It’s always exciting to get your hair done, especially a huge change like a new color. Fresh out of the salon, you want to show off your new hair. Who wouldn’t? One thing that comes with showing off your new ‘do means styling it in a multitude of ways. And that often involves straightening your hair.
So, you may be wondering: can I straighten my hair after I dye it? The short answer is yes, but you need to do so cautiously.
You see, when you straighten your hair, heat damage is inevitable. And color-treated hair is more susceptible to this damage. Not to mention, the heat from the tools can also strip off hair color.
That said, you can minimize the damage if you know what you’re doing. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about straightening your hair after you dye it.
How Long Should You Wait to Straighten Your Hair After You Dye It?
Ideally, you should wait at least a week before straightening your hair. This gives your locks enough time to recover. Remember that your hair has just been through the wringer, between the dye and bleach job.
If you use heat styling tools too soon, you may end up damaging your strands. And this can ruin your dye job as well.
However, if your hair is healthy and didn’t get damaged during coloring, it’s okay to straighten it 2-3 days after the dye job. Even so, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you go about straightening your color-treated hair. Let’s take a look!
Protect Your Hair
Protecting your hair is a must. There are a ton of products out there specifically formulated to protect hair during the heating process. A good quality heat protectant will have ingredients like keratin and humectants.
Keratin is a protein that will strengthen your hair bonds. Humectants, on the other hand, are moisture-preserving ingredients; we already know the benefits of hydration.
Use a Low Heat Setting
Heat causes damage, period. That said, a lower temperature setting may prolong the life of your hair color and cause less damage per use.
Try air drying before pulling out the iron. The less heat your hair is exposed to, the healthier it will be. This is a sure-fire way to keep your locks looking luscious for longer.
Moisturize Your Hair
Keeping your locks moisturized is key to protecting your hair from heat damage after it’s been dyed. Dry hair damages easier because there is little moisture keeping it together.
The simplest solution is to use a moisturizing shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask at least once a week. Make sure to use products that are safe for color-treated hair, or your color will fade too soon.
How to Straighten Your Hair After Dyeing
In an ideal world, hair damage doesn’t happen. Since we don’t live in an ideal world, it’s important to take care of your hair after a fresh color. If you’re dying to straighten your hair soon after a touch-up, follow the steps below.
Prep
It’s been a few days since your hair appointment and you’ve washed your hair using hydrating shampoo and conditioner. Maybe you’ve also used a conditioning mask with all kinds of goodies in it. Now it’s time to prep your hair to be straightened. Apply your fave hair oil along with that oh-so-important heat-protectant spray. Don’t forget to turn on your straightener so it can heat up.
Section
It’s important to section your hair before straightening. Your straightener might not be able to get to pieces that are too thick. Careful sectioning lets you focus on straightening one layer at a time.
You can use clips and hair ties to keep the sections separated. If you use a higher heat setting, you can grab slightly thicker sections. Take note that a higher heat setting may be damaging.
Straighten
The straightener is ready to go, your hair is prepped and sectioned, so it’s time. Grab a section, and clamp the straightener close to the root of your hair.
Don’t get too close though as it will burn your scalp. Keep a tight grip on the straightener as you go down to the ends. Try to go over each section of hair only once or twice to minimize the damage.
Finish
Hair all straight? Wicked. Now it’s time for the final touches of hydrating finishing oil. This doesn’t have to be specifically for heat damage or anything, just a good quality oil or spray. Bonus if it has keratin or other proteins in it. Now, check yourself out one last time in the mirror, and give yourself a smile. You’re good, girl!
Conclusion
As you now know, it can be completely safe to straighten your hair after dyeing it – if done properly. There is a slew of precautions to take and important steps to follow while doing your hair.
Now, if you miss a step or two every once in a while, it’s not the end of the world. Your hair won’t fall out but you may notice a scraggly end or two. That’s okay. Keep up with our tips and tricks, and your freshly dyed hair will look great every time you straighten it.
