Top Tips for Caring for Color-Treated Hair from Leading Beijing Stylist Laurent Falcon

A new hairstyle is a great way to express your personality and change things up but nothing says “major life change” like a fresh new dye job. If you’ve ever seen someone with beautiful, brightly colored hair walking around Beijing, it’s likely that they got their do done at Laurent Falcon, where the talented team have years of experience working with all kinds of hair. We stopped by recently to chat to owner Laurent and the team about caring for colored hair while they created a stunning hidden rainbow hair effect on student and blogger Sarah. 

Asking your hairstylist for advice about caring for your dye job is a smart move, since if you’re going to commit the time and money to getting such a beautiful color done, you’re going to want to make sure that it lasts as long as possible. Laurent pointed out that bright, rainbow colors are less susceptible to taking on unwelcome tones or tinges (unlike blond highlights, for example) but he still recommended a number of steps you can take to prolong your color. 

Wait before washing
Don’t wash your hair straight from the salon (although if your hair’s on fleek, why would you?). Instead, try to wait for at least two days to allow the color to set in properly. 

Wash less often and with cold water
If you think about it, it makes sense that you rinse out a little bit of color every time you wash your hair, so try to stick to two to three times a week at most. When you do wash, turn the temperature down the temperature. Hot water opens the hair’s cuticles and allows dye to leech out. On the days when you decide not to wash your hair, reach for the dry shampoo. Drugstore favorite Batiste can’t be beaten when it comes to effectiveness vs. value and can be bought on Taobao.

Care and protect
Dyeing your hair can dry it out and strip it of its natural oils, which in turn makes your color look less vibrant. In order to keep hair healthy and shiny, try using a deep conditioning treatment or leave-in conditioner at least once a week. For example, Kerastase’s Serum Extentionitse is a highly concentrated leave-in serum with key active ingredients that stimulate the growth of strong, healthy hair follicles. Its non-greasy formula harnesses the power of Ceramides to protect the scalp from environmental aggressors while stimulating and energizing roots. You can also consider using a heat protectant spray before using heat styling tools like curlers or straighteners. 

Say no to sulfates 
Sulfates are a type of cleansing agent added to shampoos to make them foam up (check the label for sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate). Sulfates can be harsh on hair, stripping it of its natural oils and moisture, which is particularly risky for colored hair. The same goes for clarifying shampoos — basically, the gentler the shampoo, the better. However, the one time you should use a clarifying shampoo is the day before your next color treatment, which will get rid of any oils and product buildup that could block the color from penetrating the hair. 

With regards to that last tip, before your next color treatment, the Laurent Falcon team recommends a treatment with Kerastase Scrub Énergisant, a deep purifying sea salt scrub that deep cleanses the scalp and removes impurities and pollution build-up and dead skin cells to reveal shiny, healthy hair. Once your dye is in place, reach for a shampoo that is specially formulated for color-treated or highlighted hair. Laurent’s top choice, Kerastase Bain Chromatique has an innovative formula that captures pigments in the fiber. Its chelators complex fights all color enemies including water particles, responsible for color fading. UV Filters and Vitamin E protect from oxydative aggressions, while Rice Bran Oil nourishes the fiber to emphasize light refraction. The Kerastase products mentioned above are also available for purchase, so you can keep up your do at home. 

This post is paid for by Laurent Falcon
Photos: Uni You