Preconditioner when coloring hair?
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Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:19 am

Every time I color my hair I find that it is a little dry afterwards. Is there any kind of preconditioning treatment that I could use beforehand that won't interfere with the color?

I do go to the salon to have it done so the product is of quality but my hair is babyfine and starting to thin with age. Just trying to be as kind as possible to my hair. I remember back to the 80's when we all had big hair and bought hair spray by the gallon!

free skin care · Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:43 am

Carekate came up with a solution to this that I absolutely swear by. I've looked it up for you:

Quote:
CareKate wrote:
"I wanted to share my fave new trick when using my beloved Wella Color Charm DIY hair color: *before* dying my hair, I apply a homemade protein treatment consisting of avocado, jojoba, grapeseed and coconut oils and let it set in for 15-20 minutes, then I prepare my hair-dye mixture and apply it directly *over* the protein treatment (i.e.: without rinsing the oil out first).

You cannot even BEGIN to imagine how much shinier your hair turns out when you’ve finished and are blow drying and styling your glossy new color!!!! It completely blew me away because it looked like I had applied a clear-gloss "sealant" after I colored, or else slicked on some shine serum to my hair before blow-drying even though I hadn’t!

I actually came up with the idea for applying the protein/oil treatment before doing my color when I saw one of those Sarah Jessica Parker commercials where she’s hawking Garnier Nutrisse hair color and she says what makes Nutrisse so wonderful is the fact that the dye actually contains "nourishing avocado and grapeseed oils." That’s when the little light bulb went off in CareKate’s head and she had a brainstorm!

So anyway, even if you guys are only using some drugstore hair dye kit, you should really try applying the protein treatment first before you actually put the dye on your hair.

Alright, I know exactly what you guys are thinking: "Won’t the protein/oil treatment interfere with the penetration of the dye?" And the answer is a complete,resounding, "No!!!" If anything it makes the color penetrate more evenly so the weaker areas on the hair shaft don't "grab" too much color.

I really think I must be on to something with the protein/oil treatment before coloring because I’m a big fan of the Phytolagie line of hair products, specifically their Phytocitrus shampoo and Phytocitrus hair mask – it’s great for "refreshing" your highlights once they start to fade and get brassy looking. Although the Phyto line is actually best known as the hair products that all the "Baywatch Babes" used on the set to keep the sun and surf from destroying their peroxide-blonde hair.

Anyway, when I was at one of my beauty boutiques yesterday arranging a CP for an MUA member, they had a Phytocitrus shampoo/hair mask bonus set that included a sample of a pre-coloring intensive hair treatment and when I checked the ingredients, it was basically a blend of several oils (jojoba/avocado/grapeseed) and essential oils, and when I checked the instructions for usage for this treatment, it said something like "Bring this treatment along to your salon and tell your stylist to apply it immediately before any coloring service, do not rinse." And you won’t believe this: Phyto sells full-size tubes of this pre-color treatment for around $15 per vial!! You can make the same damn stuff from items that you probably already have in your kitchen or bathroom.

BTW, I also color my mom’s hair with my beloved Wella Color Charm dye which I custom-blend to give her what she claims is "the best home hair color results that I’ve ever used" and keep in mind that she’s been dying her hair since the early days when "Miss Clairol" was first born! Anyway, I colored her hair last weekend and this time I used the DIY protein treatment on her before I applied the dye, and again it gave her incredibly shiny, incredibly even-looking results! You guys have got to give this a try next time you color your hair!
Okay, so last night I needed to re-tint my lashes so I look great in the inevitable upcoming Thanksgiving family holiday photos so I started thinking and said to myself, "Self, I wonder what would happen if you applied a protein treatment to your *lashes* before you tint them...?" Now this sounded like a mighty fine idea to me and -- being your ever-faithful guinea pig -- I decided to try it:

I applied a bit of my L'oreal Natures Therapy Mega Moisture protein treatment (just because it was pre-made in a bottle so I didn't have to fuss with making a homemade version but a homemade protein treatment would work just as good) with a clean mascara spooly wand and let it dry completely, then I mixed up a bit of the 1000 Hours Lash Tint and applied it as I normally do using the "Application on Self" instructions and I rinsed my lashes and cleaned them with a bit of my Yonka Nettoyant Gel cleanser and looked in the mirror to see if the protein treatment beforehand had made a significant difference in the results....

