Not All Damage Is Permanent
That’s right my color-loving curlies — not all damage is permanent! In fact, most damage caused by color can be healed with some extra care and attention. When deciding on the level of care your curls need, the first thing you want to do is:
Assess The Damage
Dryness — Do your curls look and feel excessively dry? How do they respond when you rinse your curls with water? Do you notice that they quickly start to take form? If not, this could be a sign that the color damage has changed the elasticity of your hair, preventing it from “snapping back”.
Breakage — Are you able to see any breakage? Breakage is different from shedding. When your hair sheds it is typically long strands of hair. Breakage shows up in the form of small, fragmented pieces. If you do see some curl breakage, where specifically is it coming from? Figuring this out will help you identify what areas of your hair need more attention.
Split Ends — Uhhh! Now this color damaged concerns can be very annoying! Split ends are a sign that your strands have endured some stressful times! Mechanical stress to be exact. This is stress that can certainly be caused by the chemical damage of curls but also includes heat, manipulation, and tools. While the ends of your strands can split, the mid-shaft of your strand can split as well. If you have noticed many splits along your strands, there's no need to panic as these can be treated with a simple trim.
How To Recover From Color Damage
Make Moisture Your Bestie
When it comes to adding permanent color, moisture is always the trade off! For the color to “stick” and add pigment, it must be able to penetrate the cuticle. When this happens, your curl strand loses a lot of its moisture. If your cuticles are not properly sealed after the treatment, the moisture loss will continue. To prevent this from happening, give yours curls a little creamy conditioning love! Our Untie the Knot Nourishing Leave-in Conditioner is formulated to penetrate the cuticle and restore the natural moisture of your curls. In fact, a healthy scalp naturally produces sebum, which includes squalene — an oily/waxy substance that coats your strands. Our Untie the Knot Nourishing Leave-in Conditioner mimics this effect with the natural ingredient of Olive Squalene.
Some conditioners can suffocate curls with heavy oils and not enough moisturizing properties. That is not the case with our award-winning leave-in conditioner — all active ingredients such as water, aloe vera, olive squalene, broccoli seed oil, and keratin amino acids are lightweight enough to deliver care where your damaged strands need it the most.
To keep long-lasting moisture, pair our Untie the Knot Nourishing Leave-in Conditioner with our Curl Supreme 4-in-1 Curl Styling Crème! These two products work together to provide excellent slip and curl clumping, which minimizes the look of damaged curls, while healing your hair from the inside out!
Bring The pH Level Down
When chemically coloring your hair, the products used hold an alkaline pH level. This allows the cuticles of your hair strand to swell so that the pigment can be deposited at the cortex level. Well, what goes up, must come down! It is critically important that your curls and waves return to an acidic level of 4.5-5.5 to prevent damage. If we pay attention, our body and hair will tell us when the pH is too high. Some signs are frizz, itchy scalp, rough strands, easily tangles.
To bring the pH of your hair down to a neutral pH, simply reach for a deep conditioner or our leave-in conditioner. Did you know that Aloe Vera is a great natural ingredient can be used to neutralize your pH level? Lucky for you, our entire 360° Curls Collection has Aloe Vera as a primary ingredient (2-4th placement on the ingredient list)
NOTE: The pH level may not return with just one use, you may have to do 2-3 treatments.
Add Some Protein
(strength)
Protein treatments are a wonderful option for color damaged curls or waves that feel brittle, weak, and lack elasticity. Protein is an essential component of each strand. Protein is what gives curls and waves their strength. The added benefits of protein treatments are that they don’t strip your curls and the consistency of the product allows you to manage your curls better.
When using a protein treatment, please please READ and FOLLOW the instructions!
Not all protein treatments are made alike or equal. The manufacturers guidelines and/or directions take this into consideration. Leaving a protein treatment on longer may not necessarily improve the condition of your curls. It could have the reverse effect. Protein treatments should be used once a month or every 6 weeks. If you are unsure of the frequency or type of treatment your curls need, consult with a licensed cosmetologist.
When it comes to protein, moisture balance in conditioning and styling products is important to maintain the improvement, healing and manageability of your curls and waves. The TréLuxe 360° Curls Collection is formulated to have proper protein/moisture balance with the use of keratin amino acids and neutralizing moisturizing ingredients!
Consider The Scalp
It's so important to minimize the exposure of your scalp to the coloring process, as prolonged exposure could cause excessive dryness, chemical burns, scabs, etc. It's not a fun experience! The best chance you can give yourself will come from allowing a licensed cosmetologist to apply the color treatment. If you find your scalp to be itchy or very sensitive to touch, avoid manipulating your hair or washing your scalp that week so it can heal.
When you know better, you do better!
We hope this article has informed you on how to recover from color-damage. Visit our shop page to discover products that can help you manage and maintain your colored curls and waves.