Wash [the color] right out of my hair . . .
February 15, 2018 5:02 PM   Subscribe

What is the best color-safe shampoo out there?

I have colored hair, in stripes of "high fashion"/non-standard colors (blue and magenta). The rest of my hair is also dyed a few shades darker than my natural brown, so it's closer to black now. I am going to run out of color-safe shampoo before the next time I go to the salon, and to be honest, I haven't been too impressed with the Paul Mitchell products I have been buying there, so I thought I'd ask the hive mind. What is the best shampoo for color-treated hair there is? Available in the US or online is necessary.

Notes: I am white with THICK curly/wavy hair. The reason I don't like the Paul Mitchell stuff is that I don't think it threads the needle of being gentle enough to not strip out all the color while being strong enough to actually clean my very thick hair. I used a previous product which I liked a lot, but alas I don't remember the name (it was a free sample from the salon, they don't remember either, it was a pink bottle with a pump top).
posted by chainsofreedom to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
My wife swears by L'Oréal EverPure Sulfate Free shampoo, the rosemary scented stuff. You can find it at any US grocery store or Target/Walmart. She always uses the matching conditioner with it 1:1, but I don't know if that helps the color stay or not.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:15 PM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]


I love this stuff and it is super moisturizing and smells like a cake Bedhead colour goddess.
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 5:25 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]


I am white, with thick wavy hair dyed bright pink for the last 9 months. I am loving the L'Oreal Ever Pure, which I get from Amazon. I use the "moisture" version (I think there are others?), and both the shampoo and conditioner. FWIW, my hairdresser is very pleased with the health of my hair after the 9 months of bleaching (my original haircolor is almost black) and dyeing and bleaching and dyeing again.

At her suggestion, I also wash my hair as little as possible -- given the thickness of my hair, that is 2-3 times per week, alas -- and don't heat style.
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:37 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]


EverPure line.
posted by jerseygirl at 5:37 PM on February 15, 2018


R+Co Analog Cleansing Foam Conditioner People are shocked at how little my blue hair fades. My stylist still gets impressed when I wander in 3 months later with terribly long roots and vibrant color.

I usually wash my hair 1-2 times a week. But I've actually been washing it with hot water every other day, because it turned out a smidge darker than I wanted. 3 weeks later it's still a very dark blue.

Magic.
posted by politikitty at 5:42 PM on February 15, 2018


Agreed on the L’Oreal Ever(x) line. I use the Everpure shampoo and Everfresh conditioner and neither seems to strip out my red dye, which is notorious for quick fading.
posted by joan_holloway at 6:18 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]


I am permanently purple-haired, so I searched for this for years. I've finally settled on Verb, specifically their Hydrating shampoo. What I like about them: all their products are color-safe (so you could go with their Ghost line if you don't need the hydrating), it actually cleans my hair (which tends toward oily) but doesn't strip it, and it has almost no scent. It's also only $16/bottle, compared to similar products that are $24-40+.

And anti-recommendation (discommendation?): Aveda's supposed color-safe shampoos have never performed any better for me than any other random shampoo at color protection.
posted by rhiannonstone at 7:00 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]


I’ve been dying my hair more years than I haven’t at this point - orange for 5 years and now teal. I live by my Alba Botanica Plumeria color-safe shampoo & conditioner. That plus washing & rinsing with cool water (wich matters even more than your shampoo choice) does an amazing job of keeping my color in and my thick-ass hair clean and grease-free.
posted by Snacks at 8:51 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]


Addendum: I should also note that I get my hair dyed professionally with Paul Mitchell’s Neon color line, which has also made a HUGE difference in the longevity & vibrance of the teal color. It’s been in for over 6 months and it’s still obviously teal, though definitely much lighter.
posted by Snacks at 9:15 PM on February 15, 2018


Second for Verb. It is good shampoo and has a light scent.
posted by chocolatetiara at 5:57 AM on February 16, 2018


I've been using davines products in my hair for the last 4 years of peacock colors. I currently use the Minu hair mask daily -- slap some on, scrub my scalp and let the conditioner sit for the rest of my shower -- and shampoo once or twice a week, I think currently using Oi . I was an every-day shampoo'er before I started coloring my hair, and I weaned myself down to once a week shampooing over about 3 months. I still feel like my hair color is vibrant at 4-5 weeks.
posted by worstname at 6:06 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]


EverPure is good, but if you can find it, my hair has never been better since I’ve been using Renpure Solutions Cleaning Conditioner. Note that you still need to use regular conditioner, tho.
posted by Andrhia at 6:16 AM on February 16, 2018


I've been very pleased with Purology Hydrate shampoo and conditioner*.

I have med. short hair (dyed red over nat. salt/pepper) and use about a nickel sized dollop of each, doesn't take much. Shampoo is sulfate-free, doesn't get all crazy-foamy. Also, *I cannot express well enough how wonderfully pepperminty the conditioner smells and feels.
posted by mcbeth at 4:13 PM on February 16, 2018


Response by poster: Have purchased L'Oreal EverPure, will report back on Sunday when I wash my hair. In cold water, of course!
posted by chainsofreedom at 5:12 PM on February 16, 2018


I haven't been impressed by a color-safe shampoo yet (I also have seborrheic dermatitis which complicates things) but I HAVE seen a noticeable difference in color longevity for my blue/green color on top of heavily bleached Asian hair, based on the brand of hair dye used.

I've had it done professionally with Aveda, L'Oreal, and Arctic Fox dyes. Aveda is terrible for non-natural colors; L'Oreal was a bit better than Aveda but still faded in a few months. The last time I went to a different place that used Arctic Fox, which is an indie vegan brand also available direct-to-consumer, and the color barely faded at all in the first two months. I'm going on month 4 now and some of the yellow bleached base is starting to show though, but I can probably procrastinate on it long enough that I'll need another cut/rebleach/recolor appointment, where previously I was going in for a color-only refresh between the long appointments.
posted by serelliya at 11:38 AM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


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