Can hair dyeing dry your hair? Dermatologist shares how to care for coloured hair

If you love to dye your hair and rock new colours, know the risks that may lie on the other side if you are not careful enough.

Hair colour gives you a new look, almost like a ‘vibe transformation’, elevating your style. While it does refresh your appearance and make you experiment with your personal style, there are also some drawbacks. Poor hair texture is one of them.

Dye your hair but ensure you are taking due precautions, including the aftercare. (PIcture credit: Freepik)

In a conversation with HT Lifestyle, Dr Rinky Kapoor, co-founder and director at The Esthetic Clinics, shared that hair dryness is indeed one of the outcomes of dyeing. Her affirmative response to whether dyeing dries out hair stems from the chemicals that hair dyes contain.

Why does hair dyeing dry your hair?

Hair dyeing involves a lot of chemical changes that impact the hair's structure, leading to dryness and damage.

The doctor elaborated the process, “Most permanent and semi-permanent hair dyes contain hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, two chemicals that work by lifting the hair's cuticle layer to deposit colour into the cortex. This process, by design, disrupts the structural integrity of the hair shaft. The cuticle, which ordinarily lies flat and acts as a protective seal, remains raised and roughened post-dyeing, allowing moisture to escape far more readily than it would from healthy, uncoloured hair.”

It showcases that since hair dyes rely very much on strong chemicals to change your hair colour, the outer layers of your hair are opened up by the chemicals so that the colours can go deep inside, which in turn weakens the hair's natural strength. And after dyeing, the hair does not revert to its smooth, protected state, and the cuticle layer stays open, causing hydration to escape easily.

Dr Kapoor then revealed that hair does actually become dry, fragile and more prone to hair breakage.

Further, if you are opting for stronger dyes, then it is riskier. She continued, giving a stern warning about bleaching, “Darker dyes with higher peroxide volumes cause more aggressive cuticle lifting. Bleaching, however, is the most damaging process of all as it strips the hair of its natural melanin and structural lipids simultaneously, leaving it highly porous and exceptionally prone to moisture loss.”

So bleach removes both the colour and the natural component that keeps hair healthy.

Bleaching adversely impacts the natural component of your hair. (Picture credit: Freepik)

Aftercare

Post-dye care is equally important. You cannot treat dyed hair the same way as natural hair, as they require extra care.

The dermat shared what you need to do, “The first step is to switch to a sulphate-free shampoo, since sulphates strip colour and further dehydrate an already compromised shaft. It is also a good idea to incorporate a protein-rich hair mask into your routine once a week, which helps temporarily reconstruct the cuticle and replenish lost keratin. Ingredients like hydrolysed keratin, ceramides, and bond-building complexes are worth prioritising on the label.”

Now, what should you avoid? She warned against heat styling, especially for the first 72 hours after dyeing, when hair is at its most vulnerable. Her other suggestions include using a daily leave-in conditioner or hair serum to protect against UV exposure, humidity, and environmental aggressors. Lastly, make sure to space out your colour appointments as the doctor observed in her clinical practice, overlapping chemical treatments without sufficient recovery time between sessions can significantly increase the risk of dryness and breakage.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.