The Truth About Dandruff Shampoo For Color Treated Hair

The number one goal of most women with color treated hair is to keep their hair color looking healthy and vibrant. One of the ways to do this is to wash less frequently with a color safe shampoo.

But what do you do when your scalp is itchy and flaky and you need relief now?

black woman with color treated hair looking at hair dye box

Scalp health should be a priority no matter what. But when it comes to choosing a shampoo that is equally as safe and effective for your scalp as it is for your color treated hair, things can get tricky.

In this article I will share the truth about dandruff shampoo for color treated hair and 3 color safe solutions for an itchy scalp.

black woman long healthy color treated hair

Dandruff can be caused by a number of factors, including dry skin, a sensitivity to hair products, and not shampooing often enough.

1. Utilize Hot Oil for Dry Scalp

Has your scalp ever hurt very badly? Well, traditional dandruff shampoos that treat dry skin on the scalp and provide itch relief can have harsh ingredients that may strip your hair and cause your color to fade more quickly.

Hot oil treatments are a great way to nourish and moisturize both a dry scalp and your color treated hair.

Before you wash your hair, you can warm and apply an all natural oil with an ingredient like menthol to your hair and scalp. Let it sit for up to 30 minutes and then rinse it out.

This will refresh your scalp and relieve the itch. It will also condition your dyed hair strands and seal your cuticles to help your color stay vibrant for longer.

2. Check Your Sensitivity to Hair Products

Prevention is key. You should do a strand test before you dye your hair. If you have an allergy to an ingredient in your hair color, it’s best to determine this before you apply it to your entire head. You may need to swap it out for a gentler formula or a different hair color brand.

If it isn’t your hair dye that is causing your scalp irritation, it may be another one of your hair products. Consider switching to vegan, pH balanced hair products that contain nourishing ingredients for your color treated hair and your flaky scalp.

3. Shampoo Only When Necessary

Shampoo is essential when it comes to maintaining a healthy, dandruff- free scalp. You have to cleanse your scalp regularly to remove dirt, product buildup, dead skin cells that can clog your hair follicles.

However, most hair color experts recommend that you limit how often you wash your hair in between color treatments. Washing too frequently can cause your hair color to fade more quickly.

If you need to wash your hair more than once a week to treat your dandruff, you can apply the shampoo to your scalp only for one of those washes.

Don’t skip shampooing your hair altogether, but occasionally shampooing your scalp only can help treat your dandruff without ruining your hair color.

When you wash your hair, you should wash it with lukewarm or cool water. Do not use hot water to wash your color treated hair. Using hot water will open up your hair cuticles where your hair color is deposited, and cause your color to fade.

Cool water has the opposite effect. It seals the hair’s cuticles and prevents shampoo from penetrating your hair strand and affecting your hair color.

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Brandelyn Green

Brandelyn Green is the Founder of VoiceOfHair, a platform to help women of color find the best hair care products, regimens and hairstyles! Since starting VoiceOfHair in 2014 she has grown the social media platform to over 1MM+ on Instagram and Facebook. As a natural who is also a salon goer, she wanted to create a platform where people could find the best products, hairstylists, advice and trends.