Is the Moisturizing & Conditioning Shampoo Safe for Coloured Hair?Updated 3 years ago
The loss of dye hair color typically occurs because of color wash-out during the daily shampooing process or can be initiated by environmental circumstances such as exposure to UV radiation which can break down the color molecule. Though the hair color fading mechanism associated with the shampoo process is not yet well understood, there are some main factors attributed to fading. One is the dye solubility in water. Most dyes used on hair are water-soluble. Color fading is usually more with red dye because it is more water-soluble and is removed to a greater extent during washes, resulting in shade changes.
In addition, the degree of hair damage has a significant contribution to color fading through wash-out. Damaged hair is more porous which allows the dye molecules to leak out easily during the washing process. Therefore, bleached hair fades much faster than non-bleached hair because bleached hair is damaged. The surfactants in shampoo and conditioner products provide wetting function and bring moisture into the hair shaft which facilitates the dye molecules to come out with the water during washing.
One of the approaches for protecting shampooing-induced hair color fading is to minimize hair dye dissolution in water by using a polymer barrier on hair surface. This polymer barrier is designed to prevent moisture from going in and out of hair which will reduce the chance for dye molecules to leach out of the hair shaft.
The Curl Cleanse shampoo contains two such polymers - cationic guar and polyquat 7 - which can help protect colour.
While the shampoo was not created to specifically protect colour-treated hair, it does so due to the nature of its formulation.