How To Use Coloring Shampoos And Conditioners

Have you heard of coloring shampoos and conditioners before? Did you know that those are actually a thing now? They’re a semi-new invention to the hair industry. At least they didn’t exist in my world when I first started doing hair in 2007.

These coloring shampoos and conditioners have been a game changer for many that struggle with fading hair color. This post will explain what they are exactly, how they work, and who’s a good candidate for them.

What are coloring shampoos and conditioners?

Coloring shampoos and conditioners are pretty much just as they sound. They’re shampoos and conditioners that deposit color onto the hair.

With a typical shampoo and conditioner, each time you wash your hair the color will fade a little bit. Especially if you use hot water. Before these came onto the market, I always told my red clients that they need to wash their hair in ice cold water to get the most longevity out of their color.

I did this myself for yearsss with pastel colors and blonde.

But not anymore! These products were created to not only stop the color from fading, but can make your color more intense the more you use them.

What are coloring shampoos and conditioners used for?

There are a number of different uses for these types of color depositing products.

1. Slow hair color from fading

While these products won’t technically stop the permanent color in your fair from fading, they deposit semi-permanent color onto the hair with each use.

They’ll also make the color a little more intense, as semi-permanent color molecules live on the outer layer of the hair rather than the middle layer where permanent color lives.

They work as a great addition to your permanent hair color for in-between salon visits.

2. Remove unwanted warmth from the hair

As hair color fades, it fades warm. And for many, warmth is an unpleasant color for our hair to fade to. Blondes are usually familiar with this with the use of purple shampoo to cancel out unwanted yellow tones. But now this is possible for our brunette gals as well.

Brunettes can use a color depositing conditioner to minimize unwanted “red” tones that appear in the hair as it fades.

3. Try out a new hair color

These products are great for testing the waters with a new hair color. If you’re a blonde that always wanted to try pink in your hair, this is the perfect way to do it at a low cost with no risk of ruining your blonde.

You can use it once for minimum intensity, and stop using it if you want the color to fade out.

Keep in mind that these products only deposit hair color, meaning that you cannot try a lighter color than what your hair currently is. You can only go darker with these.

How do coloring shampoos and conditioners work?

These products work by mixing semi-permanent hair color into the shampoo and conditioner. Essentially, they work the same way a direct dye does.

If you aren’t familiar with the term, direct dye is a semi-permanent hair color that does not get mixed with developer, and does not penetrate the middle layer of the hair, the cortex. To learn more about the differences between the types of hair colors, see my post here.

Some of the more common commercial brands of traditional direct dyes are Manic Panic and Arctic Fox.

Each time you use a coloring shampoo or conditioner, you’re adding more of the semi-permanent pigment into the hair. So the more you use them, the more intense the color will be.

You can also leave them on a bit longer than your regular shampoo for them to take more intensely, or even apply them to dry hair before you get into the shower.

Alternatively if you want the color to fade away, stop using them and switch back to your regular shampoo and conditioner. The color will gradually fade just as any other semi-permanent hair color will.

Keep in mind that the darker and more intense the hair color, the longer it will take for it to fade away.

Are color depositing shampoos and conditioners damaging to your hair?

These products are not damaging to the hair as they are ammonia free and do not require developer to deposit color. This means that they are not altering the chemical composition of the hair, so they’re not damaging at all!

In fact, my favorite brand that is listed below, actually has bond builder built into the conditioner. In simple terms, this means that they are strengthening for the hair. So they’ll make your hair stronger and softer with use!

My favorite brand

***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

Celeb Luxury is my favorite brand of coloring shampoos and conditioners as they are a professional brand and are one of the original creators of this type of product. They are plant based, cruelty free, as well as ammonia free.

They have two different lines, Gem Lites and Viral.

The Gem Lites line is more natural colors while the Viral line is fantasy and vivid colors.

• Viral Colorwash (Vivids)
• Viral Colorditioner (Vivids)
• Gem Lites Colorwash (More Natural)
• Gem Lites Colorditioner (More Natural)

Do I need both the coloring shampoo AND the conditioner?

It’s not necessary to use both the shampoo and the conditioner to get results. In fact, I recommend for my clients to use the conditioner only. I like to use a traditional shampoo to properly cleanse the hair, and then follow with the color depositing conditioner.

You can leave the conditioner on for 10-15 minutes and it will act as a hair masque as well.

Who is a good candidate for color depositing shampoos and conditioners?

Now that we’ve covered how these products work, I want to take the time to mention that they are not necessarily for everyone. Let me explain.

If you have multi-colored hair, this can get tricky. Unless you plan on sectioning your hair out when you use them, they’ll only be a good option for the lightest color in your hair.

The pigment won’t affect hair color that is darker than the product, but it will affect anything lighter. So if you have highlights and lowlights, you can only use this for the highlights unless you plan on covering them up.

This also means that rainbow hair isn’t a good option for these products either. Again, unless you section out the hair when you’re using them to each distinguished color.

That being said, you can still use multiple of these colors at the same time, but this works best with colors in a similar family. The color will have a slightly ombre effect based on where each color was applied and how they were married together.

I also want to point out that these products won’t exactly replicate the color that your hairstylist did in the salon. Oftentimes stylists create extremely custom colors, and these coloring shampoos and conditioners just can’t replicate that to the T.

Conclusion

Coloring shampoos and conditioners have been a game changer in the world of hair color. These products allow you to maintain your hair color at home in-between hair salon appointments.

These color depositing shampoos and conditioners are infused with semi-permanent hair color–aka direct dye–that deposits color onto the hair as it’s being washed.

This can make the hair color more intense, hide the effects from fading, and reduce unwanted warmth from the hair. They can also be used to test out a new hair color with low cost and committment.

These products are not damaging, and can actually act as a treatment for the hair making it stronger and healthier.

These products work best for those with only one hair color, or are only altering the lighter color in their hair. You also cannot lighten the hair with these products, and can only deposit color or go darker.

If you have any further questions for me, be sure to leave them in the comments. And as always, Have A Good Hair Day!

Last updated: 05/05/2023