Can you dye your hair with dry shampoo in it? Does dry shampoo clash with the dye chemicals to spoil the result, or is it harmless enough to be left on your hair for the whole process?
While the result of a dye job varies from person to person, there are certain golden rules that you should not disregard to guarantee the best color payoff.
One thing that receives a big NO from hair experts is to lather your hair with regular shampoo right before coloring (instead, this should be done within 12-24 hours prior).
However, does the same rule apply to dry shampoo?
In other words, should you wash your hair with dry shampoo right before the process? Can you dye your hair with dry shampoo in it? And, does the leave-in powdery spray interfere with the coloring process? Read on for the answer.
Can You Dye Your Hair With Dry Shampoo In It?
Yes, you can dye your hair with dry shampoo in it. However, it is not recommended to dye your hair if it’s full of dry shampoo. You risk damaging your scalp by letting the dry shampoo soak off the natural oil.
Most importantly, dry shampoo can disrupt the coloring process and thereby negatively affect the quality and color of the hair after dyeing. This is because dry shampoo gives a harder time for the hair dyes to take on to bring out the intended results.
Can You Bleach Your Hair With Dry Shampoo In It?
Here is the hard truth: Bleaching wreaks havoc on hair strands and scalp. The chemicals in the bleach powder break down the cuticles to lighten the natural or artificial color.
This process, however, also destroys the fatty acids on the hair shafts, weakening the hair. In addition, hair becomes more porous and is more susceptible to further damage.
What we meant by further damage here is potentially caused by dry shampoo. These leave-in products typically have strong detergent properties, and when combined with potent bleaching chemicals, they can worsen the weakening, breakage, and even hair loss.
The only thing you can do to minimize these damages is by properly preparing your hair, including skipping the dry shampoo!
How Can Dry Shampoo Affect The Dyeing Process?
More Damages To The Scalp
Dry shampoos, usually with rice or corn starch or other oil-absorbing ingredients, remove excess sebum, oil, dirt, grease, etc., to give hair a cleaner, refreshing look.
This sounds more than ideal if you have gone several days without washing your hair, as this shampoo can make your hair look like it just washed out in the shower. However, dry shampoo will become an uninvited guest when it comes to dyeing!
The main reason lies in its ability to mop up the oil that hair constantly produces, aka sebum. Hair coloring is a serious chemical process that involves many harsh chemicals, such as ammonia.
This natural oil protects hair against these chemicals for your scalp, preventing irritation, itchiness, and damage. Unfortunately, the more oil the dry shampoo soaks off, the less protection your scalp can benefit from and, thus, the higher risk of damage afterward.
oil sebum protects your scalp from damages potentially caused by hair dye
Affect The Coloring Results
The presence of dry shampoo on hair can derail the dyeing outcomes. This means you might not get the hue that you’re expecting.
Dry shampoos, notably those with wax in their formula, can act as a barrier to prevent the pigments from entering the hair. Therefore, it’s more challenging for the color to take on or bond to your hair. You might end up with a lighter tone or even a totally different shade that you have in mind.
In addition, dry shampoo can alter the hair’s integrity, making it harder for the dye to penetrate the hair to bring out the desired hue.
dry shampoo can deter the pigments from bonding to the hair
The dyeing process is not always predictable. Dry shampoos can be formulated differently across brands, and you can’t foretell if any chemicals in the shampoo interact with those in the hair dyes and alter the final results.
Therefore, it pays to keep your hair free of dry shampoo before spreading the color so that you can anticipate the actual color payoff in a panic.
So, after using dry shampoo, how long should you wait before dyeing your hair?
You can wash your hair with dry shampoo 24 to 48 hours before coloring your hair. However, rinse off all the product buildup in the last wash before kicking start the process (also within these 24-48 hours).
This allows enough time for the scalp to reproduce natural oil sebum, which serves as a protective layer against harsh chemicals in the dye.
Can You Use Dry Shampoo On Your Color-Treated Hair?
Dry shampoos are beneficial for colored hair in the sense that it helps space out the wet lathering, meaning that you can maintain the color for longer. That said, like many things in life, too much dry shampoo would cause more harm than good for your dyed hair.
wash less, fadeless – this is how dry shampoo can benefit color-treated hair
The dry shampoo does not actually cleanse your scalp or remove the product buildup from your hair. Therefore, for the health of your scalp and hair, you should only use it to complement your everyday shampoo.
Another downside of dry shampoo is that it can dull the hair color. This is because the starch in the powdery formula can form a matte texture that masks the glossy, shiny look of your freshly-dyed hair.
