Why you should never wash your hair the day you go to the hair salon

Here’s a hair tip that I had to learn the hard way. Never wash your hair the morning that you’re going to the hair salon for a colour.

I’ve been colouring my hair blonde for a long time. I started with foil highlights and now I do a mix of all over colour with a few highlights.

I love the colour effect you can achieve with an all over tint, but the only downside is a regrowth line as the colour is applied to your scalp.

Normally I don’t have any problems with this, but a few months ago I made the major mistake of washing my hair the morning of my appointment.

I usually turn up with day 2 or day 3 hair but on this occasion I had a squeaky clean scalp. When the colour was applied, it didn’t feel any different. It was only later, as my hairdresser was washing my hair that he commented on some small red marks that had formed near my hairline.

Now this isn’t the fault of my colourist. I didn’t say I had washed my hair and I didn’t feel anything as the colour processed. This sensitivity is something you need to be really careful of until you know how your scalp will react. Bleach burns can happen quite severely, especially on dry scalps.

I make sure to wash my hair 2-3 days before a colour now, and my hairdresser keeps a check on my scalp during my appointment. Nothing has happened since then.

But if I can warn you to do one thing – don’t wash your hair on the morning that you’re going to have your hair coloured. Leave your natural hair oils as a protective layer on your scalp.

Of course there’s always an exception to the rule and this is it:

If you are only getting a semi-permanent colour, which is applied to wet hair, you will need to wash your hair first. You should always shampoo before semi-permanent colours as product build-up, especially silicone-based products, can cause an uneven and patchy colour result.

So there you have it, never wash your hair on the day you’re getting your hair coloured. Take it from a guinea pig who made the mistake!

If you’re not sure what sort of colour you’re having done, just call and ask your hairdresser, or call the advice line before you colour at home.

Have you ever made the same mistake as me? How much did it hurt your scalp having that colour applied? Let me know in the comments below.