The Ultimate Guide to Hair Color Care and Maintenance

Everything Your Customers Need to Know to Keep Their Color Vibrant and Healthy

In the world of hair care, one of the most popular trends continues to be vibrant hair color—whether it’s a dramatic color change or maintaining a beloved hue. For beauty supply store owners, this means stocking a variety of products designed not just for coloring hair, but also for keeping it healthy, vibrant, and long-lasting. Color-treated hair requires special attention, and your customers will rely on you to provide the best products and expert advice.

Whether your customers are rocking bold reds, pastel pinks, rich brunettes, or platinum blondes, maintaining their color and ensuring their hair stays healthy is essential. Let’s dive into everything you need to know to help your customers care for their color-treated hair and keep it looking flawless.


The Basics of Hair Color Care

Hair coloring involves the use of chemicals that open the hair cuticle and deposit color pigments inside. This process can leave hair more vulnerable to damage, so color-treated hair needs more TLC than untreated hair. Whether they’re coloring at home or visiting a stylist, your customers will need the right products to keep their color vibrant and their hair in great condition.

The key to maintaining color-treated hair is hydration, nourishment, and protection. When you recommend the right products, you help your customers extend the life of their color while keeping their hair healthy and shiny.


Must-Have Products for Color-Treated Hair

As a beauty supply store owner, it’s important to provide a range of products specifically formulated for color-treated hair. Here’s what you should have in stock:

1. Color-Safe Shampoo and Conditioner

Shampoo and conditioner are the foundation of any hair care routine, and color-treated hair requires formulas that protect and preserve the color. Recommend sulfate-free shampoos, as sulfates can strip hair of its natural oils and cause the color to fade faster.

Recommended Products:

  • Sulfate-Free Color Care Shampoos: These shampoos gently cleanse the hair without stripping color.
  • Moisturizing Conditioners: Color-treated hair often needs extra hydration, so recommend conditioners that provide deep moisture and nourishment.

2. Deep Conditioning Treatments

Frequent coloring can leave hair dry and damaged, so deep conditioning treatments are a must for repairing and maintaining color-treated hair. These treatments provide intense moisture and help restore elasticity and strength to hair.

Recommended Products:

  • Moisture-Rich Deep Conditioners: Formulas with ingredients like shea butter, keratin, and argan oil are great for keeping hair soft and healthy.
  • Protein-Infused Masks: These masks help restore hair’s strength and elasticity, especially after multiple rounds of color.

3. Leave-In Conditioners

Leave-in conditioners are an essential for color-treated hair, providing moisture and protection without weighing hair down. They also help with detangling and prepping hair for styling.

Recommended Products:

  • Leave-In Moisturizers: A lightweight leave-in conditioner helps lock in hydration while protecting the hair from heat styling.
  • Heat Protectants: If your customers use hot tools, make sure to recommend a good heat protectant to prevent heat damage and color fading.

4. Color-Specific Treatments and Serums

To ensure your customers’ color remains vibrant for longer, recommend specialized color-protecting serums and shampoos formulated to lock in the color and prevent it from fading due to UV exposure or environmental damage.

Recommended Products:

  • UV Protection Sprays: These products protect hair from the damaging effects of the sun, which can cause color to fade quicker.
  • Color-Enhancing Serums: These products help boost color vibrancy and add shine without affecting the color itself.

5. Clarifying Shampoos for Color Build-Up

While it’s important to avoid overuse of clarifying shampoos, occasionally using one to remove color build-up or product residue can be beneficial. Be sure to recommend this product with caution to avoid over-drying hair.

Recommended Products:

  • Gentle Clarifying Shampoos: These shampoos remove excess product build-up, helping restore color clarity and brightness.

Tips for Maintaining Hair Color

As a beauty supply store owner, you have the power to guide your customers in caring for their color-treated hair. Here are a few tips and tricks to share with your customers to keep their hair vibrant and healthy:

1. Wash Less Frequently

Frequent washing can strip the hair of natural oils and cause color to fade faster. Recommend that your customers wash their hair less frequently, especially during the first few weeks after coloring.

Tip: Suggest using a dry shampoo to freshen up between washes.

2. Avoid Hot Water

Hot water can cause hair color to fade more quickly, as it opens the hair cuticle and allows color to escape. Encourage your customers to wash their hair with cool or lukewarm water to keep their color intact.

Tip: Recommend a cool water rinse at the end of their shower to seal the cuticle and lock in moisture.

3. Deep Condition Regularly

As color-treated hair is more vulnerable to dryness, regular deep conditioning treatments are crucial for maintaining moisture and strength. You can create a package that includes deep conditioners and leave-in products, making it easier for your customers to get everything they need in one purchase.

Tip: Suggest that they use a deep conditioning treatment once a week to repair hair from the inside out.

4. Protect Hair from Heat Damage

Color-treated hair is more prone to heat damage, which can cause the color to fade prematurely. Recommend using heat protectants before blow-drying or styling with hot tools like straighteners or curling irons.

Tip: Suggest ceramic or tourmaline styling tools, which distribute heat more evenly and cause less damage.

5. Hydrate from the Inside Out

Healthy, vibrant color starts with healthy hair. Encourage your customers to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and taking hair vitamins that support hair growth and health from the inside.


OTC Beauty Magazine offers useful business tips and effective selling tools to boost revenue and customer traffic for OTC retailers. The magazine also provides invaluable product knowledge, industry news and insights for retail store owners, manufacturers, distributors and professionals in the barber and beauty supply industry. Contact us: editor@otcbeautymagazine.com

Read the latest issue of
OTC Beauty Magazine

March 2025

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