In the same vein, the tinted dry shampoos (which are supposed to match perfectly with the hair color) are likely to cause your hair to look drab and dull.
Tips For Using Dry Shampoo For Dyed Hair
Do Not Use Dry Shampoo Everyday!
Dry shampoos are not meant for use every day. You’re not actually cleansing the hair but spreading a powdery starch around to absorb the grease. Heavily depending on the product, it only leaves you with an intense buildup, which eventually clogs the follicles.
Instead, use dry shampoos to complement your hair care routine between washes. We recommend only washing your hair with dry shampoo 1-2 times a week. If your hair gets very oily but can’t wash it with normal shampoo, you can use dry shampoo 2-3 times a week.
The Best Time For Dry Shampoo To Work Is At Night
You should apply dry shampoo before going to bed, especially when you have extremely greasy hair. This will allow the time for the powders to work their magic.
Most of the excess oil, grease, and odor will be gone in the next morning, and you’ll be greeting a new day with voluminous, clean-looking hair.
Dry Shampoo For Freshly-Dyed Hair, When?
It’s safe to apply dry shampoo to freshly colored hair whenever you feel the need.
You or the colorist already shampoo and condition the hair while dyeing, so it makes no sense to grab a bottle and spray right afterward.
Best Dry Shampoos For Colored Hair
Klorane Dry Shampoo
- Active ingredients: Butane, rice starch, propane, isobutane, and alcohol
Kolarne is specially formulated for naturally blond hair, highlighted hair, dyed and bleached hair. The key ingredient is corn and rice starch to provide strong cleansing effects for greasy hair. Natural absorbent microspheres and silica in the formula also add to the cleansing power.
However, the star of the show is the organically harvested oat milk, which helps soothe and protect your scalp and hair against further damage. This ingredient is also known for its hydrating, softening, and protective properties to restore your damaged color-treated hair.
Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo
- Active ingredients: Rice starch, argan oil
Moroccanoil has long been a crowd favorite as a dry shampoo for light tones. The rice starches to absorb oil and buildup in this formula are so ultra-fine that they will show no trace of flaky leftovers on your hair.
Specially formulated for light hair, especially blondes, the shampoo contains subtle violet pigments to correct brassiness. We also love the argan oil that gives a boost of antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids and makes your locks look healthier.
Batiste Dry Shampoo
- Active ingredients: Rice starch
Batiste dry shampoo gives an instant refresh to your hair and boosts its volume.
Packed with rice starch and free from sulfates, parabens, aluminum, ammonia, and copper, this formula promises to take up grease and thickens hair fiber without causing unwanted damage to color-treated hair.
How To Prep Your Hair For Coloring?
Before busting out the dye kit, it’s always important to review all the necessary prepping tasks so you can get the hue you’re shooting for:
Wash Your Hair With A Clarifying Shampoo
For any dry-shampoo fan, we recommend breaking the dry-washing cycle with a clarifying shampoo before coloring your hair.
This shampoo offers deep-cleansing effects to eliminate the product buildup and excess grease and dirt from the hair that might affect the dye.
Always follow with a conditioner! Due to its potency, you should only use clarifying shampoo before coloring and NOT right after the process.
The Right Time For Hair Washing
Wash your hair between 12 and 24 hours before dyeing it, and NOT in the 24 hours leading up. You do not want freshly, squeaky clean hair or extremely dirty hair that has gone weeks without washing, but something in between!
This time frame allows enough time for the hair to sufficiently reproduce oil sebum to protect itself against harsh chemicals in the dye.
Avoid Excessively Scrubbing The Scalp
Some hair dyes can cause itchiness and even burning to the scalp when you finish. If you start with an already damaged scalp, you’re more likely to encounter these issues.
It is advised not to scrub your scalp progressively during your pre-coloring wash. Instead, give your hair a gentle scrub to wash out all the buildup, and if necessary, you may want to use a mild exfoliating shampoo for better results without damaging your scalp.
Deep-Conditioning
It is recommended to give your hair a deep conditioning treatment a few days before coloring. This helps restore moisture for the strands and enables them to take on the color more evenly.
Bleaching or dying will dry out your hair, and the treatment can make a big difference to the final look of your colored hair – you can expect those shiny locks after your finish!
The Bottom Line
Can you dye your hair with dry shampoo in it? Unfortunately, hair shrouded by dry shampoo isn’t the best palette for hair dye (and bleach), and therefore, you should avoid using the product before coloring.
Otherwise, this prevents the color from bonding to the hair and deprives the scalp of the oily protective layer.
It’s best to prep your hair properly so your hair can take color better, look shiner, and the color stays longer!
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