One of the fun things in life is to dye or colour your hair. Sure, you love what nature gave you – and whatever your Mum and Dad’s genes put on top of your head is absolutely beautiful (because it’s YOU). But YOLO! (you only live once). You need a change. You may have some greys. Or you just want a colourful adventure. No matter the reason, any day is a great day to colour your hair. But let’s face it: you don’t want to be dying your hair every single day either. So make a bold and wise choice, and then learn how to make your hair colour last longer.
How long does hair colour last? It depends how determined you are! Here’s how to make hair colour last for as long as absolutely possible:
1. Turn down the temp
If your dear old Mum taught you that showers or baths that are too hot will dry out your skin, then trust us: boiling hot water definitely isn’t the answer to how to make hair dye last longer.
Actually, the right temperature for rubbing in that shampoo is room temperature – and you should make it even cooler for the conditioner! Without getting too technical, the heat opens up the cuticles, which lets out not only the moisture but that all-important colour.
2. Go cold for rinsing
And once you’ve gone warm for washing, turn hot off all the way for the ideal rinse. Ok, it might not be overly pleasant in the winter, but cold water will seal the cuticle shut – and in turn lock in the colour. Then, use a towel to dry it. It’s a simple answer to how to keep hair colour from washing out prematurely.
3. Swim smart
You may have coloured your hair so you look great on the beach and at the pool, but sun and chlorine aren’t best friends to long-lasting hair colour. So embrace a new best friend instead – in the form of a hair protector with built-in SPF protection. Distribute a generous amount of the Solar Sealing Cream onto the hair before and during sun bathing. Re-apply regularly after swimming. Can be used as a leave-in styling cream to tame unruly and frizzy hair. When it comes to considering how to keep hair colour from fading with exposure to the elements, it’s simple and very effective.
4. Put away the blow dryer
As we said in #2, use a normal towel to dry your coloured hair – especially in the first week or so after getting it done. And keeping that blows drier in the bathroom cupboard too will also make hair dye last longer.
Those hair tools that use heat – including straighteners – will only speed up the hair fading process. Ok, you may love your hair appliances, but hold out as long as you can. If you can’t resist, think about using a thermal protectant.
5. Wash your hair … later and use colour safe products
How to keep colour in hair? Use colour safe professional hair care recommended by your stylist for your particular hair type. Another way that may be a little hard for you to implement is to stay away from the shampoo altogether for as long as you can. Definitely hold out for a day or two at least, until that colour is really locked into the hair. And once you do give in, try to use a gentle shampoo, like the colour safe products in our online store.
6. Use a shower filter
I bet you didn’t know that ‘hard’ water really is hard?! And I bet you didn’t realise that an answer to how to preserve hair colour is to make it ‘soft’?
It may all be H2O, but when it comes straight out of your tap, water is actually full of all sorts of chemicals and minerals, including chlorine (which really isn’t good for your hair colour and why our salon basins are fitted with purifying eco-heads). Hard water strips away your hair’s natural oils AND that expensive hair dye, so think about getting a shower filter installed.
7. Prepare your hair – what condition is your hair in now?
How do you prepare for your hair to be dyed? Save up for a week or two? How about investing some time to talk to your stylist about the current condition of your hair and being really open to hear their professional opinion?
If you’ve been blonde or had highlights, for instance, your hair might be really porous – understanding the porosity of your hair is the first step in making hair colour last longer. Hair porosity refers to your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture (and ultimately colour). If your hair is porous it is highly likely that some colours will not hold in your hair. Even if you’ve never had colour before, curly hair, for instance, can be highly porous.
What to do?
Definitely check in with your stylist on the best course of treatment to prepare for your desired hair colour. There are some really great in-salon treatments like keratin smoothing treatments or molecular hair re-filling that can work wonders in the lead up to your hair colour appointment.
8. Avoid deep conditioning treatments or hair masks for the first 72 hours after colour
We know we told you to use a deep conditioner to prepare for your hair colour. But you should avoid hair masks for about 72 hours AFTER your hair colour service has been completed because technology is so effective, the moisturising molecules that will penetrate deep into the hair cuticle will literally PUSH the colour molecules out. So some of those beautiful rose gold and ash blonde colour molecules will literally forced out and say bye-bye once you rinse the mask out.
Think we’ve missed a trick for how to keep colour in your hair? We’d love to hear your own tips for how to make hair colouring masterpieces last longer, so don’t be shy and pop into the comments below.
Ready to look and feel fab with a fab new hair colour? Lily Jackson Hair & Makeup are one of the best hair colourists in Sydney – because great highlights, foils, tints, semi-permanent colours, and balayage are not just skilled hairdressing, it’s an absolute art form requiring the best quality products. Get in touch today!
Image Source: https://stylecaster.com/beauty/emma-stone-haircut/
4. Not all toners are created equal
Asian Hair is unique and with the right hairdresser it can hold amazing shape! The biggest misconception about Asian hair is that you need an Asian hairdresser, however you just need a great hairdresser. About 35% of our clients have Asian hair.