How Often You Can Color Your Hair

Different hair colors
Photo: Litts/Shutterstock
Q: How often can I color my hair before I destroy it? I color about every six months. Is that good or bad? Is coloring good for oily hair?
 
A: Coloring the hair every six months is not excessive by most standards. How often you can and should color your hair depends on what type of hair coloring you use. If you use permanent hair color that has lifting action, you can find that the color can cause some damage, particularly with repeated use.
 
However, with deposit only color, which is less harsh, you may find no problems evident, since the hair color is only added to the color already present as opposed to having existing color dispersed and replaced by the color in the mixture.
 
What you need to do is pay attention to your hair's condition. If you see signs of damage, after coloring the hair, then you need to be sure to condition it thoroughly and evaluate the need for coloring before further color processing is performed.
 
We have a number of articles on coloring the hair here on Hairfinder. These will help you know more about the proper ways to color your hair and maintain the color with retouch service.
 
As for having oily hair, hair color services will have little or no effect. Oily hair is a result of having an over production of oil on the scalp. Since the color affects only the shaft of the hair, it won't slow down oil production at all. If, however, the color process has lifting action, it can make the hair more porous, which can mean that the hair will absorb more oil than it normally would, and leave the hair looking less oily.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
Signs of hair damage
 
Solutions for oily hair
 
How many times can you bleach your hair in a year?
 
How long do highlights last and how often do you need to touch them up?