Washing hair before highlights?

[minkymonkeymoo]

Hi

I'm after some quick advice please. I am having highlights and a much needed restyle on Monday (yay!)

My hair is very fine (and frizzy!) so I normally wash every day/other day but can go 3 days between washes if I am happy to pull it back. When should I last wash my hair - I presume it should be today/tomorrow and not wash it on Monday? Is it true that highlights 'take' better on non-freshly washed hair or did I just dream that?

Thanks in advance

[moragbellingham]

Yes, well that's what my hairdresser says at least when I apologise for my manky hair when I go in for highlights!
I never wash it before going in, I normally wash every day as mine is fine and straight and needs styling to give it some welly.

[minkymonkeymoo]

Thanks. I will see if I "have" to do it tomorrow else leave it

[bellavita]

When I go for my highlights doing - say it was Monday, I would wash my hair today but that is it. Hairdresser always says it is better to put them in hair that is not clean.

[southeastastra]

my old hairdresser said it was better dirtier! but i usually wash night before and no-one has complained yet!

[minkymonkeymoo]

Thanks all

[midori1999]

It depends what kind of highlights she does. If you have foils, then it won't matter one jot, if you have meche packets, they don't stick well in unclean hair and so you can get colour seepage. For that reason I prefer foils (am a hairdresser) as when I have used meche I have had to wash a few clients' hair prior to colouring it, which is a pain as it messes up appointment times.

It won't, in my experience, make any difference to the colour itself.

[minkymonkeymoo]

Hi midori1999

Interesting - thanks for the message. I think it might be meche as he called them packets (I used to have foils).

I washd my hair yesterday. Perhaps I should was it tonight, just to be sure. I don't want to be skanky or mess up their appointments!

Thanks again ...

[moragbellingham]

I asked my (new) hairdresser today.
She said to wash hair!! and said that the info about leaving your hair unwashed was due to harsher chemicals being used years ago and they would occasionally react to a less protected (i.e.stripped of sebum) scalp.

She also said fine hair was better washed pre-highlights as it was easier to see which way it lay naturally before being covered in styling products etc.

Good job you had some professional input from elsewhere - feeling slightly guilty now about earlier post!

Hope it turned out well

[minkymonkeymoo]

Thanks morag. Well, I washed it on Sunday evening and when I went in he washed it again anyway as he wanted to cut it first. If I had left it from Saturday I would have been feeling guilty that it was because my hair was too dirty!

Anyway, had loads chopped off and absolutely love it. I feel so happy I have found a hairdresser I am happy with again

[TracyK]

I usually wash mine as normal (wash it every day) - but more so she can see the actual colour of my old colouring thats left - and can guage new colour - if changing iykwim. Unless I have a 9am apptm - then I don't bother.