Right from bright blues and violets to subtle ombre highlights, a new hair color can revamp your look instantly. There are so many different coloring styles like balayage, lowlights, highlights, etc., that it can be hard to resist the urge to color your hair. As gorgeous as hair coloring seems, it is also infamous for causing dryness, damage, and frizz. But using the right products and not going overboard with coloring can help reduce damage and keep your hair healthy and happy. 

One of the most asked questions on hair coloring is “how often should you color your hair?" Let's find out!

Table of Contents

• Does frequent hair coloring damage your hair?
• How often should you color your hair?
• What products should you use after coloring your hair?

Does frequent hair coloring damage your hair?

Hair colors contain ammonia and hydrogen peroxide that are used together to open up the hair’s cuticle and change its color. When the hair’s cuticle is broken, your hair can become brittle and more prone to breakage. The chemicals in hair colors also break the structural bonds of your hair that hold protein. When these bonds are broken, your hair begins to lose protein. As a result, your hair lacks shine and gets frizzy, dry, and hard to detangle.  

How often should you color your hair?

The more often you color your hair, the more you expose your hair to chemicals. These chemicals create tiny holes in the hair cortex and cuticle, which leave your hair brittle and make it more susceptible to breakage. 

Typically, hair experts recommend not dyeing your hair before four to six months from the previous application. This gives your hair enough time to repair itself from any damage caused by chemicals. 

Having said that, the right time and frequency to color your hair depend on a number of factors, such as:

• The type of hair: If your hair is already damaged and porous, any further chemical treatment can lead to more damage. In this case, it would be advisable not to color your hair so frequently and wait till your hair sheds the new color entirely before you recolor it. Dry and damaged hair can be hard to repair. So try to nourish your hair back to health first and then expose it to chemicals like artificial hair colors. If you must color your hair, you can try natural products like henna. These will color your greys and at the same time nourish your hair too.  
• The type of hair color: The type of hair color you use also determines how often you need to use it. For instance, semi-permanent hair color can last for up to 8 weeks without any touch-ups. Semi-permanent hair color fades away with each wash. So, its life depends on how often you wash your hair or what products you choose to apply to your hair. On average, you might start seeing greys or your original hair color after 8 to 10 weeks of applying semi-permanent hair color. If you use permanent hair color, you can avoid recoloring for a longer time. Permanent hair color typically lasts till regrowth. So, you will notice a change in color only when your hair starts to grow. Human hair grows between 0.4 mm a day to 0.5 inches a month. Hence, it will be months before you might feel the need to color again. 
• The method of application: The application method can determine the amount of damage caused to your hair. For example, full head color covers every hair strand on your scalp and leads to more damage. On the other hand, recoloring sections of your hair in highlights can limit the damage. Similarly, retouching the roots only will restrict the damage to that area instead of recoloring the entire length of the hair. 

What products should you use after coloring your hair?

It is important to use products that can deeply nourish your scalp and hair after coloring. As stated above, hair coloring weakens the structural bonds of your hair. It causes dryness, frizz, and breakage. It also leads to a loss of protein. Hence, you should add oils, conditioners, masks, and shampoos that can moisturize your hair and repair the damage caused by harsh chemicals. Here are some product recommendations:

Coconut Milk Shampoo & Conditioner Pack

Coconut milk contains natural fatty acids that provide deep moisture to your hair and scalp. The WOW Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner is a perfect combination of coconut milk extract, nettle leaf extract, almond oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and aloe vera extract, among other things, that help repair dry and damaged hair and seal split ends for healthier and bouncier hair. 

Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner Pack

Argan oil has many restorative properties that can reduce damage and promote a healthy scalp and hair. This shampoo and conditioner pack is also infused with sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, etc., for deep nourishment and moisturizing. 

Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Mask For Color-Treated Hair

Specially curated for color-treated hair, the Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Mask contains spruce bark extract, wheat protein, argan oil, among many other nutritious ingredients. Regular use of this hair mask replenishes damaged hair strands and protects the hair cuticle. 

Before you go ahead and color your hair, make sure you have the right hair care products in your cabinet. Browse through the WOW Skin Science haircare range and enjoy beautiful and soft hair with our novel plant-powered products.