Protective Pre-Color Treatment

Choosing a hair product
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Q: Does a protective pre-color treatment really help? When I apply it to my hair and scalp before coloring my hair, will it avoid damage and does it mean I can color my hair more frequently?
 
A: You have to remember that color processing does damage your hair and that the damage done is cumulative. Protective pre-color treatments do help to minimize the damage coloring does to the hair, but should never be used to justify coloring the hair excessively.
 
Generally speaking most hair color services need to be retouched every 6-8 weeks and retouching should only involve full processing on the new growth of the hair with the previously colored hair having the color pulled through to the ends to freshen the color during the last ten minutes of processing.
 
This becomes doubly important when you are dealing with high-lift color formulas. Color formulas that lighten the natural color can over-stress the hair when the color is allowed to overlap onto previously colored areas. The resulting damage can leave the hair fragile along the overlapped areas, resulting in breakage and loss of hair.
 
Think of the pre-color treatments like certain types of sunscreen, yes sunscreen may prevent you from getting a sunburn, but it doesn't stop the long-term damage that accumulates from repeated exposure.
 
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See also:
 
Hair coloring and hair damage
 
How to color hair
 
What can go wrong during hair color services
 
Potential hair coloring problems in a hair salon