Should I Wash My Hair Before Using a Color Remover?

No. You shouldn’t wash your hair before using the color remover, neither the day before nor the same day you apply it.
In fact, if you want to remove permanent hair color, you shouldn’t wash your hair for at least 48-72 hours before applying the remover.
And also, you should make sure your hair is healthy to withstand the chemical reaction of the remover.

bleaching the same day

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If you are about to wash your hair before applying the color remover, STOP RIGHT NOW.

Otherwise, you’re about to make a huge mistake. Why so much fuss over a simple hair wash?

I’ll answer with another question: why do you want to wash your hair before using the remover?

Does it bother you that your hair isn’t shiny? You don’t have a date with your crush; you just want to use a color remover.
Do you feel that your hair doesn’t smell like roses? Don’t worry. When you apply the remover, your hair will only smell like sulfur.
Do you touch your hair and find it too greasy? That’s why you shouldn’t wash your hair before removing the hair dye, That oiliness will protect it during the chemical reaction of the remover.

Do you get the picture?

The longer you go without washing your hair, the better.

And if you’re still not convinced, let me tell you a story as of example.

Two weeks ago, I was visited in the salon by Silvia. She’s a client to whom I had applied a dark brown shade 4 because she no longer liked her blonde.

When she let her hair down, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Her hair looked like the straw from the broom you use to sweep!

Besides the rough and dry texture, the color was strange, with lighter and darker parts and a lot of frizz.

What had happened from the hair dye application. Her hair was two-colored straw-like and with a lot of frizz?

According to Silvia, it was her cousin’s fault who had recommended a color remover.

And why did Silvia want to use a color remover?

Because her love for dark brown ended as soon as the caramel shade arrived.

So, without any experience and without reading the instructions for using the remover, she applied it after washing her hair.

The results were in front of me. The remover hadn’t worked effectively, but it had also taken away the health of Silvia’s hair.

Tabla de Contenidos

That’s why you should apply the remover to unwashed hair

avoid the haircut from turning ugly

For the color remover to work and not cause damage, you shouldn’t wash your hair for 48 to 72 hours.

In the meantime, your hair will accumulate the necessary oiliness to protect the hair cuticles from the chemical reaction of the remover. They’re like a line of defense for your hair.

Don’t forget that color removers, although less aggressive than bleaching, penetrate the hair’s core to strip the hair dye pigments. They can only do that due to the chemicals they contain.

When you apply permanent hair color, the pigment is fixed in the core of your hair. Then, the remover’s sulfur expels those pigments. It opens the cuticles so that the color molecules fade away during rinsing.

If you wash your hair before using the remover, you’ll remove the dirt but also the scalp’s natural moisture that protects your mane.

Then, when you apply the remover on your clean but defenseless hair, your cuticles will be stiff. They’ll break as they absorb the chemicals, leaving your hair dry, frizzy, and damaged.

You shouldn’t wash your hair for 72 hours before applying the color remover!

I think you’re already convinced that dirty but healthy hair is better than clean and damaged hair when using a color remover.

Still, there’s also something you should pay attention to before using this product. And it’s not exactly the color you’ll apply afterward.

If you use a color remover, your hair must be healthy and moisturized

Even if you apply the remover to your unwashed hair for 48 hours, your hair will end up damaged if it’s already seriously damaged, split, and frizzy.

Don’t be fooled.

There’s no such thing as a miracle chemical that won’t damage your hair or any part of your body for that matter.

If you apply the remover to your damaged hair, it’ll end up more damaged. And it won’t be the remover’s fault.

Think about this: we all pay a price to get what we want. But, in hair matters, you should think about paying the lowest price, and I’m not talking about the supermarket.

If you have trouble detangling your hair, split ends, rough and dry texture, you should nourish your hair before using any color remover.

In other words, you can’t make the decision to use a remover overnight. You have to plan for it.

So, are you determined to remove the hair dye from your hair? Assess the condition of your hair.

If you’re aware that your hair is damaged, take at least ten days to repair it. Only then use the color remover

hydrate hair before using color remover

How can you do this?

For example, by applying an intensive moisturizing treatment two or three times. You can use moisturizing masks or simply coconut oil.

And if you don’t have money to buy these products, use olive oil, a super natural moisturizer.

Finally, the night before applying the color remover, apply a few drops of sweet coconut or almond oil on ends and lengths, avoiding the roots.

This way, when you apply the color remover, your hair cuticles will not be stiff and you will avoid the typical frizz.

I also recommend that you incorporate a moisturizing routine after applying the remover

to hydrate dry hair

Shampoo and conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal will provide moisture and hydration because it’s for chemically treated hair.
Moisturizing mask: Moroccanoil offers a mask containing canola oil and essential oils that will leave your hair soft, shiny, and frizz-free.
Deep repair: Biosilk SilkTherapy Original fills any gaps caused by cuticle breakage reducing frizz, and repairing your hair from the core.