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10 Handy Tips to Keep Hair Colour From Fading
Hollie Shirley / Hair & Skincare Editor One of the most difficult aspects of dying your hair is the maintenance and
Whether you get your colour from a box or from the salon, one of the most annoying aspects of dying your hair is the maintenance and upkeep, and keeping your colour treated hair looking glossy and vibrant.
Hair colour can make your hair more porous over time which causes it to absorb and release more water easily. This can cause your colour to fade quicker with every wash. Below are some of our favourite tips on how to extend the life of your fresh colour.
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Don’t wash your hair so much
Seriously, this will save your hair colour, as well as doing your hair some good. Depending on the colour you have, washing your hair will just remove your colour. After a colour job, wait at least 3-5 days before shampooing again, as your hair will be at its most fragile and porous in the first 72 hours after colouring.
Dry shampoo between wash days
On the in-between days, dry shampoo will be your best friend. Spray some on in the morning to soak up any excess oils. These days you can get colour specific dry shampoos that will add a hint of a tint to the roots too which will extend the time between touch-ups, but use sparingly and only if you really need it!
Invest in a gloss treatment for your hair colour
An at-home hair gloss is an essential part of my redhead upkeep. Around 4 weeks after a new colour, use a gloss treatment to liven up any dullness and avoid it getting too washed out.
Turn down the heat
When you wash your hair, stick to lukewarm or cooler water temperatures. Super-hot water leeches dye out of hair faster and strips out the colour because it opens the surface of the hair strand, which causes the dye molecules to escape.
Use a colour treated specific shampoo and conditioner
It sounds simple, but it is so effective. Using a colour protecting shampoo and conditioner will help maintain healthy hair and extend your colour. Go for a salon quality range which also offers ranges for blondes, brunettes and redheads.
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Avoid sulfates in your shampoo
Sulfates can strip colour from hair, so look for a sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates contain salt, which strips away moisture, and moisture loss is one of the main causes of colour fading.
Don’t overdo your top up colours
There is such a thing as too much. Overdoing it on the hair colour will leave you with very brittle, over processed hair. Try to leave as much time as possible between colours, a minimum of 6 weeks. As well as colour, don’t double process your hair, such as perming or relaxing at the same time. Try and leave a few weeks between each.
Don’t skip your trim
If your dyed locks are frizzy, unruly and not sitting right, your hair may be damaged. The best way to keep your colour-treated hair looking its healthiest is to get regular cuts or trims. You don’t have to get a super short cut; just enough to keep frayed ends at bay, you can dust the ends off at home with a good pair of hairdressing scissors, just take off the very tiniest ends every 4-6 weeks.
Use a hot oil treatment
Hot oil treatments aren’t just for your grandma, they really do work to revive your hair and scalp. After shampooing, warm up your hot oil treatment and apply all through the lengths of your hair and massage into your scalp to stimulate blood flow. Rise, and follow with your conditioner. Most hot oils help treat damage from colouring, heat styling and overprocessing. Plus, they help restore lustre and minimize the appearance of straggly ends.
Use fewer hot tools
As with water temperature, using hot tools can cause your colour to fade into brassy dull tones. Your coloured hair is more susceptible to damage, so avoid using blow dryers, curling irons or straightening irons as much as possible. Whenever you can, let your colour-treated hair dry naturally. If you are going to use heat, apply a heat-protecting styling product. If you must blow dry your coloured hair, keep it on the lowest heat setting. If your blow dryer has a cool blast setting, use that instead.
