Coloring Your Hair After a Hair Transplant
Hair transplants can do amazing things for your confidence and self-esteem. You’ve got back the full head of hair that you’ve wanted for so long, and life is looking bright again. And that confidence shows in your overall attitude and that certain spring in your step.
Of course, as your hair grows back in, if you are of a certain age (and who isn’t?), your natural hair continues to gray, even your newly transplanted hair. After all, it is your own hair, and you’ll have it for the rest of your life. Having a hair transplant procedure makes you feel younger again. Gray hair makes you feel older than you really are. Naturally, you want to color your hair. Can you?
While your hair transplant doctor and his surgical team may have gone over post-operative hair transplant care with you in some detail, you may have forgotten to ask the question that now faces you in the mirror: “Can I color my hair after my hair transplant surgery?”
Hair Coloring Products
In all likelihood, if you’ve been coloring your hair on a regular basis, you probably colored it a week or two before your hair transplant surgery. This means you have some weeks to go before you will want to color your hair again before the gray becomes more noticeable.
With respect to coloring your hair before you have your hair transplant procedure, it is a good idea to not color your hair more than 10 days before your scheduled surgery date. Hair color not only colors your hair, but it also colors your scalp, which makes it more difficult to determine where your hair transplant incisions should be placed.
Remember also that hair color contains some relatively harsh chemicals, including bleaching agents, peroxides, and other such chemicals. There is also the matter of thoroughly rinsing out your hair color and what that will do to newly transplanted hair. Newly transplanted hair follicles are far more fragile than your regular hair, and it is important to pamper them as long as possible to minimize the risk of losing them or causing them not to root and grow properly.
It is much better to err on the side of caution, particularly after you’ve invested so much – both emotionally and financially – in your newly transplanted hair follicles. Be kind to your new hair and protect it from harsh chemicals as long as you can so you can ensure a truly successful hair transplant surgery outcome whether it be a traditional FUE hair transplant procedure or the relatively new no-shave FUE hair transplant method.
So, When Can I Color My Hair Again?
Most hair transplant doctors recommend that you want at least four to five weeks after your hair transplant surgery before trying to color your hair again. It is important to allow time for your scalp to completely recover and heal after surgery. The length of time needed for complete healing varies from one patient to another, therefore it is important to consult with your hair transplant doctor and get his “okay” before coloring your hair, to avoid damaging your newly transplanted hair follicles.
If you can wait six to eight weeks to color your hair, that’s even better. In the grand scheme of things, six weeks is a small price to pay for a great looking head of hair.
If you usually color your hair at home, you might want to think about having it done by your favorite hair stylist the first time you have it done after your transplant. A skilled hair colorist can choose a coloring product that is well-suited to your hair. But if you do want to color your hair at home, make sure to spend the extra time to do the very important color patch test, being sure to wait the appropriate amount of time, before you color the rest of your hair.
Talk to a Hair Transplant Specialist
The Moore Hair Transplant Clinic in St. Louis, Missouri offers the latest in hair transplant solutions including advanced NeoGraft FUE Hair Transplant technology, as well as our exclusive PRF hair loss treatment programs for men and women.
To learn more about our custom hair restoration solutions and to explore the many advanced hair loss treatment and hair transplant options available to you, we invite you to speak with an experienced Moore Hair Transplant Clinic hair restoration specialist today. Our goal is to help you find the perfect hair restoration solution to meet your own individual needs and make a well-informed decision about your hair restoration options.
