CO washing colored hair -- does it help it not to fade?

[turtlelover]

Now that I am coloring my hair w/ a demi-permanent color, I am considering going back CO washing to help prevent dryness/damage. Does anyone also find that it helps the color last longer? I have a lot of red that I want to preserve. Also, if and when I do use shampoo, can anyone make recommendations for sulfate free shampoos that are good for fade resistance? I like Aveda, but it has sulfates.

[Buddaphlyy]

I dye my hair black with a demi permanent and I sometimes co wash. I won't say that co washing preserves color but it does make it fade less than if I shampoo. IME, sulfate free shampoos fade hair less than any sulfate shampoo, even if it's for color treated hair.

I also mix a semi permanent color with my conditioner once every 2 weeks to refresh the color some and prevent total fade out.

[Roscata]

To prevent dye damage you can cover your hair with coconut oil, leave it on for one hour, then apply the dye over your still oiled hair. This will not prevent the color from sticking to your hair, but it will minimize damage from the peroxide in the developer: Possible way to protect hair from conventional peroxide damage (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=10495)

CO washes are great at preventing color loss and at keeping the hair from over drying, so YES it will help slow down the color fading. It definitely helps me keep Manic Panic on my hair for longer, with shampoo (even sulfate-free shampoo) it fades in a few weeks, but with CO washes it sticks around for a couple of months (about twice as long).

Preserving red can be a trying task, so you can add some red manic panic (for example) to your conditioner, which will help you put red back into your hair as you're conditioning. There are also conditioners that come with added dye. I used a Radiant Red Colour Magnifying Daily Conditioner (http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=prod2109222) that added red back into my hair. I suppose the shampoo (http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/john-frieda-radiant-red-radiant-red-color-magnifying-daily-shampoo/ID=prod1332712-product) that comes it would be a good choice, but like I said before CO washes are twice as good as sulfate-free shampoos at slowing down fading (from my experience anyway) and this shampoo has SLS in it which is pretty harsh.

Good luck! :)

[nellreno]

Also, if and when I do use shampoo, can anyone make recommendations for sulfate free shampoos that are good for fade resistance? I like Aveda, but it has sulfates.

I've had good luck with Nature's Gate Shampoo, I believe all their shampoos are sulfate-free but I know their color-protecting one (pomegranate sunflower) is. I've experience minimal fading using that shampoo.

[rock007junkie]

I believe so. From what I understand it's sulphates that makes color fades

[jillosity]

I started co-washing to try to make my temporary color last longer (Jazzing) and I would say I could go about 10 days longer between applications, so it helped some. I usually co-wash every 3 days or so, and wash with shampoo (gotta keep the scalp in good shape!) maybe once or twice a month.

[37]

Useful info :)

I only started taking my hair seriously earlier this year, learned to do my own cut and color. Recently I noticed my deposit color would fade after only 3 or 4 shampoos (for colored hair).

The CO sounds good to me and I want to try it, do you think I can add white vinegar to the conditioner bottle ? What do I use to wash my hair after a color application, would the CO be ok for that too ?

Another (maybe a little strange) question that comes to mind : if you stop using shampoo to spare your scalp, what would you then use to cleanse your face and body ?

I'd appreciate any info :)
TIA

[Firefox7275]

I have been permanent red and now semi permanent red. As I understand it it is largely the water exposure that causes colour to fade, any surfactant can accelerate that process but is not the sole cause.

Conditioner only washing in cool water seems to help my hair hold the colour, partly I suspect down to causing less damage than shampoo and so helping my hair be less porous than it used to be. I have no idea what a deposit only colour is, is that semi (no peroxide, few weeks) or demi (low vol peroxide) or temporary (few washes)? If it's semi permanent try leaving the product on far longer than the instructions say so more colour molecules penetrate, you may wish to choose a lighter shade so the end result is not too dark - experiment on shed plughole hair.

Do not add vinegar to the conditioner because you mess with the formulation stability and preservatives, choose a conditioner than is pH appropriate for hair at around 4.5.

I wash my face with a lotion cleanser muslin cloth and rinse with water, I wash my body with a shower gel based on cocoamidopropyl betaine, tho lotions/ creams for body cleansing do exist (e.g WEN, also pharmacy products used by those with atopic eczema).

[pili]

The one time I had major color in my hair was when I was CO washing and after months the colorist was shocked that it hadn't faded much, and this was with daily hair wetting.

[Pigfarts]

I definitely feel like CO washing has helped keep the pink in my hair. I used to redo it every 3 weeks when I was using shampoo and now the pink will last for at least a month and a half. Just don't use really hot water. And adding a semi permanent veggie dye like manic panic or SFX into your conditioner will definitely help.

[Renaissance]

I have demi in my hair, and CO washing does not seem to fade the color, but even sulphate-free shampoo does, noticeably. :(