Pre colouring rituals

[bunnii]

What rituals do you do before colouring?

Do you deep condition to get your hair ready and how long before colouring do you do it?

Do you do any deep oiling before, again to get your hair ready?

How do you prepare your hair for colouring ie - only washing with shampoo to get rid of build up (I find I can't do this because it makes my head itch too much then the dye irritates lol)


I need to dye my hair again I have roots almost 3 inches long :lol: and I deep condition twice in the week and a bit leading up to me colouring and I CO with cone free conditioner right before colouring, even though i've been told not to, I find its ok and the dye finds its way through. and I don't oil before I dye.

and I always wanted to use this emote - :poot: hehehe

[Riot Crrl]

My theory was always, if the dye has peroxide, leave it as dirty as possible and the peroxide eats through. I would try to do protein followed by moisture a few days before, and then not worry about any buildup or anything and just apply the dye.

For dyes that are deposit only I want it as clean as possible.

[girlcat36]

Riot Crrl, I always put my semi-permanent color on dirty hair, but I am going to try on clean hair next time!

[Riot Crrl]

Of course the best way I got semi-permanent to stay in was a two step with bleaching or peroxiding it first. That's like shampoo x 100! But I don't necessarily recommend that :silly:

[rapunzhell13]

Riot Crrl, I always put my semi-permanent color on dirty hair, but I am going to try on clean hair next time!

Definitely shampoo the hair before applying a semi. The shampoo opens the cuticles so the semi can deposit the colour, then you condition to close the cuticle and seal the colour in. Bleaching your hair first will make the colour deposit easier and appear more vibrant, but because the hair is damaged and the cuticles will no longer close properly, the colour will also wash out much easier. :)

[Darkhorse1]

Funny, I asked my hair dresser about this on Weds, when I got my hair colored (I use a Demi permanent due to allergies to peroxide/bleach).

She said while most people keep their hair dirty, she said that it's best to have it clean. She said the whole purpose of peroxide is to open the hair shaft, to allow the color to 'soak' in. If you keep your hair dirty, the color won't adhere as well and you'll be back into the salon sooner.

I thought that was really interesting! :)

[Ohio Sky]

I have no experience with semi or demi permanent dyes. I just bought my first demi and haven't aplied yet, but I don't plan to do anything special for it other than wash to remove all my cones.

I have always used permanent dyes and I don't see the point in doing anything to it before hand, I always did some kind of deep conditioning after though. An SMT with a protein-y condish designed for color treated hair works well. (Usually 2-3 days after the coloring, or whenever you plan to wash first.)

[Darkhorse1]

My hair dresser explained that semi/demi permanents just don't last as long because they have no peroxide. Therefore, they don't penetrate the hair shaft as deeply as the permanent. It was funny because after she colored my hair and dried it (she usually just dries the excess water out), there was one stubborn strand of gray poking out. She said that's what happens as gray hair is much coarser and harder to penetrate color wise. This is why peroxide based colors are better at covering the gray than semi-permanents. I said to her I'd have to see what my doctor would suggest, as I've had allergic reactions to bleach/peroxide in the past.

I may have to live with some stubborn grays! :)

[RavennaNight]

Before coloring, I let my hair get dirty for 3-4 days. My hair is usually up during this time. I use coconut oil on my ends every nite in that 3-4 day period, but using care not to oil near my head/roots. I dye only my roots, and avoid the rest of my hair shafts completely. After I dye, I leave the conditioner they give you waaaay longer than they say to, like at least 2 hours. I make sure its my day off so I'm in no rush.

[Riot Crrl]

Yep. A harsh shampoo can lift up the scales like peroxide would to an extent, allowing the deposit dye to cling better, but it doesn't eat so much holes like bleach and peroxide do so it's a little less effective at it.

Also, bleaching and peroxiding only helps the dye stick better to an extent I think. Within reason it gives the dye more surface area to stick to. When overprocessed the hair is like "stuck open" forever so the dye can fall out too.

[paper]

I shampoo only the day before.