Whether you love bold hues, balayage highlights, lowlights, or simply keeping the annoying grey regrowth at bay, there’s definitely something empowering about coloring your hair! However, the oxidation processes in color treatments, followed by usage of heat tools or heavy-duty chemicals can cause a great deal of wear on your hair fibers, even changing the natural texture, and making your hair dry, brittle, and damaged. 

Regardless of whether you opt for a professional colorist or at-home color, if you are someone who wants to preserve your new hair color and even undo some of your current level of damage, here’s how our hydrating and organic color-safe hair regimens will let you fall in love with your hair again: 

Color-Protecting Hair Care : Do You Need It?

Our Color-safe Shampoos and Conditioners are specifically formulated to Protect + Prolong the color of your color-treated / natural hair. Color-protect hair care regimens are for any user who has done: 

• Permanent, Semi-permanent, or Temporary Hair Color Treatment (no matter what shade, frequency, technique, or brand). 
• Hair Bleach/ Pre-lightened Hair Treatment
• Toners or Gloss Treatments. 
• Natural Hair Color Treatments (usually used to enhance shine or cover greys). 

Caring for Your Color-treated Hair Isn’t Optional

Natural and organic color-protecting hair care formulas help you in two ways: 

1st: Avoid Color Fade – While color is going to fade with time, no matter what, the right hair care keeps your color-treated hair looking ‘salon-fresh – for longer’.  

2nd: Reduce Risk of Damage – Color-treated hair is more fragile (and porous) than untreated hair. Even when you have used a gentle hair color formula, chemicals in it can make your hair vulnerable to turning brassy with quick loss of shine and damage. To preserve the shine and health of your hair, it is important to use color-safe products for your daily hair care regimen. 

How Are Color-Safe Hair Products Different from Regular Hair Care?

1. Gentle Cleansing Agents

Regular shampoos use stronger surfactants (such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – SLS, Sodium Laureth Sulfate – SLES, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, etc.) that strip away both oil and dirt. While such sulfates usually give you that ‘squeaky clean’ feel, they also strip color in the process, make hair drier, and damage the fibers. 

Organic color-safe shampoos are made of mild surfactants (we use African Black Soap base), which offer very effective yet gentle cleansing for sensitive or chemically-treated hair.  

2. Formulated for Enhanced Longevity 

Regular shampoos are not pH-balanced or formulated to protect color molecules (especially for vibrant red color and pastel hues), resulting in quicker fading. 

On the other hand, pH-balanced/ gentle formulas minimize fading by maintaining your scalp’s natural acidic pH and the integrity of the cuticles. Antioxidants and expeller oils in our natural shampoos and conditioners additionally shield against environmental (particularly UV) damage to preserve the color deposits on the hair shaft and maintain its vibrancy. 

3. Free From Harsh Additives

Color-treated hair is already on the drier (and damaged) side compared to the original texture of your hair. Thus, it is important to use nourishing shampoos and moisturizing conditioners/ leave-in treatments that do not contain harsh ingredients.  

❌ Ingredients to Strictly Avoid: 

• Parabens and Petrochemicals/ Mineral Oil, which disrupt the scalp’s balance and interfere with hair health over time. 
• Alcohols, which make hair brittle and prone to damage. 
• Sulfates – which remove too much oil from your scalp and hair, making your hair prone to more dryness. 
• Salts like Sodium Chloride which make hair dry and damage the keratin structure. 
• Clarifying Agents (Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and TEA Lauryl Sulfate), which are designed to deep cleanse but can strip away both natural oil and dye. 
• Others: Ammonia, Artificial Fragrances or Colors, Phthalates, Peroxides, etc. 

4. Hydration & Deep Repair

Regular shampoos and conditioners may contain humectants like glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, synthetics/ biomimics of plant-based emollients – mostly in an artificial/ greenwashed form (learn more). Your hair/ scalp responds more aggressively to such formulas by not receiving the necessary nourishment. 

Our concentrated natural shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in treatments are packed with organic expeller oils, amino acids, keratin, and natural emollients that counteract the drying effects, seal the cuticles, and make hair visibly shinier and stronger. 

How To Prevent Damage in Color-Treated Hair & Recommended PVO Products

For your hair to look fresh and vibrant after coloring, follow these rules: 

1. Wash your hair weekly with a dosha-based, color-safe shampoo, followed by sealing moisture with a conditioner. 

• Recommended Products: 
  • For Fine, Limp, or Oily Hair: Big & Bouncy Volumizing Shampoo and Volumizing Conditioner. 
  • For Dry, Coarse, Curly, Brittle (or Extremely Damaged Color-Treated) Hair: Revitalizing Shampoo and Revitalizing Conditioner. 
  • For Normal to Dry Hair : Everyday Shampoo and Everyday Conditioner. 

Don’t wash your hair daily. To keep the balance between hair color fading and good hair health, repeat cleansing + conditioning – 2X times a week.  All our hair care lines are 100% color-safe. 

2. Take a break from heat styling or use natural heat protectants and lower settings to stylize your hair. 

• Recommended Product: Leave-in Conditioning Styling Gel. 

3. Protect mid-length to ends (the most fragile and weakest points) and prevent dryness with a nourishing and moisturizing serum that provides protection until the next wash. 

• Recommend Product: Shine On Hair Serum. 

More FAQs – Best Treatment for Color-Treated Hair

#1 Are PVO’s Color-Safe Shampoos and Conditioners suitable for over-processed and/or thicker hair? 

A: Yes. All our hair care regimens are designed to treat fragile, brittle, dry, over-processed, and thicker/ thinner hair. Check dosha-compatibility to get the best results. 

#2 How Do I Protect Color-Treated Hair When I Spend Extended Time in the Sun or Water? 

A: Salt water, chlorine, UV, and pollutants create build-up and can change the color tone. Application of Shine On Serum will prevent the accumulation of free radicals and provide long-lasting protection with salon-quality smoothness.  

 #3 How Long Will It Take to Restore My Straw-like/ Dry Hair with Organic Color Safe Hair Care? 

A: We recommend starting with PVO’s Clarifying Shampoo, followed by a dosha-specific regimen. You’ll experience softer hair in the very first wash. Within 2-3 weeks, expect gradual improvement in texture and shine. Hair becomes more manageable as harsh chemicals/build-up gets replaced with nourishing botanicals. 

#3 Will Natural Color Safe Shampoo lather properly on my colored hair?

A: We use African Black Soap base that works better than sulfate-based cleansers. Besides effective cleansing, the natural lathering ingredient prevents excessive moisture loss and keeps cuticles coated with a soft, waxy protective film, even after repeated washes. 

#4 What Should I Avoid for Long-lasting Hair Color Retention?

A: At all times, we highly recommend limiting heat styling. Or, wear protectives like Shine On Serum and/ or Leave in Styling Gel before sun exposure or heat styling. Use suitable conditioners 2-3X times a week for hydration and tone correction. 

#5 Is Clarifying Shampoo Helpful in Retaining Color-Treated Hair? 

A: Our Clarifying Shampoo does not use strong surfactants, yet it’s made with technology and Organic Apple Cider Vinegar that’s effective to deep clean your scalp and hair. This means you can now remove hard water and chemical buildup without stripping color pigments. 

#6 Which Conditioner Should I Use for Color-Treated Hair? 

A: Swapping traditional conditioners with dosha-based, natural oil-based conditioners works like a nourishing & moisturizing gloss treatment for your hair. It seals the damaged fibers and adds shine for a deeper color dimension. Also rescues weak strands/ split ends and minimizes dryness by surging hair with natural moisture.