There's no doubt about it, hair color is getting battered during the coronavirus lockdown. But there are ways to enhance and extend hair color while stay-at-home orders remain in place. Here are some tips to maintain hair color during the lockdown.

1. Use sulfate-free shampoo & conditioner. Sodium laureth sulfate, aka, sodium laureth ether sulfate, produces a foaming effect in shampoos and conditioners. But sulfates can strip hair of its natural oils and moisture, which can then lead to stripping color-treated hair. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner specifically made for color-treated hair to keep hair color from fading.
   
2. Turn down water temperature when shampooing. When washing hair with hot water, the hair cuticle is opened, allowing color to wash out while shampooing and conditioning. To prevent watching color go down the drain, try shampooing with slightly warm water and then rinse with cold water after conditioning. The warm water will allow the shampoo and conditioner to penetrate and cleanse, while the cold water will help seal in the moisture from the conditioner while preventing color from fading by sealing the hair’s cuticle.

3. Wash hair less often. To make hair color last longer, avoid washing hair every day. Daily hair washing strips away the natural oils that moisturize and keep hair color looking fresh. It also washes away a little bit of hair dye. Wash hair every other day or even 2-3 times a week to maintain hair color longer. 

4. Use leave-in treatments to protect hair color. Colored and chemically treated hair needs extra hydration to prevent damage and loss of nutrients to the hair. Leave-in treatments will help keep hair smooth and hydrated.

5. Avoid heat styling tools. High temps open up the hair cuticle, letting color fade out; limit the use of heat tools like blow-dryers, flat irons and curling irons. They also may dry out and damage hair, and hair color can’t deposit evenly on fried, broken strands. Spritz a thermal hair protecting product onto towel-dried hair before using any tools.
 
 
About the Author
Dr. Serkan Aygin is a member of the International Society of Dermatology, with over 24 years of experience in hair transplantation. For being one of the very first surgeons to perform hair transplants in Turkey, he was recently awarded the European Awards in Medicine 2019 for  Hair Transplantation and is considered a leader of innovation in hair care and dermatology.