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Color treating your hair expands your style and gives you endless choices to express your individuality. However, it also increases maintenance time and stress to ensure that your beautiful color remains bright and bold. These best shampoos for color-treated hair will give you the highest quality color care without the stress and time of searching for treatments on your own.
Color-treated hair needs special care and maintenance. The process of chemically coloring your hair causes your cuticles to open so that the chemical hair dye can permeate into your strands to deposit the pigment. This damages your hair and leaves it vulnerable to mechanical, thermal, and chemical stresses. To prevent further damage and begin the repair process, you need to give your hair special attention and use appropriate products or all the hard work and money you put into dyeing your hair will have been for nothing.
Luckily, one of the best and easiest things to do to look after your color-treated hair is to change to color-friendly shampoo and conditioner. The following are the best shampoos for color-treated hair that care for your color to keep it vibrant and gorgeous.
1. Blu Atlas Classic Shampoo
The winner of the best shampoo for color-treated hair is Blu Atlas Classic Shampoo. It’s a gentle cleanser that nourishes your hair and strengthens your strands while preserving your vivid colors. This is possible by the use of 99% natural vegan ingredients, without parabens, phthalates, artificial fragrances, or sulfates.
The primary cleansing agent of Blu Atlas Classic Shampoo is derived from coconuts and washes out dirt, sweat, oil, and product build-up. Jojoba oil contains vitamins and antioxidants that seep into your skin to begin your hair’s natural repair process to restore damage from color treatments and nourish your stressed strands.
The anti-inflammatory properties of saw palmetto aid in soothing your hair and boosting its volume. Both saw palmetto and aloe vera work to provide moisture and hydration to relieve your strands and scalp. Finally, the plant-derived biotin protein strengthens your strands to protect them from further damage, making this shampoo perfect for people with color-treated hair.
If you want to give your hair the best treatment, try the cruelty-free Blu Atlas Classic Shampoo to nourish and fortify your color-treated strands.
2. Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
Color treating your hair causes a lot of damage to your strands, so Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo is the perfect choice for repair. The secret to revolutionary hair bond repair is bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate. This compound reattaches the hair’s disulfide bonds that are broken during chemical coloring. Your strands are also more resistant to future damage as the structure of your hair is reinforced to make it stronger. The ground-breaking bond repair formula not only rebuilds your damaged hair but provides intense nourishment to support the healthy growth of your strands. This means your hair is silkier, shinier, and more manageable.
Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo doesn’t stop at reconstructing hair damaged from color treatments, it treats all types of damage from routine hair issues, such as frizzy hair and split ends, to environmental damage from UV rays, pollution, and humidity. Mechanical damage occurring from brushing, friction, and combing is also repaired as well as thermal damage from heated styling tools such as straighteners, curlers, or blow dryers. Every type of damage that is targeted using the patented bond-break formula.
Olaplex makes vegan color-safe products without the use of harmful compounds such as parabens, formaldehyde, phosphates, sulfates, or phthalates. Good for both your hair and the environment, Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance shampoo is made with cruelty-free production processes and limited use of secondary packaging. To decrease damage and restore your healthy and luscious hair, try this shampoo.
3. Redken 5th Avenue NYC Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Shampoo
The goal of this salon-grade shampoo is to provide high-level care to your color-treated strands to extend the length of time between your salon visits. Redken 5th Avenue NYC Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Shampoo reduces fading to protect your vivacious colors. The cleansing solution ensures minimal color loss with gentle ingredients that wash away the dirt and grime, without washing the color out of your hair. The product is also designed to intensify your hair’s natural shine to give a brilliant glow that brings out the brightness in your vibrant color.
Redken produces this shampoo to be acidic to bring balance to your hair’s pH levels, which aids in the longevity of your color. The goal is to preserve the shade and liveliness of your chosen colors with salon-quality hair care while boosting the health of your post-color treatment strands. For premium hair care that maintains the vibrancy of your color-treated hair for as long as possible, choose Redken 5th Avenue NYC Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Shampoo.
4. Matrix Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo
If you’ve dyed your hair blonde, then you’ll have heard of the utmost importance of using a blonde-color-specific shampoo that supports your bleached hair. Matrix Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo is designed to return life and vigor to bleach blonde hair. No matter what hair type or texture you have, this shampoo restores your strands from the chemical damage of both the blonde color and the pre-color bleach. This is because the formula is created to strengthen and reinforce the bonds in your hair that have been weakened and broken.
Matrix Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo contains citric acid to delicately clean your strands of dirt, oils, and product build-up. The product doesn’t put strain on your sensitive and damaged hair as it’s free from harsh compounds like sulfates. It’s a conditioning formula that smooths your strands so your hair stays shiny and soft.
