Shampoo for color-treated hair
What the AAD says, and what a "color safe" label does not tell you.
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Care tips from the AAD
The AAD says to protect your hair from the sun with a wide-brimmed hat, and to use conditioner after each shampoo. It says the sun can make hair faded and brittle, and that "this is especially true if you dye, bleach or perm your hair."
Highlights
A dermatologist quoted by the AAD says that if you regularly have your hair professionally colored blond or highlighted, you are putting it through a bleaching process, and suggests not coloring right before a sun- and pool-filled vacation.
Leave-in conditioner
Dermatologists quoted by the AAD say a leave-in conditioner can be helpful if your hair is color-treated. For time in the sun, the AAD suggests a wide-brimmed hat.
"Color safe" is a label term
"Color safe" and "for color-treated hair" are words makers put on labels. We have found no FDA definition for them, and we do not check any product's claim. We do not say a free-from label makes a product safer or better.
Choose for your hair type
The AAD says to choose hair care products that say they are made for your hair type.
Touch-ups
The AAD suggests adding more time between touch-ups, especially when the air is dry, and having only one service: a coloring, relaxer, or perm. If you want more than one, it says to perm or relax your hair first, two weeks before you color it.
Sources: AAD, Coloring and perming tips for healthier-looking hair; American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), Tips for healthy hair; AAD, 10 hair care habits that can damage your hair; AAD, Dermatologists' top tips for using leave-in conditioner; AAD, Must-try summer hair care.
FAQ
General information, not medical advice. Follow the label. We suggest testing a new hair product on a small patch of skin first. Keep it out of your eyes, and stop use if irritation occurs. For hair dye, the FDA says to do a patch test every time and never to dye your eyebrows or eyelashes. See a doctor or dermatologist about scalp problems or hair loss.
Next: free-from label words
Label words, explained.
