Booked Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP), sometimes called a hair tattoo, and already thinking about your next colour appointment? Or wondering whether you need to put the straightener and curling wand away for the next few weeks?
SMP doesn’t mean breaking up with your colourist or changing how you like to wear your hair. You will just need to be a little more careful with your scalp after each session, especially when it comes to washing, colouring and anything that puts heat or chemicals close to the treated area.
The first change you will notice is your wash routine.
How Many Days After SMP Can You Wash Your Hair?
For the first two to four days after your SMP session, keep your scalp dry. The treated skin needs time to recover, and getting it wet too soon can interfere with the healing process. If a wash is needed, it is recommended to use a gentle cleanser such as baby shampoo 16 hours after your SMP session.
From day four, you can start washing your hair gently with lukewarm water. Keep your hands light, skip the scrubbing and avoid pointing a strong shower stream directly at your scalp.
After your third session, wait until the treated area has fully recovered before returning to your usual shampoo-and-shower routine.
Hair colour, however, needs a little more patience.
Can You Dye Your Hair After SMP?
Yes, you can still dye your hair after SMP. So if your roots are showing, your greys are making an appearance, or you simply like keeping your colour fresh, you do not have to give that up.
The key is to wait long enough, at least a week after your final SMP session, until the ink pigment has settled, before applying dye directly to the scalp. Wait around four weeks, or until the treated area has fully healed, before colouring your roots.
This is because applying chemical colour too soon may interfere with the SMP pigment while the skin is still recovering. When you do book your next colour appointment, let your hairstylist know that you have had SMP so they can be mindful when applying product around the scalp.
Once everything has healed properly, you can return to your regular colour routine without treating your SMP like something that cannot be touched.
And if styling tools are part of your daily routine, they are not off-limits either.
What About Heat Styling and Other Treatments?
Your straightener, curling wand and blow-dryer can all come back once your scalp has healed.
The main thing to avoid is prolonged, direct heat on the scalp itself. Styling the lengths of your hair is fine; blasting freshly treated skin with a hot hair dryer is not.
Chemical treatments need a longer break. This means relaxers, perms and bleach applied close to the roots should follow the same four-week wait as hair dye.
Scalp products deserve a little attention too. Light, fragrance-free moisturisers can be used once the area has healed, while heavy oils, retinol and exfoliating acids are best kept away from the treated scalp during the first month.
After those first few weeks, you can resume most of your usual hair routine. The bigger question then becomes how to keep your SMP looking good over time.
Does Hair Colour or Styling Affect How Long SMP Lasts?
Regular colouring, washing and styling should not significantly shorten the life of your SMP once the scalp has recovered.
What deserves more attention is what repeatedly comes into contact with the scalp itself. Prolonged sun exposure, harsh exfoliants and spending long periods in chlorinated water can contribute more to pigment fading than a normal blow-dry or colour appointment.
SMP will naturally become lighter over time, so periodic touch-ups may be recommended when you want to refresh the colour or density of the original result.
You do not need to start treating your hair like it belongs behind glass. Keep up with your usual maintenance, protect your scalp and follow the aftercare instructions given after each SMP session.
What This Means for Your Routine
If wash day, fresh colour and a good blowout are already part of your routine, SMP does not have to change that.
You will need to make a few temporary adjustments after each appointment, but once your scalp has recovered, you can continue washing, colouring and styling your hair as usual.
If you bleach your roots, colour your hair regularly, use scalp treatments or have another service permanently booked into your beauty calendar, mention it during your SMP consultation. We can help you space out your appointments so your scalp gets the recovery time it needs without disrupting the rest of your routine.
At Monostudio, a one-stop beauty services studio in Singapore, our team can also talk you through what to expect before and after scalp micropigmentation, including how to plan it around the hair treatments you already love.
Book a consultation with Monostudio and find out how SMP can work with your current hair routine.
