The roots are showing, the tone has faded, and it’s time to head back to the chair. But before you sit down to dye your hair, there’s one detail that, according to hairstylist Alex Sestelo, marks the difference between a color that lasts for weeks and one that fades wash after wash.
The expert, who runs his own salon in Madrid’s Salamanca district, explained it to Telva: “it’s better that the hair is clean and hydrated because that way we equalize porosity and the color bonds evenly.”
Sestelo is unequivocal: the idea that color sticks better to dirty hair is a myth. Traditional hair dyes have power to remove residues on their own, and in the case of plant-based or natural colorings, working on clean hair helps the pigment truly penetrate. L’Oréal Paris echoes this and recommends washing 24 to 48 hours beforehand with a gentle shampoo, without conditioner.
The scalp’s oil protects. Sestelo’s nuance is that “not freshly washed” does not mean dirty: it refers to not washing it right before the appointment. By doing so we remove the natural sebum mantle that coats the skin, and although dyes have evolved, they remain chemical products capable of triggering sensitivity. That oil (the very thing we want to remove the rest of the year) acts as a protective barrier against irritation.
The rule is twofold. The hair must be clean so the pigment can set properly, but the scalp appreciates having a day or two of leeway without washing. This protects the skin without sacrificing a uniform color, since what determines fixation is not dirt but the balanced porosity of the strand.
Wash the next day?
No rule is fixed. “If the salon has already given the hair a good wash to remove any dye remnants and seal the cuticle, you can wash your hair again when you see fit,” says Sestelo. The important thing is that the cuticle closes properly after the coloring process, since the color is deposited inside the hair and not just on the surface. If the sealing is correct, there is no reason to wait.
Five or six days of margin. If you dye your hair for an important event, don’t do it the day before. “That way the color settles and the hair looks better,” says the stylist. First, because there’s always a risk (not common but real) that the result won’t be as expected, and second because both integrable dyes and highlights become more natural after a few washes. Patience, in this case, pays off on its own.
Photos | @salonalexsestelo, cottonbro studio on Pexels
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