DON'T dye your hair at home
Devachan color specialist Nicolle Lemonds says it is not safe to dye your hair at home with box dye — even if they say they're non-permanent: "Doesn't matter if it's henna, a 'rinse', or 'ammonia free.'" She explains boxed dye you find at the store tends to be very harsh as they are metallic-based, which makes it very difficult to lift and remove from the hair.
"Removing this is a hairstylist's worst nightmare," she adds. "It can take multiple sessions to break through this harsh color to achieve the desired result. This goes for henna as well. Henna leaves a very long lasting red tint in the hair that's hard to get past as well. JUST DON'T DO IT. Period."
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Steer away from protein treatments
Any treatments that could "over-proteinize" your hair one week before or after your service should be avoided, says Ouuidad stylist Monice Lopez. "Too much protein will cause hair to become brittle and compromised — you will not receive the best color results."
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Always do a pre-treatment
Lemonds says that a pre-treatment and aftercare is very important. "I normally ask my clients to do one before they come in and I follow up with one after especially if it's a major color change or bleach was involved," says Lemonds.
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Try Olaplex to protect your hair
"Olaplex is excellent for natural hair because it helps to keep the hair intact during the color process and the treatment after helps bring the pH back down and seals everything," says Lemonds. "Other hair brands like Schwarzkopf have similar treatments that do the same thing and have started to incorporate the same bonding technology into their line of Blondeme bleaches and developers so we don't have to add anything and there is also a follow up treatment at the sink with fibreplex."
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You might have to do the process over a few sessions
Lemonds says that a lot of clients ask if they can do their entire head in one session especially if they're doing a complete color change, or bleaching all their hair. She adds that if your hair is in good condition and there is no heat damage or previous color, then it is sometimes possible to be able to do your drastic color change in one session.
"We are all about maintaining the health of the hair at Devachan and will not push your curls past its limits," she explains. "After a thorough consultation with your colorist they will be able to decide what the best methods are to reach your goal. Whether its bleach, subtle highlights, a gradual and multi-session plan, or not possible at all at that time until your hair is in better health. I always recommend coming in for a consultation first if you are wanting a drastic change so we know the amount of time we need to book out for you and the methods we will use."
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