Hair Colour Care Hub

Every article + ranking + guide.

What coloured hair actually needs

Colour is an investment that starts fading the day you leave the salon. Heat styling, UV exposure and harsh washing all pull pigment, and Australian summers are not gentle on any of it. The guides in this hub cover the three jobs of colour care: keeping tone true, keeping the hair itself strong, and knowing when to reset with a proper clarifying wash.

Two product types do most of the work. Bond-building treatments address the internal structure that colouring chemically stresses, while masks handle surface condition. In our hair mask ranking, Olaplex's No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask leads on a GLOW score of 9.1 at $49, with Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector on 9.0 at $45 and Kérastase's Resistance Masque Extentioniste also ranked. For blondes fighting brassiness, our purple shampoo guide covers toning options including Fanola No Yellow and Bondi Boost Blonde Toning. And if you are weighing the big-name treatments against each other, we have direct comparisons of Olaplex vs K18 and Moroccanoil vs Olaplex.

• Make a gentle, sulphate-free shampoo your default and keep clarifying washes occasional. Deep cleansing is a reset, not a routine.
• Purple shampoo is a toner, not a treatment. Once or twice a week on blonde or balayage is usually enough, and overuse can leave a dull cast.
• Bond builders and moisture masks do different jobs. Chemically treated hair usually needs both, used on different wash days.
• UV fades colour. A hat or a UV-protectant spray earns its keep in an Australian summer.
• Hot water is harsher on colour. Wash cooler when you can bear it.

Start with the best hair mask ranking, or go straight to best purple shampoo if brassiness is the problem you are solving.