Highlighting is a fairly popular way of dyeing hair. It gained its popularity for its soft attitude to hair and for being a great way to diversify your life, giving your hair an originality.
But do not forget about the precautionary measures before this procedure and after its completion, so that in the future only pleasant impressions are left, since any hair coloring is essentially a rather crude chemical intervention. Therefore, so that everything goes without complications, discomfort and a good result is obtained, you must be attentive to every detail and nuance. And along with the choice of paint, dyeing method, etc., an important question also arises: how to prepare hair before lightening hair?
To answer it, you need to know what hair is in its structure, what can be the danger of modern paints that are touted by advertising, and a number of other necessary subtleties.
Where does the fat appear in the hair
To answer this question, you need to understand the structure of a human hair. In its structure, it most resembles a tree - the visible part of the hair acts as a trunk, and the invisible part, which is located in the scalp and ends in the so-called hair sac, is the root of the "tree".
The root base is called the bulb or, as it is also called, the follicle. Also in the hair bag are sebaceous glands that secrete a secret. With copious excretion, his hair becomes oily. It is the work of these glands that makes us decide whether to wash our hair before highlighting hair and in all other cases, or whether we can still do without a shower.
What is the danger of any hair dye when highlighting?
The answer lies in the staining procedure itself. When coloring hair, the process of raising keratin scales occurs, of which at least the visible part of the hair consists. With the help of oxidation, which will be caused by a chemical reaction of the applied substance, the natural hair pigment is replaced by the one that is contained in the dye. And the stronger the chemical reaction, the more hair will be damaged.
Why does the question of washing hair arise?
Any planned business does not begin with the implementation of the plan, but with the preparation for the plan to be realized in reality. Therefore, along with resolving the necessary issues, one gets the following: is it necessary to wash your hair before highlighting hair and when is it better to do it?
Despite all its simplicity, it is quite complex and does not have an unambiguous opinion, for which there are reasons:
- A matter of aesthetics and hygiene. To some extent, it is not culturally for an adult to appear in a beauty salon or a hairdresser with dirty hair, thinking that the master will not notice this fact and will not be squeamish enough to do his job.
- Dullness of the head can also be done on purpose, in order to obtain an additional means of protection against potential undesirable consequences associated with staining.
This question really does not lose its relevance, and insufficient attention to it ends with such problems as, for example, over-strands of hair.
The opinion of professionals
The views of the masters on whether to wash their hair before highlighting also differ. This question is purely subjective. And each master adheres to his opinion, confirming it with his own arguments. Thus, 2 fronts fighting among themselves appeared - supporters of the pros and cons of oily hair.
Opponents of a clean head will say the following:
- The scalp fat produced by the sebaceous glands protects the hairline and hair roots from damage.
- On dirty hair, the paint lays down better and holds steady, which provides a longer lasting effect. And this means that there will be comparatively more time between highlights, which may please its owner.
- The basis of any shampoo is alkali, which slows down the chemical reactions that occur during highlighting. Because of this, you can incorrectly calculate the time allotted to the stages of the procedures.
- For any coloring, the paint is applied exclusively to dry hair. Therefore, after washing, in order to save time, the hair is dried with a hairdryer. With such drying, they are subjected to extreme heat, and the amount of moisture that is present there is reduced. It also causes them additional harm.
Working with a clean head has the following advantages:
- Less time is spent on hair coloring, since it is not necessary for the coloring pigment to overcome the layer of fat contained in dirty hair fibers.
- A stream of hot air really hurts your hair, but with cold air you can return keratin scales to their places. And this completely solves the problem.
- Before highlighting, shampooing is also important, especially when using modern staining techniques. These methods require accuracy, painstakingness and increased accuracy in applying paint to strands. When working with dirty hair, this is unlikely to be possible.
Important points
Any of the specialists, regardless of their point of view on the dilemma of whether to wash their hair before highlighting or not, will still ask when the last wash was done, and if you do not express your desire, you will start from your own thoughts on this issue.
All arguments about the features of working with unwashed hair are pure truth. However, this does not prevent a good, qualified and experienced master from highlighting on a clean head.
Since working with dirty and clean hair has its positive aspects, there is still no certainty in the question of whether to wash your hair before highlighting. But it is worth considering that a master who prefers to work with clean hair may refuse to get to work, so in these circumstances it is recommended not to wash your hair only on the eve of dyeing.
How to wash your hair after highlighting?
Do we need to wash our hair before highlighting, we figured out, but can this be done after staining? We’ll find out now.
Washing your hair is an important procedure without highlighting. If there are no problems with the hair, then it is not necessary to wash them every day - it is completely acceptable every other day or even less. Hair that is predisposed to the rapid appearance of oily sheen should be washed every day with shampoo.
Washing hair after highlighting is a bit more complicated, as it is weakened after this procedure and needs to be nourished. Therefore, you will need a special shampoo for highlighted hair, because it, thanks to the components included in its composition, fights against excess alkali. You will also need a gel for highlighted strands, which will provide them with proper care.
Apply any shampoo with massaging movements along the entire length of the hair, and then rinse with water.
Putting hair in order before highlighting
If the hair is in a deplorable state, then it is necessary to purchase a rinse aid in order to wash it with a hair a month before highlighting. The application of various nourishing masks will also have a positive effect.
Conclusion
To wash or not to wash hair before highlighting is a personal matter for everyone. There are times when even professionals advise not to wash their hair before staining for 3-4 days. And some require to come with a clean head. Therefore, when highlighting, it remains to rely only on the experience and knowledge of the master, who, although they do not give a 100% guarantee of success, are calmer with them.