How to Choose Shampoo for Colored Hair

Hair care aisles may seem like a magical mystery land with so many tempting products, but you don't have to be a licensed cosmetologist to choose the right shampoo for color treated hair. Much of the decision is personal preferenc, but there are a few tried and true secrets to making the most of your money while still protecting the color and shine of color treated hair.

Things You'll Need

• Shampoo
• Moisturizing conditioner
• Deep conditioning hair mask

Instructions

1. Use a clarifying shampoo twice a month to remove excess oils and hair styling product residue from the hair shaft. This will boost the shine, even for color treated hair.

2. Make sure the shampoo label says "color-protective". This means the shampoo is gentle and your hair color won't fade.

3. Choose a creamy shampoo that contains gentle cleansers like sodium laureth sulfate, or use baby shampoo.

4. Wash hair every frequently and use a dry shampoo between shampooings to prevent dryness.

5. Pamper your color treated hair by using a shampoo with rich conditioners and moisturizers containing shea butter or lanolin for healthy, shiny tangle free tresses.

6. Apply conditioner to only hair shaft and ends of color treated hair. Hair roots are often excessively oily.

7. Protect color treated hair from damaging ultraviolet rays by periodically using a deep conditioning mask that has rich ingredients like olive oil, Aloe Vera, Panthenol and Biotin. This will also reduce split ends.

Tips & Warnings

• Before getting in a chlorinated swimming pool, wet your hair with bottled spring water to protect it from the harsh chemicals.

• Use hairspray or spritzers with moisturizers and sunscreens to finish and protect the hair.

• A perm that is specially formulated for color treated hair can add body, fullness and great texture to color treated hair.

• Avoid using conditioners that contain silicone because it tends to strip the color from color treated hair.