‘If you want to truly improve the health of your hair, you need to STOP colouring it!’ This is one piece of hair health advice that we’ve all heard at least a handful of times. And this is often said because over colouring or bleaching can, in fact, damage our hair and lead to poor hair health. But does this mean you should or have to stop colouring your hair completely? Do you really need to embrace your natural hair to improve your hair health? The answer to these questions might surprise you, so let’s talk about what you really need to know about hair colouring and prioritising your hair health. The health, look and feel of our hair can be impacted by a long list of potential factors, which can include hair colouring if we don’t make appropriate choices for our specific hair type and needs. But we believe that you should be able to enjoy getting your hair coloured while still experiencing your healthiest hair possible if you can take the right steps to care for your hair. So, let’s discuss if coloured hair can truly be healthy and, if so, what you can do to maintain your healthiest hair while getting it coloured, as well as the best type of haircare you can use for coloured hair.
Is colouring impacting your hair? Is it really the cause of your poor hair health?
From UV exposure to excessive heat, damaging hairstyles, chlorine, styling products, stress, health, diet and even the weather, there will always be an endless list of factors that can cause damage to our hair or simply impact the overall health of our scalp and hair. And of course, over colouring and bleaching can absolutely be a significant factor on that list known to cause damage. However, simply because you enjoy getting your hair coloured, it doesn’t mean your hair isn’t healthy or won’t ever be truly healthy. Yes, not making wise colour choices for our specific hair needs can cause significant and unnecessary damage. And yes, 100% natural hair that has never been coloured or bleached does have a greater chance of remaining healthy long term. However, hair health can still suffer even without any colour treatments.
So, if you’re struggling with the health of your hair, maybe you’re experiencing noticeable thinning or breakage, or maybe your hair feels dry and frizzy, take the time to consider all that your hair is exposed to and determine if colouring treatments are, in fact, causing your poor hair health. Often our hair suffers when we expose it to factors like colour or bleaching, or even heated styling tools and regular UV exposure, because we’re not taking the necessary steps to care for and actively improve the health and condition our hair. This means colour treatments may not be the single cause or contributing factor to your poor hair health. It is very likely that your hair concerns are a result of a combination of using the wrong hair products, having an inconsistent routine, practicing poor hair habits, extreme heat exposure and any other hair health choices limiting you from experiencing your best results. Of course, if you are making drastic colour changes and choices for your hair or you’re not taking the advice of a trusted hairdresser, then colouring can be a vital part of why you’re not achieving your healthiest scalp and hair. But if you’re confident in what you choose to have done to your hair and are still suffering with poor hair health, colouring may not be the root or single cause.
Let’s take a look at an example of healthy and unhealthy coloured hair. This first photo is our founder, Isabella’s, hair many years ago before creating and launching our Sozo Hair Health range. She had been getting foils in her hair and always used ‘salon quality’ products, but as you can see her ends were extremely spiny, thin, dry and unhealthy. It could be said the poor hair health was a direct result of colouring. But this was not the case. The reason for the desperately unhealthy hair was actually several factors, including using the wrong haircare products, not following a consistent haircare routine and not understanding or addressing specific hair health needs.
Now, let’s look at the current condition of her hair. Even though she continues to enjoy getting foils years later, her hair is evidently strong, healthy, shiny, thick and hydrated. If the colouring habits didn’t change, why is the hair incredibly healthier? The answer is using and consistently following an all-natural Sozo Hair Health routine, doing regular hair mask and prewash oil treatments, practicing good hair habits, prioritising physical health and understanding what hair really needs to thrive.
This proves that you can enjoy getting your hair coloured and transform your hair when you take the right steps to prioritise your hair health. So, let’s talk about what you can do practically to achieve your healthiest coloured hair.
Coloured haircare tips for maintaining your healthiest scalp and hair
Maintaining healthy hair doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. You simply need to be intentional with your hair health choices to ensure you are preventing unnecessary damage and supporting strong, hydrated hair. These are just a handful of tips to follow to experience your best results.
- Work with your trusted hairdresser to talk about your unique hair colour and needs.
