SO PIGMENTED! How To Keep Your Colored Hair From Fading
Coloring your hair the right way (at a salon!) isn't cheap, since it's actually done with ingredients that work with your hair to give you the best and most vibrant color possible. Your stylist didn't go through years of cosmetology school for you to pick up a box dye from your local drugstore to destroy your hair. Between washing and styling your hair, this daily hair care routine can make that color wash out of your hair really quick. Don't you hate when you get the PERFECT color that you've dreamed of at the salon just for it to fade into a muddy version of your old hair color after a few washes?
I'm here today to give you the tips to help you make your expensive color last much, much longer.
First let's take a look at the different types of hair colors.
Temporary Color: Usually washes out after one wash and is usually sold in the form of a chalk or a spray. Not for someone who wants a change that'll last.
Semi-Permanent Color: Lasts an average of 8 to 10 shampoos. These are usually the colors like purple, blue, green, usually the lighter more "fashion-like" shades.
Demi-Permanent Color: Lasts an average of 12 to 26 washes. This is the best type of hair color if you would like to go darker with your hair. This type of color sometimes (depending on the color) contains low amount of peroxide that can lighten your hair slightly.
Permanent Color: Usually lasts up to six weeks at which point the individual will usually get a root touch up. If you don't get a balayage and you just get a straight color different from your roots there will be a line of "demarcation" or a line between where the colored hair is and where your natural hair grew in.
Now, let's look at some tips to increase the length of your hair color, and keep it much more vibrant much longer.
1. Invest In Your Hair Products: We know, you probably spent hundreds of dollars on your in-salon hair coloring, but in order to keep your perfect color in your hair, you need to invest in products that will help keep your hair colored, longer. Don't cheap out on your styling and shampoo products, pay a little extra for products that are designed for color treated hair. Make sure these products are free of any sulfates and parabens, and especially free of sodium chloride. Make sure that you are NEVER EVER EVER USING A CLARIFYING SHAMPOO ON YOUR COLORED HAIR. Clarifying shampoos will literally strip the color out of your hair immediately. We have a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for color-treated hair. Check it out here.
2. Try Co-Washing: If you're someone that feels like you need to shampoo every day, then you might want to look into "Conditioner Washing". Shampooing your hair every day is the quickest possible way to lose the color out of your hair. This process is the process of washing your hair with just conditioner instead of shampoo. Conditioners gently cleanse and nourish your hair and scalp giving you a nice clean but also preserving your vibrant color. Wash with our Argania Conditioner!
3. Avoid Hot Showers: Although showering in hot water may be "relaxing" and you may do it all the time, it isn't good for color treated hair. The temperature of the water opens up your hair cuticle releasing the color as you wash. Make sure to wash with room temperature water and when you condition, rinse with the coldest water that you can handle to help seal your hair cuticles to lock in the color. Also make sure not to wash your hair for as long as you can after you get it colored. The longer you wait, the longer the color will last.
4. Don't Overuse Hot Styling Tools: For the first week after you get your hair color, you shouldn't even think of styling it with hot styling tools. The reason why is because the use of hot styling tools has been shown to speed up the process of color fading. Similar to a hot shower, the heat opens up the cuticle and releases the color out. If you must use hot styling tools, make sure to use a good heat protectant.
5. Protection From The Elements: Coloring your hair, especially in the summer, is a little bit of a task. The rays of the sun and chlorine from the pool can be very damaging to your hair and can cause your color to fade a lot quicker. Before going into the pool, rinse your hair and apply a leave-in conditioner to protect it from absorbing chlorinated water. Before going into the sun or in the water, apply a hair protector that contains an SPF to protect your color from fading.
6. Pick A Filter: Not an Instagram filter silly, a filter for your shower faucet. Depending on where you live, you may have hard water or soft water. Hard water has a lot of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium which can be damaging to your hair while soft water does not. Adding a filter to your shower faucet helps remove these harsh minerals from your water keeping your hair healthy and your color vibrant.
7. Clarifying Shampoo Before Color: Two days before you're getting your hair colored, use a clarifying shampoo to remove styling product buildup and other buildup that may be in your hair. Having a clarified scalp and hair will make it easier for the color to seep into your hair follicles.
8. Hair Masks: Use a hair mask at least once weekly. With colored hair it is very important to keep your hair moisturized and nourished. If your hair is nourished, it wont open up the cuticles to let the color out. Apply the hair mask and leave it in your hair under a shower cap for about an hour. The most moisturized your hair is the better it holds color. Use our Moisture Recovery Masque for nourished hair!
9. Apply a Top Coat: When your nails are painted, and you add a top coat does that help the manicure last longer? Yes, it does! The same thing goes for your hair. To maintain color and boost the shine of your hair between color sessions, get a glossing treatment at the salon. It adds a shiny coat and locks the color in.
10. Ditch The Box: Never EVER reach for a drugstore root touch up kit. The pigments in the box dye aren't tailored to work with your existing color and can completely ruin your coloring making it that much harder for your stylist to fix. Leave the coloring to the professionals, you'll save a lot of time that way.
11. Get a Treatment: Getting a Keratin Treatment after you color your hair can actually lengthen the life of your color and keep it looking better, longer! The reason why is because the treatment helps to seal the cuticle making your color appear more vibrant and shiny. If you don't want to go all the way with a Keratin Treatment our Extreme Blowout Spray helps lock in color and reduce frizz for up to 30 days. Learn about all of our Professional Treatments here.
12. Hand Painted Balayage: To not have to worry about the line between your natural hair color and your new color ask for hand-painted highlights. This type of coloring helps the color grow out seamlessly and helps you to increase the time between coloring appointments.
Follow these steps and you may be able to wait much longer before your color fades. The more care you give your colored hair the longer it will last. And like I said earlier, never use a box dye, go to the professionals.
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