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Fight the fade: How to make your hair colour last longer

Fight the fade: How to make your hair colour last longer

Spent a fortune in the salon getting your hair colour just right? Or finally landed on a box dye that makes your hair look rich and dimensional?

It’s worth putting in some effort to keep it that way. Here are some tips for maintaining your hair colour until the next touch up. 

Wait to wash initially
Ideally you should avoid shampooing your hair immediately after having hair coloured. Instead, wait at least a couple of days to allow the cuticle layer to close and seal your new colour in. If you’re used a box colour, rinse then use the conditioning product supplied, then wait a couple of days before washing again. 

Minimise your time in the sun
Just like skin, hair isn’t immune to sun damage and though the way the rays really make your highlights pop can be appealing, UV light can damage your hair’s proteins and degrade its pigment, leading to dryness, dullness and discoloration. When you have to be out for a long period of time, twist locks into a bun and cover up with a hat.

 Make friends with dry shampoo
Once you do shampoo, don’t be afraid to stretch out the time between washes, it’s been found to make your hair colour last longer. Showers open up the hair cuticle to penetration from water increasing the risk of colour fade. Over-washing also strips away natural hair oils essential for keeping your locks hydrated. Avoid washing your hair daily and aim for 2-3 washes a week instead to help maintain colour. Add a dry shampoo to your haircare regime on off days to combat grease – now you can even get tinted dry shampoo formulas to refresh your colour while banishing the appearance of oil.

Use a good quality shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair
Always use a colour friendly shampoo and condition with ingredients designed to protect and nourish colour-treated hair. If you hair has been lightened it will be even more delicate, so ensure you use bond-strengthening products that care for your blonde or lightened locks.

Use leave-in treatments
One of the most effective ways to maintain your colour is to ensure strands remain healthy and hydtated, so choose a deep conditioning leave-in treatment and use it once a week or so. Chemically treated hair needs all the hydration and protection it can get and the best way to achieve that is through a restorative leave-in mask. 

Avoid chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical bleaching agent literally formulated to clean pools and kill bacteria so you can only imagine the damage it can do to coloured hair. Blondes will be familiar with the dreaded green tinge after a dip while brunettes are prone to dullness after exposure to chlorine. You have two options: wear a swimming cap, avoid swimming all together or use a protective serum in strands before taking a dip. 

Try a colour depositing shampoo
Shampoos formulated with toning ingredients will counteract unwanted tones that can begin to develop and fight fading, returning your colour to a richer hue. Purple toning shampoos are essential for maintaining the integrity of blonde and banishing brassiness. Just be careful to apply as per the instructions and not leave on for too long. 

Use styling products with heat protectant
Excess heat from blow dryers and hot tools can hasten fading. Look for styling products with heat-protective propertives and use before styling 

Go for gloss
Shiny hair catches and reflects the light and looks luminous and healthy. You can help your colour look more radiant by using a serum that focuses on adding shine, seals split ends and and keeps strands well hydrated. 

Touch up your roots
If hair is in good condition, one of the first places that’s a dead giveaway it’s been a while between salon visits is your regrowth. Thankfully there are plenty of temporary touch-up products that quickly minimise visible roots so your hair looks great until you’re ready to see your colourist again. 

 

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