Even with all the different services available in hair salons—from blowouts to keratin and balayage treatments—hair colouring remains the most-requested treatment. However, the truth is colouring one’s hair really isn’t very healthy for your tresses, most especially if you’re doing it on your own.

If you routinely dye your hair in Singapore, or considering about starting, it’s time that you learn about how hair dyeing can be harmful and what you can do to prevent it from damaging your precious locks.

How Hair Colour Can Damage Your Hair

• Ammonia Lifts the Protective Layer of Your Hair

In order to artificially colour your hair, the dye from the hair salon has to get into the hair shaft. To do that, the hair cuticle—your hair’s protective layer—needs to be lifted. To let the dye penetrate, hair colouring products contain ammonia, which raises the pH level of your scalp and allows the artificial hair colour to penetrate deep into the hair. This immediately damages your strands, since hair cuticle is not meant to be lifted.

• Peroxide Destroys Your Natural Hair Colour

After the hair cuticle is lifted, the next step is to colour the hair. To make your intended colour look more vivid, peroxide is used to break down your hair’s natural pigment. Aside from its ability to break down the natural colour of your hair, peroxide is extremely drying to the hair, causing the straw-like texture of your tresses after the treatment. While the chemical sits on the hair at the best hair salon in Singapore, the cuticle remains lifted for the hair product to penetrate well into the hair shaft. And even though the hair cuticle is restored after rinsing, the damage has already been done during the process.

• The Ingredients Can Cause Allergic Reactions

While it’s quite rare, having an allergic reaction to hair salon hair dye is not impossible, especially when using unbranded products. It is estimated that in every one million people, four individuals are sensitive to hair dyes. The small percentage may seem insignificant so a lot of people choose to forgo doing a patch test, but the importance can’t be stressed enough to ensure safe hair colouring.

To do a patch test, apply a pea-sized amount of the hair dye to the back of your ear or on the underside of your wrist. Then, wait for 24 hours to see any skin reaction. Most people usually perform a patch test only on the first time they colour their hair; however, it should actually be done for every colour application as some allergies may develop between applications.

At-Home Hair Care Tips

1. Wash Your Hair Less Often

Aside from the purpose of maintaining your hair’s vibrant colour, washing your hair less frequently prevents your locks from further drying. Shampooing strips your hair off of its natural oils, and you wouldn’t want to do that with chemically treated hair. On days when you need to wash your hair, make sure to use conditioner after shampooing to promote repair and restore the lost oils.

2. Avoid Heat Styling

Even if you’ve had your hair coloured in the best hair salon in Singapore, there’s no denying that your tresses have been through drastic change. So, let your hair to get some air and let your heat styling tools take a break for a while as well. If you really need to use your blow dryer, use a heat protectant product before applying heat to it and follow up with leave-on treatments like hair creams and oils recommended by your hair salon.

3. Take Great Post-Colouration Care

Your hair colouring experience doesn’t end at the hair salon. Make sure to follow your hairstylist’s advice about post-colouration hair care and only use recommended products at home. See if your hair salon carries hair care products you can purchase and use at home to prevent colour fading and promote hair repair, so your hair stays healthy and looking vibrant day after day.

Looking for a Reputable Hair Salon

Unless you’re a professional hair stylist yourself, it’s difficult to fully understand how hair colouring can be damaging, and you can likely expect a result that can be anything but your desired outcome. Not only a reputable hair salon in Singapore can provide you with quality hair styling products, their hairstylists are also trained to provide safe hair care treatments to enable a gentler hair colouring process.

Unfortunately, not all salons are created equal, so make sure to choose the right hair salon to take care of your hair. You may find several salons in your neighbourhood with ongoing promos, but the amount of money you’ll save cannot rescue your hair from impending disaster from cheap hair products. The best hair salon in Singapore may be a lot pricier than the local salon near you, but you can be sure that your tresses are in good hands with their professional hair stylists and quality hair products.

Lastly, don’t let the price be the only deciding factor. Of course, you need to make sure you can afford regular salon visits, but if the salon constantly needs to find ways to keep regular customers by offering discounts and special offers, that’s a red flag. A good hair salon in Singapore will be able to keep its clients without a problem. An exception, though, is when a new hair salon is opening up and is starting to look for clientele; it’s solely up to you whether to give it a chance or look for a reliable and more experienced salon.

One’s hair is every woman’s crowning glory, so take good care of yours by keeping it strong and healthy. Don’t let just anyone touch your locks; book an appointment now with the best hair salon in Singapore.