Home hair care and post colour service advice

How to care for your hair at home

* Your hair is at its most fragile when it's wet so be gentle when its in a wet or damp state. Always wash your hair with shampoo followed by conditioner. The shampoo opens the cuticle and cleans off the hair strand and also the scalp. Then the conditioner closes the cuticle back down, sealing in the Good and protecting from the bad for example the environmental elements and damage from heated tools when styling. Following your shampoo and conditioner, a leave in treatment/conditioner, oil or heat protect cream or spray would be beneficial. Be careful when removing knots and tangles from the hair, a comb is ideal for when the hair is wet also a wet brush or tangle teezer is suitable. Start from the ends and work your way up towards the roots.

* Choose your hair tie wisely, hair ties with a metal join can cut into your hair causing stress and breakage to the hair. Instead use a soft hair tie, scrunchie or claw clip. Be sure not to tie the hair up too tightly, the hair expands as it dries causing your hair tie to become too tight and cut into the hair. A soft, low ponytail or plait is ideal.

* If using heated tools at home for styling for example blow dryer, straightener or curling wand be sure the hair is 100% dry before applying more heat. If there is even the slightest bit of moisture left in the hair it can cause alot of damage. Also be sure you have applied a heat protectant to the hair.

* If your hair is super fine or fragile a satin pillowcase is a great option to avoid friction while you sleep.

* Regular trims are important to keep the ends healthy, even if you are growing your hair a regular trim means that when your hair reaches your desired length it is in good condition. Missing these trims can result in very dry ends and breakage.

* Shorter hair styles require 4-6 weekly trims and longer styles 6-10 weekly trims to maintain the shape of the hair cut and the condition of the hair

* If you have been in the salt water or chlorine be sure to wash your hair after to avoid a build up. Many things can cause build up in the hair including salt water, chlorine, copper pipes, tank water, minerals in the water and supermarket products and colours. All of these things can affect your colour service.

How to care for your hair at home post lightening service

* Your hair is at its most fragile when it's wet so be gentle when its wet or damp. Always wash your hair with shampoo followed by conditioner. The shampoo opens the cuticle and cleans off the hair strand and also the scalp. Then the conditioner closes the cuticle back down, sealing in the Good and protecting from the bad for example the environmental elements and damage from heated tools when styling. Following your shampoo and conditioner, a leave in treatment or conditioner, oil or heat protect cream or spray would be beneficial. Be careful when removing knots and tangles from the hair, a comb is ideal for when the hair is wet also a wet brush or tangle teazer is suitable. Start from the ends and work your way up towards the roots.

* Seek advice from your stylist in terms of product choice, there are so many professional products on the market to cater to all hair and scalp types. The right products can make the world of difference.

*Choose your hair tie wisely, hair ties with a metal join can cut into your hair causing stress and breakage to the hair. Instead use a soft hair tie, scrunchie or claw clip. Be sure not to tie the hair up too tightly, the hair expands as it dries causing your hair tie to become too tight and cut into the hair. A soft, low ponytail or plait is ideal.

* Regular trims are a must if having your hair lightened so be sure to rebook.

* After your lightening service try not to wash or wet your hair for a couple of days as the hair is at its most fragile the week after having the lightening service.

* Lightening services tend to be the most damaging so you'll want to look at a bond rebuilder and a mask to use once a week at home.

* If you have had a toner as part of your service hold off using your purple shampoo for a couple of weeks, purple shampoos can be quite clarifying which can strip a toner more quickly. Instead wait until you see some warmth creeping back in and add the purple shampoo into your home haircare regime then.

How to care for your hair at home post fashion shade service

* If you have had your hair lightened as part of your fashion shade service see advice above as well as the recommendations below.

* Wash your hair as little as possible, each wash can remove colour pigments and when washing your hair have the water as cool as possible as heat can also remove colour pigment from the hair.

* Fashion shades fade quicker than any other salon colours so good home hair care practices are more important than ever. Using professional products are a must as we can't guarantee your colour without them. Supermarket products all definitely cause colours to fade more rapidly due to the ingredients in them.

* The sun here in New Zealand can be so damaging and will cause colour to fade more quickly than they should so always wear a hat.

* It is important to remember that all hair types are different, certain hair types hold the colour better than others.

* Always get a trim/cut with your fashion colour service, dead ends will not hold the colour as well as healthy hair does.

* There are ranges of colour pigmented shampoos and conditioners on the market. These come in a variety of colours for example red, copper, Blue, purple, beige and more. These are a great way to refresh any colour including the fashion shades between your colour services.

How to care for your hair at home post permanent or semi permanent colour service

* The sun here in New Zealand can be so damaging and will cause colour to fade more quickly than they should so always wear a hat.

* It is important to remember that all hair types are different, certain hair types hold the colour better than others and fade differently depending on the natural underlying reflects in the hair.

* Be sure to ask your stylist which products they would recommend for you to use at home, most professional products are colour safe but some will benefit your hair and scalp more than others. Also they may recommend you a pigmented shampoo or conditioned to refresh your hair colour at home.

* Remember that colour on colour will only ever go darker so home hair colouring isn't recomended. It can very quickly turn into a colour correction situation which can be costly to you.

* Always get a trim/cut with your fashion colour service, dead ends will not hold the colour as well as healthy hair does.