Your blonde hair will thank you for choosing Matrix Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo to provide cleaning and conditioning.
5. L’Oreal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Color Protecting Shampoo
Color treating your hair shouldn’t be reserved for people with a lot of money. With L’Oreal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Color Protecting Shampoo, you can give your colored hair the maintenance it needs without the cos. Whether your locks are radiant red, brilliant blue, or anything in between, hair of all colors can use this shampoo.
Color protection is the main goal. L’Oreal Paris boasts a shampoo that locks in color for as long as 60 days. This keeps your hair vivid and vibrant, preventing excessive color fading. The primary protective ingredients are antioxidants and UV filters, which shield your strands and provide nourishment to restore your color-damaged hair. For luscious hair that’s bright and shiny, opt for L’Oreal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Color Protecting Shampoo.
6. Kérastase Bain Riche Chroma Respect Shampoo
Thick and natural color-treated hair not only needs special color care but also requires distinct care for the hair type. Kérastase Bain Riche Chroma Respect Shampoo was created for medium through to thick hair types. The formula is designed to be very rich so it can permeate into the thick strands to nourish your hair. It also aids thick hair by combatting frizziness while providing intense hydration to smooth your strands. This shampoo supports your newly color-treated strands by restricting color fading to ensure your locks remain vivid.
Kérastase Bain Riche Chroma Respect Shampoo contains the flower plant Centella asiatica, which is the primary component of the rich formula. This is a soothing ingredient that seeps through your strands to make your hair up to 95% smoother. Your hair becomes softer and less frizzy. The product also has properties that aid in your hair recovery from color treatment damage. This plant is aided by lactic acid, which is the shampoo’s main cleansing agent. Kérastase Bain Riche Chroma Respect Shampoo exfoliates your scalp gently to remove impurities and then seals the cuticle of your strands. This increases the overall smoothness of your hair while providing a thorough cleaning.
With thick, color-treated hair comes the need for a special kind of product. Kérastase Bain Riche Chroma Respect Shampoo both protects your colored strands and cares for your thick locks.
7. Biolage Color Last Shampoo
For long-lasting color protection, Biolage Color Last Shampoo is the one of the best. This shampoo prides itself on maintaining color vividity for as many as 9 weeks. Guided by the “fade-defying orchid” plant, this paraben-free shampoo gently washes away dirt, build-up, and oil without causing the hair to lose color. The secret is the low pH value of this shampoo, which extends the shade, depth, shininess, and boldness of your colored locks.
Lasting color is not the only feature of this shampoo. As a highly nourishing product, your hair is strengthened by repairing damage and providing hydration. This keeps your hair looking healthy and beautiful. Biolage also aims to keep the environment and the creatures in it healthy and beautiful as its products are vegan, cruelty-free, and packaged in a bottle that’s 100% recycled. To extend your hair’s vibrancy, try Biolage Color Last Shampoo.
8. Love Beauty and Planet Sulfate-Free Murumuru Butter & Rose Shampoo
Color-treated hair care may not be your only goal. If you also want to support businesses that are environmentally responsible, this is the shampoo for you. Love Beauty and Planet Sulfate-Free Murumuru Butter & Rose Shampoo maintains your colored hair’s vigor and shine with 93% of its ingredients naturally sourced and derived. This means that it’s vegan and free from phthalates, sulfates, parabens, and silicone chemicals.
Organic murumuru butter harvested in Brazil is a core component of this shampoo. The local Brazilians extract it from the nuts of the murumuru palm tree. This is the moisturizing element that seeps deep into your hair and scalp to provide nourishment. Hair strands are healthier, glossier and softer with murumuru butter treatment. The product is also supported by ethically sourced Bulgarian rose, which gives a fragrant essence to the shampoo. Red berries are mixed in to create a fresh aroma that makes your hair smell as good as it looks.
Sustainably sourced ingredients are just the start of Love Beauty and Planet’s commitment to doing right by the environment. They also package their products in entirely recycled bottles and have cruelty-free certifications. So put your environmental protection goals alongside your color-treated hair care, and choose Love Beauty and Planet Sulfate-Free Murumuru Butter & Rose Shampoo.
9. TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo
Due to the damage sustained during color treatments, colored hair can be unruly and frizzy. TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo can rescue your scraggly hair and preserve your bright color, both at the same time. Color and shine are sealed into your strands while your hair is being cleansed to reduce color loss. Meanwhile, your frizzy and stray hairs are smoothed to make your hair glossy and gorgeous.
