Should You Wash Your Hair Before Colouring? Michael Douglas Weighs in
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Michael Douglas is a celebrity hair stylist with a passion for empowering beauty fans to feel more confident with their hair. He is also a regular Live That Glow columnist, answering readers questions on all things hair care. Here, he advises on how to prep hair for colouring.
Should I wash my hair before going to get it coloured? Or is it true that the oils protect it during colouring?
Michael says:
No is the short answer! It is better to have a slightly dirty scalp when colouring your hair with permanent colour or bleach that is likely to go on the scalp.
If you’re having your hair highlighted, this is not an issue because the product wouldn’t come into contact with the skin or scalp. But, having your roots done or a full head colour where the product comes in direct contact with the scalp, it’s better that the scalp is not clean.
In the hair follicle there are two glands; the sebaceous gland and the sweat gland and these glands secrete a combination of sweat and oil which coats the scalp with something called the acid mantle. This is a natural protective layer that coats the scalp and helps to keep it healthy.
When you wash or shampoo your hair you remove the acid mantle until it starts to reform again. Therefore, a freshly washed scalp is more prone to contact reactions from the activity of the ingredients in permanent hair colour. This can lead to discomfort and irritation. So my advice is always colour your hair 2 to 3 days after you’ve washed it.
This advice I would apply to either colouring your own hair at home or going to a hair salon to get it coloured. If you’re the type of person who washes their hair every day then on a colouring day just be careful not to wash the scalp but keep the shampoo on the hair and don’t massage the scalp at all.
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