Great hopping fleas -- if you think your lashes look great after using 1000 Hours now, just wait until you get a look at the results after you apply it over a protein treatment!!!! My lashes came out even darker and more glossy looking than usual. I mean REALLY darker and more glossy!

Please ladies: you've *got* to try this the next time you tint your lashes and see the difference for yourselves."

free skin care · Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:45 am

I would mention it to your stylist. They might have a different product they could use or a pre-conditioner.

free skin care · Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:38 pm

Hmmm...my mother has been a stylist for eons and has always told me it was better not to wash your hair for a day or two before coloring (so that it was oily)...kinda the same concept Smile

free skin care · Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:37 am

There are 3 products available at Sally Beauty that really help my color take and also keep my hair in better condition. Currently I am using Wella Color Charm, but I have used these products with box colors too. I comb L'oreal Pre-color Primer thru my hair right before applying color. After rinsing the color out, I use Wella Regenal pH normalizing solution, rinse, then apply L'oreal Post-Color Treatment.

free skin care · Sun Jan 21, 2007 4:42 am

Hi!

I think it is an excellent idea, and Arielle pretty much covered all the bases. But Arielle--I just recently bought phyto's treatment, and I plan to use it the next time I color my hair, but because it was so cheap! Like $2 per vial (in a box of six). Maybe you thought the box had one vial, but it has six, along with a handy little spray bottle to ensure even application.... It is possible that in the states it is like 4x the price, but I've noticed that kerastase is the same price here as it is over there, so i assumed with phyto it would be the same.

Anyways, I can't wait to try this when I touch up my roots!

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Jan 21, 2007 6:52 pm

I use oil before I henna my hair, just smooth it lightly on the drier areas (hair is dry) until it absorbs. I use Louise Marie Longhairs oil but I imagine the Phyto would work in the same way.

free skin care · Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:01 pm

avalange wrote:

Hi!

Maybe you thought the box had one vial, but it has six, along with a handy little spray bottle to ensure even application.... It is possible that in the states it is like 4x the price, but I've noticed that kerastase is the same price here as it is over there, so i assumed with phyto it would be the same.

Anyways, I can't wait to try this when I touch up my roots!

--avalange

I did a "cut and paste" on Carekate's post so it does kind of look like those are my comments but they're not. I haven't used phyto. But, based on Carekate's posts on the subject, I mix a little coconut oil with jojoba and rosehip seed oil as a preconditioner before my henna treatments. I had started using this while I was still coloring my hair and really liked the effect. But, I've since stopped putting those hair color chemicals on and started using henna, which is much better for my hair.

Ari Very Happy

free skin care · Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:40 pm

I used to home color with Feria for years, and really like the results; my hair is pretty healthy. However after I followed CareKate's suggestions listed above (I used jojoba, kukui nut, grapeseed and sweet almond oil) and used the Wella Charm color that she loves, I'm sold--it worked great, the color held onto even the little grays around my temples that are really hard to cover. Someone made a suggestion (sorry can't recall who) to put shampoo around the hairline, for those drips and skin discolorations I always got. That too worked fantastic. I love the color, my hair is staying in great shape, and I can mix & match, experimenting with combining different amounts of Wella colors whenever I want.

I also used the oil bf using 1000Hour lash tint and also loved the result.

Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:20 am

May someone share a detailed phytocitrus DIY hair mask recipe that carekate suggested? I know someone who had extremely dry hair and has lost all its shine due to so much hair coloring. Thanks for sharing a great recipe that works on advance!

free skin care · Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:18 am

Arielle, great tip! Smile

Thanks for sharing your hair tips. Will try this when I have my Henna days.... which is "today"...

free skin care · Fri Feb 01, 2013 10:27 am

I have had trouble with keeping my 'low lights' in my over bleached, thinning hair,(the color stripped out and left it orange instead of nuetral brown) so I started using Roux Porosity Control (old product) from Sally's the morning of my highlights/lowlights. I follow directions, rinse it thoroughly and blow my hair dry. My color and condition has improved greatly. I also use it at home just as a brief conditioning rinse after I shampoo. This product has been around for a long time, and I have found that some of the 'oldies but goodies' work better for me than the newer ones. I also have been reading that some of the hair stylists are now saying that hair colors work better on clean hair without any residual mousses, gels, etc.

free skin care · Sun Feb 03, 2013 11:05 pm

I coat my hair with wheat germ oil 45 minutes prior to coloring. When your cuticles open up from the peroxide, the oily goodness goes into your strands and prevents them from looking fried.

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