How to care for your hair after a salon treatment?

1/5
After a blow out
There's no denying that our hair feels its best just after a simple cut + wash + blow combo treatment. No harsh chemicals involved, just good old split-ends snipping, a relaxing head (and sometimes shoulder) massage while your hair gets shampooed, and the classic professional blow-out. To make it last as long as it allows (probably a week at most), avoid touching your hair too much as you might transfer impurities and oils from your fingertips onto your hair. This will cause it to get dirtier and weight it down unecessarily, losing the volume. Comb your hair with a large paddlebrush to detangle but keep the body in check.
2/5
After damaged hair treatment
If you've just undergone a treatment to cure your damaged hair from constant hair styling, chances are you won't want your mane to go back to the way it was before you stepped into the hairdresser's. To ensure lasting effect of healthy hair, shampoo it only when necessary and do weekly deep conditioning treatments by leaving in your conditioner for at least 10 minutes before rinsing. Trim your own split ends if you don't have time for a salon visit by twisting the ends of your hair and snipping away at the strands that point outwards. This will get rid of the broken ends and ensure they won't travel up each strand, damaging your hair further.
3/5
After dyeing
Extra bright colours (especially on our naturally dark Asian hair) will require more care. This depends on the advice your hairstylist will give you, but a general rule is to refrain from washing it for at least 48 hours in order to allow the colour to set properly. If your scalp starts feeling greasy and you feel the need to get rid of the excess oils, sprinkle some dry shampoo on your roots or if that's not available to you, baby powder works just as well. Once you get to wash your hair, choose shampoos and conditioners made for coloured hair to really maintain the condition of your mane. Be prepared to visit your colourist every few weeks or so to maintain your hair colour if it's a bright shade. If you know you're not capable of being that disciplined, stick to a natural-looking colour like dark neutrals so you don't need that extra maintenance.
4/5
After straightening/rebonding
After the 4-6 hours of back-to-back rebonding treatments you've undergone, you wouldn't want to waste the efforts by accidentally creating a curl or a dent in your now stick-straight locks. Post-rebonding, avoid washing or subjecting your hair to water for at least 3 days to let the chemicals settle. In the meantime, stop yourself from pulling it back with a head band or using a regular hair tie. If you need to get your hands dirty and keep hair away from your face, invest in a good telephone-cable hair tie that won't leave a mark in your straightened hair (or use a large clip and sandwich your hair with paper, like we always see in backstage fashion shows). Look for shampoos and hair care products catered to straight hair for everyday upkeep of your style so it lasts longer. Give your treated locks some downtime and avoid adding treatments such as colouring on top of it for at least 3 months, as it can add stress the strands. Go for regular trims as well, since split ends are more apparent against super straight hair.
5/5
After perming
Voluminous, bouncy curls don't just happen overnight (okay well sometimes they do - do a quick Google search of 'overnight curls' and you may garner helpful results) and the long treatment requires special care. As with the previous treatments, don't wash your hair for about 2-3 days after stepping out of the salon to really allow the curls to set. Your daily hair products should be curl-enhancing, such as volumnising shampoos and nourishing serums. For your curls to look their best, avoid gel and cream formulas that may weigh down your locks and make them appear straighter. After shampooing, don't rub your strands between your towel and pat dry instead. Allow it to dry naturally or use a diffuser (a special hair dryer for curly hair) and wear your hair in braids or twist it into a bun to hold the curls while you sleep and prevent tangling.

Who doesn’t love a trip to the salon? In the midst of our incredibly busy schedules, a luxurious hair treatment is one of the only times we’re truly forced to relaxed. Sure, some of us may opt to continue working on our tablets to get some work in or reply to emails on our phones for those prolonged treatments, but who’s complaining when they’ve got the salon as their office for the day?

Once you’ve stepped out of the hairdresser’s, it’s time to take extra care. Different salon treatments require specified post-salon hair care in order to keep the condition of the treatment – whether it’s a bright hair colour, straightening, perming or even a classic blow-out.

A general rule of thumb in hair care, whether salon-treated or not, is to apply the basic (but often neglected) steps such as using products with SPF, going for frequent trims to rid of split ends and caring for your scalp. For the more specified care how-tos, scroll through our gallery above.

Nur Syazana H.

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