After spending time adding highlights to your hair, post-salon hair care for highlighted hair becomes a priority to ensure you get the salon-fresh look at home.
To maintain those gorgeous highlights, your hair will need a hydration boost and nutrient-rich reparative ingredients in your shampoos and conditioners.
So, get the inside scoop on caring for your highlighted hair without stepping into the salon.
Why Post-Salon Hair Care is Crucial

After getting highlights, your hair is vulnerable to damage and color fading, which makes post-salon hair care for highlighted hair essential to maintaining the health and vibrancy of your strands.
Proper care can help prolong the vibrancy of the color and prevent the highlights from fading quickly. Furthermore, the products used can dry out your hair, stripping it of natural moisture. When treated properly, you can prevent this from happening.
Post-salon hair care also helps reduce split ends, maintains hair strength, and protects your hair against environmental stressors to protect your investment.
Steps For Hair Care For Highlighted Hair

To care for highlights, it is all about prioritizing moisture to keep your highlights bright between your salon appointments:
1. Invest In Color-Safe Products
We recommend using a color-safe product to prevent compromising the color and leaving it looking dull. The best option is to use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, as it will not strip the color away, thereby promoting longevity. You can also use the salon’s professional products at home, like Kerastase.
2. Deep Conditioning
When you feel your hair is dry, you think it is damaged. The truth is, your locks are thirsty and need deep moisture. All your hair needs is a hydrating conditioner to retain moisture. A deep conditioning mask lasts longer on your hair than a regular one.
3. Invest in Blue/Purple Shampoo, But Use It Minimal
Blue and purple shampoos work wonders to temporarily deposit color back into your strands and help neutralize brassiness, such as yellow and orange tones. Still, we recommend using these products sparingly.
When overused, shampoo can cause hair to become dull. You should only use it as needed; if you find you use it once a month, it is already too much. Instead, you can visit your colorist for a toning or gloss maintenance service.
3. Try a Tinted Gloss
As time passes, your color will start to lose its sparkle. A tinted hair gloss can add a touch of color and shine to your strands.
When you wash your hair often, are in the sun, or when minerals are in the water, the hair oxidizes.
The gloss adds shine to your hair; adding one with color will add a tint or a bit of color. You can apply the gloss after washing your hair, leave it on for a minute, and then rinse it.
4. Use Heat Protectant
Another essential hair care for highlighted hair is to use heat protectant sprays, as heat can destroy your highlighted hair.
Overheating hair can leach tones from locks and create brassiness, resulting in issues with toner longevity. Turn your heat-styling tools down to minimize the heat.
Apply a heat protectant product to your hair before styling, especially after getting highlights.
5. Think Twice About Swimming
Before you dive into that pool, an essential care tip is to avoid chlorine, as it is not your best friend. The chemicals cause the color to fade, so a trick is to mix some conditioner with water and use a spray bottle to apply it to your strands before and after dipping. Or invest in a leave-in conditioner and rinse your hair after swimming.
6. Get Regular Highlight Touch-Ups, But Not Too Often
Having root touch-ups done every three to four months or less is best. If you must highlight your hair every 4 to 6 weeks because your roots grow out quickly, it’s time to consider a single-process color. We suggest making your base color lighter.
Wrap-Up: Hair Care For Highlighted Hair
Post-salon hair care for highlighted hair is crucial for maintaining your strands’ vibrancy, freshness, and health long after your salon visit.
Using color-safe products, applying deep conditioners, and maintaining moisture help prevent dryness and fading. With the right products, you can help neutralize brassiness and add shine to your hair.
Protecting your hair from heat damage using heat-protectant products and taking precautions when swimming will help preserve your highlights. Finally, scheduling regular touch-ups will help keep your highlights looking fresh.
Whether you plan to have your hair highlighted or already have it done, make an appointment with one of our stylists to discuss treatments that can give you a salon-fresh look.
FAQ
How can I prevent damage to my hair after highlights?
We recommend reducing heat styling and using a heat-protectant product before you style your hair.
How long do highlights last?
Salon highlights the last eight to ten weeks; by then, you should notice new hair growth at the roots.
How often can I have highlights?
You can update your foil highlights every six to eight weeks, and for a balayage every three months.
When can I wash my hair after highlights?
You can wash your hair 48 hours after having highlights, as it will allow the color to set.