The patented anti-fade compound is the foundation of extending the vibrancy of your color for up to 60 days. TRESemmé seeks to prolong the length of time between color treatments and ensure your locks stay luscious for as long as possible. This shampoo is produced without silicones, parabens, or sulfates as these harsh chemicals can strip your hair’s color. If you want your hair to be as smooth and sleek as it is vivacious and radiant, TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo should be a go-to.
10. Nexxus Color Assure Shampoo
When strands are broken and damaged during the color treatment process, protein from your hair is lost. Nexxus Color Assure Shampoo replenishes the protein in your hair to give your hair the nutrients it needs while preventing color loss. This shampoo doesn’t use sulfates, so it can increase the vividness of your colored locks from the roots of your hair to down to the hair ends without causing extra damage.
The secret to restoring the lost proteins is its ProteinInfusion blend comprising elastin protein and quinoa. These two compounds are rich with key amino acids that replenish lost proteins such as glutamic acid, cysteine, and serine. The color treatment process reduces the prevalence of these proteins in your hair, so the Nexxus blend returns these vital components back to your strands.
To ensure that color isn’t lost during this process, this shampoo contains a polymer that conditions your hair to keep the color in your strands so it remains bright and vibrant. Nexxus promises that your hair will remain brightly colored for as many as 40 hair washes. For brilliantly colored hair that’s nourished with proteins, try Nexxus Color Assure Shampoo.
11. Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color
Moisturization is especially important for hair damaged by color treatments. Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color specifically targets the most damaged areas of your hair to provide moisturization to protect your bright color. The extra moisture strengthens your strands and seals the color in to make the color resistant to fading. This formula even shields your hair from the harsh consequences of the sun and pollutants, which could dull your vivid color. All of this is achieved with an ultra-gentle shampoo to ensure minimal color loss.
Baobab tree extract is the primary moisturizing ingredient that replenishes hydration to the areas with the most damage first. A combination of ginger root extract and hydrolyzed vegetable protein serve as the elemental protection components. These ingredients fortify your strands to offer maximum defense from the elements, especially potential degradation from UV rays. In addition, this shampoo contains the Oribe Signature Complex, which preserves the health of your hair during times of oxidative stress, keratin depletion, and photoaging (when bright light causes premature aging). It also contains the fresh essences of lychee, watermelon, and edelweiss flower, which combine to give a marvelous aroma.
To rehydrate your color-treated hair and support your strands against the elements, Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color is one of the best ways to go.
12. Sachajuan Colour Protect Shampoo
If you’d rather be safe than sorry regarding color loss, Sachajuan Color Protect Shampoo is for you. It’s paraben-free and has fewer active components to reduce color loss. This means the formula is lightweight, so it leaves your hair voluminous and shiny.
To preserve your vibrant colors, this shampoo contains patented Ocean Silk Technology as well as a microemulsion system. It also protects your color by using gentle cleaning agents that have low acidity. Sachajuan Color Protect Shampoo is the gentlest choice to preserve your brilliant shine and leave your bright hair silky.
13. R+Co Gemstone Color Shampoo
For the ultimate shine for your color-treated hair, R+Co Gemstone Color Shampoo is the one for you. Nourishment leading to a brilliant shine is the goal for this vegan and paraben-free shampoo. The formula magnifies shine by 64% and enhances detangling by 90%, while decreasing frizz by 97% and reducing breakage by 64%. On top of all these benefits, the product conserves your vibrant color for as many as ten washes and is contained in a bottle that’s 55% post-consumer recycled plastic.
Lychee extract is the start of this diverse formula. It strengthens your strands and gives your hair shine. Vitamin E is added to condition your strands and seal in water to bring out a sleek gloss. It also shields your hair from free radicals as it’s an antioxidant. The added okra seed extract brings moisture to your scalp and hair, which smooths frizzy strands to make your hair feel soft and look shiny. This is all supported by sunflower sprout extract, which also moisturizes.
To preserve your color during this ultimate shine process, ChromoHance Complex makes color richer and brighter. To top it all off, R+Co Gemstone Color Shampoo has a fresh fragrance composed of citrus, green tea, eucalyptus and amber. Luxurious, shiny hair is only one step away with this fantastic shampoo.
14. Living Proof Restore Shampoo
Breakage is a big problem for people with color-treated hair, so Living Proof Restore Shampoo is here to aid in repair. It strengthens your hair and begins repair processes, so your hair is healthier, smoother, and stronger. Living Proof boasts that their product decreases strand breakage by up to 70%. This gentle, vegan shampoo doesn’t strip your color as it doesn’t contain harsh compounds such as phthalates, sulfates, parabens, or silicones.
