Your highlighted hair deserves special care to maintain its vibrant color and healthy shine. The bleaching process used in highlighting opens hair cuticles, making strands more porous and vulnerable to damage.
Without proper washing techniques, your beautiful highlights can quickly fade, turn brassy, or become dry and brittle. Learning how to wash highlighted hair correctly protects your investment and keeps your color looking salon-fresh for weeks longer.
Key Takeaways
- Wait 48-72 hours after highlighting before your first wash to allow color molecules to fully set
- Use lukewarm water and sulfate-free shampoos to prevent color stripping and maintain moisture
- Installing a quality shower head filter removes chlorine and hard water minerals that cause brassiness and dryness
- Wash highlighted hair only 2-3 times per week to preserve color vibrancy and prevent over-processing
- Apply deep conditioning treatments weekly to restore moisture lost during the highlighting process
How to Wash Highlighted Hair
Highlighted hair requires a gentler approach than natural hair because the lightening process compromises the hair's protective barrier. Your cuticles remain slightly raised after highlighting, making your strands more susceptible to color loss, moisture depletion, and environmental damage. Following these specific steps will help you maintain brilliant color while keeping your hair healthy and strong.
Step 1: Pre-Wash Preparation
Start with completely dry hair and gently detangle using a wide-tooth comb or wet brush. This prevents unnecessary breakage when your hair becomes wet and more fragile. Apply a pre-shampoo treatment or hair oil to the mid-lengths and ends if your highlights feel particularly dry. This creates a protective barrier that prevents over-cleansing.
Step 2: Use Cool to Lukewarm Water
Turn your water temperature down significantly. Hot water opens hair cuticles wider, allowing color molecules to escape more easily. Lukewarm water cleanses effectively while minimizing color loss. Start your rinse with slightly warm water, then gradually cool it down throughout the washing process.
Step 3: Apply Color-Safe Shampoo
Choose a sulfate-free shampoo specifically formulated for color-treated hair. Apply shampoo primarily to your scalp and roots, using gentle circular motions. Let the suds naturally cleanse the lengths as you rinse, rather than scrubbing the highlighted sections directly. This approach cleans your scalp without over-processing your delicate highlights.
Step 4: Deep Condition Every Wash
Apply a rich, moisturizing conditioner from mid-length to ends, avoiding the roots. Leave it on for 3-5 minutes to allow deep penetration. Highlighted hair craves moisture, so don't skip this step. The conditioning process helps seal cuticles and lock in both moisture and color.
Step 5: Rinse with Cool Water
Finish with the coolest water you can tolerate. Cold water seals hair cuticles, trapping color molecules inside and creating smoother, shinier strands. This final rinse is crucial for maintaining color vibrancy and reducing frizz.
How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?
The frequency of washing highlighted hair depends on several factors, but less is typically more. Wash your highlighted hair 2-3 times per week maximum. Daily washing strips away natural oils and color molecules, leading to faster fading and increased dryness.
Your washing schedule may vary based on your hair type, lifestyle, and styling products used. Fine hair may need washing every other day, while thick or coarse hair can often go 3-4 days between washes. Pay attention to how your hair feels and looks rather than following a strict schedule.
Between washes, use dry shampoo to absorb excess oil and refresh your style. This extends the time between washes while maintaining volume and cleanliness at the roots.
Tips for Washing Highlighted Hair
These additional strategies will help you master the art of caring for highlighted hair while addressing common challenges like brassiness, dryness, and color fading. Each tip builds on the basic washing routine to give you salon-quality results at home.
Tip 1: Use a Quality Shower Head Filter
Hard water and chlorine are your highlighted hair's worst enemies. These chemicals cause color to fade faster, create brassy tones, and leave hair feeling dry and rough. A high-quality shower head filter removes chlorine, heavy metals, and mineral deposits that damage highlighted hair.
Filtered water allows your color-safe products to work more effectively while preventing the buildup that makes hair look dull. The difference in how your hair feels and looks after switching to filtered water is often noticeable within just a few washes.
Tip 2: Incorporate Purple Shampoo Strategically
Use purple or blue-toned shampoo once or twice a week to neutralize yellow and brassy tones. However, don't overuse these products as they can be drying. Alternate between your regular color-safe shampoo and toning shampoo, and always follow with a deep conditioner when using purple shampoo.
Tip 3: Apply Heat Protection Before Styling
If you must use heat tools, apply a thermal protectant to damp hair before blow-drying or styling. Heat can cause highlighted hair to become more porous, leading to faster color fading and increased damage. Air-drying when possible gives your hair a break from heat stress.
Tip 4: Schedule Weekly Deep Treatments
Replace your regular conditioner with a deep conditioning mask once per week. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes to restore moisture and strengthen hair bonds damaged during the highlighting process. This prevents breakage and keeps your highlights looking healthy and vibrant.
Unlock Your Healthiest Hair with Shower Envy
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Shower Envy filters also infuse your water with vitamin C and other nourishing elements that support healthy hair growth and shine. The high-pressure design ensures thorough rinsing while the filtered water allows your expensive color-safe products to perform at their best.
Ready to protect your highlighted hair investment? Shop Shower Envy filters and experience the difference filtered water makes for color-treated hair.
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Wash Highlighted Hair
Can I wash my hair the day after getting highlights?
Wait at least 48-72 hours before washing newly highlighted hair. This waiting period allows the color molecules to fully penetrate and set within the hair shaft. Washing too soon can cause significant color loss and uneven fading.
Why does my blonde highlighted hair look brassy after washing?
Brassiness often results from mineral buildup in hard water or using the wrong products. Hard water deposits create a film on hair that reflects yellow and orange tones. Switch to filtered water and use purple shampoo weekly to neutralize unwanted tones.
Should I use different products for washing blonde highlighted hair versus other colors?
Yes, blonde highlights require specific care because they're more processed than other highlight colors. Use purple or blue-toned shampoos designed for blonde hair, along with extra moisturizing treatments. Blonde highlights are more porous and need additional protection from environmental factors that cause brassiness.