Colour Care

Colour fades because of washing, not because of time. Every wash opens the cuticle a little and pigment leaves with the water, and the hard water most of England lives with leaves a film on top that makes what is left look duller still.

A colour-care routine slows that loss. These milkshake (milk_shake) products start with a shampoo for coloured hair that does not clean so hard it opens the cuticle, then a conditioner that closes it again before the hair dries. It is the routine, not one bottle, that decides how far the colour gets.

Which one to start with

Colour Care Shampoo is the everyday wash: a gentle milk-protein cleanse, so colour lasts further between salon visits, with milk and wheat proteins going back in as it cleans. It suits coloured, highlighted and balayaged hair, and it is the one to reach for when the colour is washing out rather than going brassy.

Colour Care Conditioner is the second step. It puts the slip and the wheat proteins back, closes the cuticle again, which is what keeps the pigment in, and detangles, which matters because colour-treated hair is more fragile wet.

Colour Care Mask is the weekly deep treatment. Colouring leaves hair porous, so it takes product in quickly and lets it go quickly. Ten minutes once a week puts moisture and protein back in a way a single treatment never holds.

Colour Care Flower Fragrance Shampoo is the same gentle milk-protein cleanse in the Flower Fragrance edition. It is vegan, and the difference you notice is the scent, a fresh floral parfum that stays in the hair rather than disappearing at the rinse.

Deep Detox Shampoo is the reset wash rather than the everyday one. It is a clarifying shampoo that lifts what an ordinary wash leaves behind: copper and lead come out of the tap, settle on the hair and stop conditioner reaching it, which is why colour goes flat or brassy for no obvious reason. It is on pre-order at the moment, so it ships on 23 September.

If the colour has gone brassy rather than simply faded, that is a toning job rather than a care one. Silver Shine Shampoo is the purple shampoo, for the yellow cast that cool blondes, greys and white hair drift into. Icy Blonde Shampoo is pigmented with carbon black instead, for warmth that reads orange, and it belongs in the routine once or twice a week rather than at every wash. There is a full guide to choosing between them.

What is the best shampoo for coloured or highlighted hair in the UK?

Colour Care Shampoo, if the colour is washing out rather than going brassy. It is a gentle milk-protein cleanse with sunflower milk for brightness and colour protection. If the hair has gone yellow or orange, that is a toning job, not a stronger shampoo.

How to stop colour fading

Use a shampoo that does not open the cuticle as it cleans, then close the cuticle with conditioner before the hair dries. Colour fades in the shower, not on the calendar. A weekly mask helps porous hair hold what you put in.

Is colour care shampoo worth it, or is it the same as a normal shampoo?

It is not the same. A shampoo that cleans too hard opens the cuticle and lets pigment out with the water. Colour Care puts milk and wheat proteins back in as it cleans, with vitamin E to protect from pollution and sunflower milk for colour protection.

Do I need the conditioner as well as the shampoo?

Yes. Colour care shampoo and conditioner only really work as a pair. An open cuticle is what lets pigment escape and what makes coloured hair look dull rather than glossy. The conditioner closes it, puts the wheat proteins back, and detangles hair that is more fragile wet than it was before it was lifted.

Does hard water make colour fade faster?

It makes what is left look worse. The minerals settle on the hair, colour goes flat or brassy, and conditioner cannot reach through the deposit. There is a full guide to hard water and hair, and it is worth reading before you add anything else.

Want it picked for your hair?

A qualified hairdresser we work with will write you a personalised routine, free, with any order. Send your hair details through Ask an Expert, or take the Hair Quiz if you would rather answer questions than write.