Let's be real: even the most dedicated color enthusiasts make mistakes. But whether you're a seasoned haircare expert or just starting your maintenance journey, small habits can quietly sabotage your goals without you even realizing it.
From the shower to the mirror to your bedtime routine, small missteps can lead to big consequences, in the form of breakage, dryness, and premature color fade. But there’s good news: Most of these mistakes have simple, speedy solutions.
With a few strategic tweaks to your routine, you can transform your hair's health, vibrancy, and manageability, all while keeping your shade between salon sessions. Here are 10 common hair mistakes, with 10 ways to level up your haircare game instead.
10 Common Haircare Mistakes, and What To Do Instead
Ignoring Ingredient Labels
When you're shopping for hair formulas, it's all too easy to grab whatever catches your eye on the shelf. But there’s a catch: even the prettiest, trendiest labels can contain ingredients that zap away your hair color. Even worse, the term ‘colorsafe’ doesn’t always mean that the formula truly preserves your color!
From cleansers to stylers, the top ingredients to avoid are sulfates, added salts, and harsh alcohols. And at Colorproof, we’re even pickier, formulating without phthalates, PABA, gluten, and mineral oils.
In their place, everything we make incorporates our exclusive Advanced Color Last System™, a proprietary blend of powerful proteins and potent antioxidants that repairs, preserves, and protects against fading and environmental factors.
In 2026, taking a moment to scan the ingredients ensures every product advances your hair goals.
Showering Without Brushing First
The easiest way to bring on tangles and breakage? Hopping straight into the shower without brushing. Because hair strands swell when they get wet, it’s harder to detangle knots during and after your shower.
For a smoother, safer shower experience, take a few moments before hopping in to gently brush from root to end. While you’re at it, apply some Pre-Tox Spray along the roots about three minutes before showering. This handy pre-shampoo treatment gently extracts color-dulling residue for deeper, fresher cleansing.
Shampooing Your Ends
Your scalp naturally produces oil that needs occasional shampooing. But your ends? They’re the oldest, driest part of your hair. Without natural oil from your skin, they definitely don’t need aggressive scrubbing.
Instead of stripping away moisture from this delicate part of your hair, lather your shampoo on your scalp first, only letting the suds gently rinse through your lengths. Your ends will thank you with less breakage and smoother texture!
Need more support on the hydration front? Turn to Moisture Shampoo and Moisture Conditioner for a lightweight infusion of moisture, vitality, and healthy shine.
Shampooing Under Warm or Hot Water
Steamy showers have their place, but hot water isn’t doing your hair any favors. In fact, high temperatures can cause dryness and color fading by splitting open the cuticle—but cooler water, on the other hand, seals the cuticle for smoother, shinier results.
While you don't need ice-cold water, dialing down the temperature during your rinse (especially while shampooing) makes a noticeable difference in your hair's overall health and vibrancy!
Pro-tip: Cuticle Closer is another easy way to seal your hair’s surface, leaving it incredibly smooth and shiny.
Applying Conditioner Before a Mask
Any chance your wash day order is shampoo first, conditioner second, hair mask third? If so, we’ve got a problem!
Masks are designed to deliver intensive treatment to freshly shampooed hair, so they need direct access to your strands. And applying conditioner before a hair mask actually blocks the mask's nourishing ingredients from penetrating deeply.
So, next time you’re using Instant Reboot Treatment Masque, use it right after shampoo, followed by conditioner.
Heating Styling Without a Thermal Protectant
It’s simple: Heat protectants create a barrier between your strands and heat tools, shielding hair from damage while helping you achieve beautiful results. Think of it as sunscreen for your hair—an essential step you shouldn't skip!
From Lift It® Mousse to Plush Locks Leave-In Smooth® to Essential Leave-In, let 2026 be the year you finally banish heat damage once and for all, aided by styling formulas that block high heat throughout your routine.
Applying Styling Products Without Emulsifying Them
The easiest mistake to fix on this list might surprise you. Instead of applying products directly from the bottle to your hands to your hair, emulsify them in your palms. In other words, mix and warm up a formula by rubbing it in your hands, then apply it as normal. And if it’s a spritz bottle, give it a good shake before spraying.
This quick step mixes the ingredients more evenly and ensures every strand gets equal coverage.
Sleeping With Hair Down or in a Top Knot
Two hairstyles are tied for the riskiest to wear to bed: down and in a high bun.
On the one hand, tossing and turning with your hair loose and down creates friction against your pillowcase, leading to tangles, breakage, and frizz by morning. On the other hand, the tension and tight placement of a high bun can cause breakage and damage as well.
Instead, use a defensive hairstyle to prevent nighttime breakage, like a loose braid or a low, loose bun. For an extra layer of overnight protection and hydration, apply a few Smooth Drops before bed, too.
Sleeping With Wet Hair
Wet hair is its weakest state, which means that crawling into bed with damp strands can attract unnecessary damage (and lead to an uncomfortable, chilly night!). Taking time to fully air-dry or gently blow-dry before bed protects both your hair's integrity and supports easier morning styling.
Exposing Colored Hair to Direct Sunlight
Your skin isn’t the only thing vulnerable to UV damage. Colored hair is susceptible to sun-induced damage, too! Fading, brassiness, and a dull appearance are all signs that your hair needs proper sun protection.
The easiest way to kiss UV damage goodbye and maintain that salon-fresh shade? Covering your hair directly with a hat, bandana, hood, pashmina, or umbrella.
For help restoring hair that’s already suffered some sun or heat damage, the Baobab Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner Duo will rejuvenate suffering strands with each wash.
How are you elevating your color-safe routine in 2026? We love hearing about your Colorproof journeys, so keep us in the loop with a tag on Instagram and TikTok (@colorproohair) using the hashtag #ColorproofHair.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Xx,
Colorproof