- Make wise colour choices and avoid drastic changes that involve excessive colouring or bleaching. As an example, it would be expected that our hair would suffer if we transformed dark brunette hair to blonde, then to a copper or red colour and back to blonde hair. Choose colour treatments that enhance or suit your natural hair colour.
- Space out your hair appointments whenever possible. Depending on your hair type, colour and regrowth, you might be able to push out your appointments to ensure your hair isn’t getting coloured too frequently.
- Get regular trims to cut off any split ends or damage before it becomes too difficult to manage instead of avoiding haircuts altogether then needing a significant chop and loss of hair length to eliminate unhealthy ends.
- Follow a consistent haircare routine that includes regular hair mask treatments and prewash oiling.
- Avoid excessive heat exposure when styling and use heat protection.
By focusing on your haircare routine, daily habits, physical health and styling habits, you can support strong, shiny, smooth, hydrated and healthy coloured hair.
How our Sozo Hair Health has been formulated specifically to enhance coloured hair
Using the right haircare products plays a vital role in the health of your coloured hair and how well your colour lasts between appointments. The best haircare for coloured hair are products that are not going to strip your colour or your natural sebum (oil) and will increase hydration, nourish and strengthen to prevent breakage.
Our all-natural, Australian made Sozo Hair Health range has been formulated to effectively clean your scalp without drying your hair or stripping your colour, as well as add hydration back into your hair, increase shine, condition and repair for long term results. All these wonderful benefits are achieved with the proven natural ingredients used in place of traditional cleaning agents, harsh chemicals, silicones, parabens and hidden nasties. One feature ingredient in our natural hair products that is scientifically proven to benefit coloured hair is hydrolysed quinoa. This ingredient is known to support coloured hair by improving colour uptake and retention. To help prevent colour fading, we’ve also included beetroot extract in our Sozo Hair Health Mask, so you can enjoy your best colour and hair health results. Argan oil is another effective ingredient found in our shampoo, conditioner, hair mask and serum, as it is known to soothe the scalp, increase shine, help smooth frizz and, most importantly, provide intense conditioning for dry, heat damage and coloured hair. Often our hair can easily become dull, dry, brittle and damaged with regular colouring. However, with these proven ingredients and many more found in our Sozo Hair Health range, you can support strong, shiny, healthy hair that feels hydrated and is easier to style.
To maintain healthy coloured hair, applying treatments regularly within your haircare routine is also vital. Two treatment products you can include in your routine is our Sozo Hair Health Mask and our Scalp & Hair Health Serum. Our silicone free, natural hair mask is a luxurious, weekly hair treatment that can be applied to both your scalp and hair to soothe, condition and reduce inflammation, while also targeting, hydrating, strengthening, repairing and smoothing your hair. Formulated with aloe, manuka honey, argan oil, davidson plum, finger lime and more, simply apply our mask to your scalp and hair after shampooing, leaving it in for a couple of minutes or for up to 30 minutes, then rinse and enjoy healthy coloured hair with continued use.
Our Scalp & Hair Health Serum is another natural hair treatment product that is great for coloured hair. It can be applied after washing and before styling to help protect, increase shine, nourish and smooth your hair. Simply start by applying 2-3 drops to your ends, gradually adding more as needed to suit your hair type. Although, it is a must-have for your styling routine, our Scalp & Hair Health Serum can also be used for prewash oiling treatments. By applying it generously to your scalp and hair at least 30 minutes (or a couple of hours) before washing, you can nourish, hydrate, strengthen and condition to support strong, shiny, healthy hair, as well as soothe, increase blood flow and reduce inflammation on your scalp, which are all vital for healthy hair growth. With regular and consistent treatments using our hair mask and serum, you can experience your healthiest hair while still enjoying hair colouring.
For some, getting our hair coloured is something that we enjoy and can’t imagine living without. While others love embracing their natural hair and choose to avoid colour treatments altogether. Both choices are absolutely okay because we should be free to decide what we enjoy and want to do with our own hair. Although hair colouring can be seen as an extremely damaging hair habit, it is possible to achieve and maintain healthy coloured hair. When we make wise colour choices, follow the advice of a trusted hairdresser and have a consistent natural haircare routine made up of products formulated to target and enhance both your scalp and hair health, you can colour your hair and still prioritise your hair health for your best results long term.
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