The Amino Cleansing Complex is a gentle cleansing blend, which mixes with marine algae to shield hair from elemental damage. An emollient with glutamic acid is the fortifying element that lessens breakage, while phytantriol protects your hair’s color. Breakage will be a thing of the past with Living Proof Restore Shampoo.
15. Wella Professionals Invigo Color Brilliance Shampoo
A balanced-pH option, Wella Professionals Invigo Color Brilliance Shampoo has a lower pH level to seal your hair cuticle to stop color from seeping out. This enhances the retention of your bright color and makes the hair smoother. Color preservation and shine last for as many as seven weeks. Wella offers two versions of their Invigo shampoo, one for fine hair and the other for thick hair. So, whether your hair is full or thin, you can use Wella Professionals Invigo Color Brilliance Shampoo to balance the pH of your hair to protect your color-treated strands.
16. Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Color Shampoo
When you want an invigorating washing experience, use Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Color Shampoo. This vegan shampoo combines the famous tea tree experience with color protection elements to make your hair fresh and vivacious, all with a product sold in 100% post-consumer recycled packaging.
The formula consists of the Tingle Complex with tea tree, lavender, and peppermint, which gives a cooling sensation on your scalp to soothe it. Rooibos tea botanicals offer protection from UV to conserve your bright color from environmental degradation. Your hair is left vivid, protected, and smelling refreshing with the orange blossom and mint leaf aroma. To revitalize your hair and scalp while shielding against color loss, use Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Color Shampoo.
17. Aveda Color Control Shampoo
This plant-based shampoo is sourced from 94% natural ingredients. Aveda Color Control Shampoo is a soft cleanser without sulfates or silicones that doesn’t strip your color away. Apricot oil with omega provides nourishment that hydrates your strands for voluminous and soft hair. The formula also contains dual-charged molecules, which shield your hair against water permeating deep into your strands and washing out your color. This is coupled with a Pure-Fume fragrance with cedarwood, orange, and cypress.
This shampoo is produced in a facility that’s powered 100% by renewable wind energy and packaged in a 100% recycled bottle. Good for the environment and your hair, Aveda Color Control Shampoo will leave your hair feeling soft and silky with an excellent shine.
18. OGX Vibrant Color Vibes Shampoo
For true color vibrancy, try OGX Vibrant Color Vibes Shampoo. OGX prides itself on lengthening the time between color treatments by as many as four weeks with its bonding plex technology. This gives the shampoo its anti-fade properties while smoothing your strands and making your hair resilient against future damage. The product also contains moisturizing components, which nourish your hair and provide the required nutrients to strengthen it. Color-treated hair care is easier to maintain than ever with OGX Vibrant Color Vibes Shampoo, which enhances the endurance of your bright colors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the best shampoos for color-treated hair should I use?
The best shampoo for your color-treated hair is the one that’s tailored to your specific needs. A safe bet for people with colored hair is a shampoo focused on repair, but this may not be your main hair issue
If your hair is dry, you’ll want a moisturizing or hydrating color-safe shampoo. If your hair is frizzy, you’ll want a smoothing shampoo. Hair type plays a role also as people with thick hair have different hair care needs than people with fine hair.
The final thing you should consider is the color of your hair. People with blonde hair will want a blonde-specific shampoo. Color-specific shampoos are also available in many other colors. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable and beautiful, so pick a shampoo that best caters to your hair issues. If you have any concerns, consult your hairdresser as they’ll be able to advise you on the best course of action for your specific hair.
What are some tips for color-treated hair?
The best shampoos for color-treated hair are just a start to your colored hair maintenance. You can do many other things to prolong the vividness of your colored locks. Most of them are simple and easy to incorporate into your hair maintenance routine. This includes using a color-safe dry shampoo to reduce how often your hair is exposed to water and products that can strip your color.
Try using warm water to wash your hair as hot water can open your hair cuticle and let color seep out. Wear a hat in the sun to reduce UV color fading, and finally, eat a balanced diet to provide your body with the nutrients it needs for hair repair.
Some of the tips for color-treated hair require extra steps but are easily worth the benefit of being able to retain bright color tones for longer. These include using a hair treatment or mask once every week or two to nourish your strands for healthy hair. You should also ensure that you’re trimming your hair regularly to manage hair damage. Also, avoid swimming and submerging your hair in water as much as possible.
When you swim, use a deep conditioner or hair mask to treat your hair before entering the water. You should also try to limit the use of heated tools, such as blow dryers or straightening irons, as much as you can. These tools will further damage your already vulnerable hair, so it’s best to steer clear. When you do use them, make sure you treat your hair with a heat-protectant to shield it from damage.
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These tips, as well as using the best shampoo for color-treated hair, will ensure your hair stays as brilliant and vibrant for as long as possible, so you can look and feel beautiful.
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