Ulta Hair Stylist, Kara Anderson, colored and styled this twist out.
Every year, we are advised to protect our hair and treat it well during the harsh winter weather. Just as the bitter cold and unrelenting winds can be murder on your skin, the same elements can take a toll on your hair. If you have color treated hair, the damage can be brutal. Fortunately, there are products and techniques that you can use to keep your color treated hair looking and feeling healthy.
Ulta Salon Hair Stylist, Kara Anderson, agrees that color treated natural hair needs a little extra care during the winter. While ladies who don’t dye their hair will certainly need to give their manes more love this season, dyed naturals need to go a little bit further.
As a six year natural, Anderson works with all hair types, but she encourages her ethnic clientele to transition to natural hair. Being a natural herself, she was even able to convert all of the women in her family back to their roots. Now, just about every ethnic client that she services has natural hair or is transitioning.
Hair Stylist, Kara Anderson has been in the business for 10 years.
Protein is your hair’s best friend.
Anderson, a certified Redken master colorist, recommends that natural ladies who dye their hair up the protein this winter if they want to prevent breakage. She laments anything that causes a chemical change to your hair weakens the structure.
“Protein puts the strength back into the hair – filling the holes so to speak, so that the moisture you put in your hair stays in. Protein and moisture work hand in hand,” said Anderson.
Don’t skip out on moisturizing.
Keeping a good moisturizing routine is essential. Hair retains more moisture during the summer than winter because your sebaceous glands work hard despite dry weather to keep your hair lubricated. Humidity is also present during the warmer months, but not so much during the cooler months. Also, it’s completely non-existent once you get indoors. This means the dry heat that’s in your home can dry out your hair. Leave-in conditioners and weekly deep conditioning will help combat moisture loss.
Don’t dye this at home.
If you’re one of those women who loves to do at home dye jobs, Anderson warns against it. It’s not a good idea, especially during the winter when you hair is being beat up by the weather.
“Please stay away from boxed color! There is no one size fits all when it comes to chemicals. Trust a professional,” she said.
Anderon colored and styled this funky natural Mohawk.
Don’t just use any old product.
Product wise, she recommends Redken Extreme Strength Builder Plus for women with blonde, bleached or double processed hair. The hair mask has the ability to make the hair up to 96% stronger. According to Anderson, she doesn’t let a blonde leave the salon without using the mask on their hair. She also recommends using Redken Curvaceous conditioner as a daily conditioner, co-wash or leave-in.
Also, it’s probably better to use a sulfate-free shampoo during the winter months if you dye. Natural hair already tends to lack moisture, so regular shampoo may strip color treated hair too much. A sulfate-free shampoo will also help your color last longer.
Use heat sparingly and protect your hair accordingly.
Though Anderson is not a fan of natural ladies regularly flat ironing their hair during this season, she believes that heat protection isn’t up for discussion. She recommends Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Primer because it primes your hair with heat protection and serves as the perfect base for all of your products. Her favorite flat irons are Izunami and Babyliss. Anderson likes to use a few drops of Kera Care Essential Oil for added smoothness and shine after flat ironing.
Flat ironed honey-blonde bob.
Kara Anderson is a Senior Designer, hair color educator and Artistic Team Member at Ulta Salon on Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To see more of Kara Anderson’s work, check out her Instagram @Haircolorkilla.
How are you keeping your color treated hair healthy this winter?
A cute graduated TWA, cut, colored and styled by Anderson.