Hair Dye Staining Pillow Case

Sleeping with freshly colored hair
Photo: Bigstock
Q: I’m getting my hair colored for the very first time soon. Is there any risk of hair dye staining my pillow case while I’m sleeping?
 
A: Congratulations on taking the plunge and adding a bit of color and fun to your hairstyle!
 
Remember that hair color is basically artificial pigments that you’re adding to your hair. Anything artificial carries the risk of depositing in small amounts on towels, clothes and pillow cases. This is especially the case if you’re going to color your own hair with store-bought hair color, but even professional hair color tends to deposit in small quantities in the few days after it has been applied.
 
Dark colors such as red, black and dark brown are usually the culprits. If you spray some liquid hairspray on hair tint immediately after it has come into contact with a garment/material, it’s likely to wash out without leaving a stain.
 
Highlighted hair very seldom stains clothes, except if some of the bleach (highlighting) or toner gets onto your clothes, or if it hasn’t been rinsed properly after being applied. Bleach or toner will bleach material, thus leaving white, orangey or “faded” spots. There’s, unfortunately, nothing that you can do to get these bleached spots out of garments.
 
Basically try to avoid going to bed with wet hair for a week after your hair has been colored. This is the time where excess tint usually still has to be washed off.
 
You can also elect to buy a shampoo and conditioner especially formulated to seal the hair’s cuticles, and in effect prolonging the lifespan of the color/dye. Remember that artificial color does wash out over time, which is why it is best to buy after-care products formulated for “colored hair”.
 
I usually advise clients to use an old towel and pillow slip in the week after their hair has been colored to minimize the risk of damage to expensive garments.
 
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See also:
 
How to color hair
 
Remove hair color from your skin
 
How to make hair color last longer
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