those are mineral oil, petroleum, waxes, butters, heavy oils, and high molecular weight silicones (like dimethicone and amodimethicone). These types of ingredients are typically not water-soluble and resist rinsing off in the shower.

Is Pantene bad for colored hair?

Pantene Nutrient Blends is a great product. It works very well with color treated hair.

What is bad for color-treated hair?

What ingredients should you avoid if you have color-treated hair? 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.

What shampoos have been linked to hair loss?

Shampoos and hair products linked to hair loss lawsuits
  • Unilever TRESemmé keratin shampoo and conditioners. ...
  • Johnson & Johnson OGX shampoo. ...
  • Straight Arrow Products Mane 'n Tail shampoo and conditioners. ...
  • WEN hair products. ...
  • DevaCurl hair products. ...
  • Brazilian blowouts.

What is the least damaging hair color product?

To get you started, here's a list of some of the least harmful mainstream hair dyes:
  • Natural Colour Works water-based hair dye H2O Water Colour: Ammonia, Peroxide and Resorcinol Free.
  • Arctic Fox Vegan and Cruelty-Free Semi-Permanent Hair Colour Dye: PPD, ammonia and sulphate-free.

What ruins colored hair?

Here are seven bad hair habits that could be fading your haircolor.
  • You're Using The Wrong Shampoo. ...
  • You Always Wet Your Hair In The Shower. ...
  • You Aren't Telling Your Stylist About Using At-Home Hair Dyes. ...
  • You're Using Styling Products That Contain Alcohol. ...
  • You Skip Protein Treatments. ...
  • You Never Wear A Hat.

Which hair color is most damaging?

Demi-permanent, to a degree, and Permanent color needs to be deposited inside the cuticle with a Developer, hence damaging to the structure of the hair, but lasts longer.

What makes hair color fade?

Limit Heat Styling: Heat styling tools like hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons can fade your hair color. Use these tools on a lower heat setting and always apply a heat protectant spray before styling. Protect Your Hair from the Sun: UV rays can bleach your hair, causing the color to fade.

What shampoo to avoid with 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.

What naturally fades hair dye?

Baking Soda Paste

Baking soda can be an effective way to remove permanent hair dye naturally because of its lightening properties. Try mixing baking soda with lemon juice, which is acidic, to create a paste. Then, work the paste through your hair, allow it to sit for five minutes, and rinse thoroughly.

How often should you wash dyed hair?

This is to make sure you're not over-washing your hair. Hair that's dyed with a lot of pigment can look more faded the more you wash it. If possible, try to only wash it every other day at most, or, ideally, every 2 to 3 days.

Previous article
How do I know if I have build-up?
Next article
Where do you first notice balding?