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If you’ve spent time (and money) coloring your gray roots, you probably want the color to last as long as possible—which means using products that are gentle on the hair and won’t fade the color. For this reason, stylists are imploring you to keep scalp scrubs far, far away from your fresh dye job.
“The job of a scalp scrub is to exfoliate the skin,” says Jay Small, celebrity stylist and co-founder of the Arey gray hair brand. “Because the protein structure of skin and hair is similar, if these ingredients can remove buildup on the scalp, they can also remove color from hair strands if used within the first week of coloring.”
Gray strands generally have trouble holding color, so you need to take extra precautions to preserve the color applied to them. “‘Grey’ hair is actually translucent and devoid of pigment,” says Tom Smith, Celebrity Hairstylist and International Color Creative Director at evo hair. “The ‘grey’ hue we notice comes from how the light penetrates through the remaining darker hair, which is why those who are naturally darker tend to look more of an anthracite shade when the grays emerge, while those who who are naturally blonde adopt a softer beige gray or white. Because there are no pigments, it can take a lot of time to fill in and fully color the hair.”
This lack of pigment can also cause colored dyes to fade faster on gray strands. Smith explains that while all of your hair will likely fade at the same rate, it will be more noticeable on your grays because they don’t have undertones. “The faded, translucent look can appear more quickly in grayer areas than in the naturally dark areas,” he says, so avoiding scalp scrubs is important.
If you want to strip your scalp without messing up your color, the pros recommend waiting until just before your next coloring appointment. “I recommend exfoliating a week before your next color refresher, when your roots have grown in, so you can cleanse the scalp and prepare your hair for a better coloring experience,” says Small. Smith adds, “There is some evidence that using a scalp scrub prior to dying gray hair can actually aid in effective gray hair coverage, as the product deeply cleanses away any potential product or mineral buildup that could interfere with dye delivery into unruly greys.” Hair.”
Scalp scrubs are especially beneficial if you use a lot of products on your hair (they help break down buildup on your scalp), but you definitely don’t need to use them all the time. “Often, a healthy scalp starts with washing your hair properly,” says Smith. Lather, rinse and repeat with a gentle shampoo as often as needed for your hair type.
This article originally appeared on wellandgood.com
#1 Arey washing shampoo
Small recommends this new shampoo from his Arey brand. “This will stimulate blood flow without applying chemicals that could irritate the scalp and fade color,” he says. “Arey Wash also contains a complex of antioxidants and peptides that may help combat the stress associated with hair color on the scalp.”
Arey Washing Shampoo – $48.00
#2 evo Gluttony Volume Shampoo 300ml
If your hair is thinning, this evo volumizing shampoo is a great option. It gently cleanses the hair, builds fullness and texture and makes the hair look fuller.
evo Gluttony Volumizing Shampoo – $32.00
#3 First Aid Beauty Anti-Dandruff Shampoo with 1% Pyrithione Zinc
If you have dandruff, consider this shampoo from First Aid Beauty. “First Aid Beauty’s anti-dandruff shampoo is fantastic — it’s fragrance-free, mineral oil-free, paraben-free, and sulfate-free, which is fantastic because that’s really the main reason for color fading,” says David Lopez , a celebrity hairdresser. “There are no harsh detergents, and on top of that it actually removes flakes.”
First Aid Beauty Anti-Dandruff Shampoo with 1% Pyrithione Zinc – $30.00
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