Getting a vibrant hair color is exciting! Seeing it fade away quickly, however, is not. In terms of annoying beauty issues, seeing your hair dye job loosening its charm probably ranks quite high on the scale – especially if it’s earlier than you intended. Thankfully, there are a few tweaks that can prevent your vibrant hair color of your dreams and keep them looking salon-fresh. Scroll for 8 essential tips.
#1 Keep Your Hair Healthy
We can’t stress this enough…being diligent with your hair care routine is the secret behind strong, thriving tresses. Healthy hair tends to hold color for a much longer time than dry, damaged hair. Care for it well using hydrating, nutritious masks and conditioners (you can find a bunch of great DIY options on ThoseGraces.com). Pick a shampoo that’s gentle and massage your hair with a blend of nourishing oils once a week. Also, just like your skin, the hair receives nutrients from inside your body. So what you eat is just as important as what you put onto your hair. We highly recommend maintaining your daily dose of B, D, and E vitamins to support a healthy mane.
#2 Wait Before Washing
The hair cuticle is opened when hair is colored so the shades penetrate well into the hair shaft for a vivid, rich after-result. If you wash your hair too soon, there are chances that your cuticle layer is still open and then your investment will wash off right into the drain. It’s advised to wait for at least 72 hours before washing your hair after the appointment. The hair shaft soaks the pigment within this time, the hair cuticle closes – which will help your color last longer between salon visits.
#3 Get A Shower Filter
Vibrant hair color is more prone to fading than your normal balayage. While the latter might have stood the mineral buildup and hard water in the piping system, intense, bold hair color will not. Before taking a salon appointment, we’d advise you to order and install a shower filter first at your home. This will prevent your hair color from diminishing faster than it would otherwise.
#4 Protect Your Hair From Heat
Heat, in the form of hot showers, styling tools, or the Sun, will fade your hair color faster than expected. Warm or hot showers are amazingly relaxing, we know, but they are damaging to the dyes in your mane. High temps open up the hair cuticles and let the colors sneak out. Our advice is to use warm showers for body cleansing and cold water for your hair as cold temperatures seal the hair cuticle and the pigments.
Similarly, if you can’t live without your hairdryer, flat iron, or curling (we’re not judging!), just be sure to start with a heat protectant. And while stepping out in the Sun, toss on your favorite wide-brimmed hat. UV rays oxidize the color pigments and make them fade faster.
#5 Use Color-Protectant Shampoos & Conditioners
Not all shampoos and conditioners are made the same. There are some primarily formulated to seal the color into the hair fiber and maintain the bright hues while treating your hair well. Your hairstylist will probably recommend a strong duo after your session, or you can use your favorite one. For some extra TLC, use a moisturizing mask formulated for color-treated hair once a week.
#6 Shampoo Less
Never thought someone would recommend this? But here we are. Washing more than 2-3 times a week strips your hair of natural oils that moisturize them and keeps color molecules lodged onto your mane. Alternatively, make dry shampoos your best friend, and spray them on no-shampoo days to keep your hair and color looking fresh and healthy. If your scalp is too oily and you don’t have an option to wash your hair less, then we’d suggest using a cleansing cream over shampoo to protect your cuticles while gently cleaning your hair.
#7 Prepare Your Hair Before The Coloring Session
We often talk about things to do after a coloring session to guard your pigment, but there’s one thing that you can do before to achieve the same. Use a clarifying shampoo. This will remove any oil or grime buildup that could prevent your color from penetrating the cuticle on a deeper level.
#8 Quit Being A Water Baby
If you’re a water baby wanting to don a bold, brilliant hue, we have some bad news. Chlorine in pools can discolor your hair and salt in seawater can fade the color fast too. Still stuck on going in the water? Wear a swimmer’s cap or tie your hair in the bun so it doesn’t get wet. Another alternative is to wet your hair, apply conditioner, but don’t take it off! This creates a barrier on the hair shaft so salt/ chlorine doesn’t penetrate.
Whether you’re planning to sport a chic pastel ombre or a ravishing midnight blue palette – keeping the hair color fresh is just these few tips away. Maintaining the vivid mane does take work, but it will make your time, money, and effort all worth it.
