Lasting Hair Colour

When you’ve made the decision to colour your hair, there are some steps that you can take to help your colour last as long as possible. We’ve made up a list with some easy to follow rules to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.

Health:

Making sure your hair is in the best health possible is what will make your hair colour last the longest. When your hair is unhealthy, the cuticle will be open and broken in places which will allow the colour to fade faster. Make sure you use a proper deep conditioning treatment for at home use, and visit the salon to have routine, more intensive deep conditioning treatments.

Washing:

When washing your colour treated hair, the most important thing is to make sure you have the right shampoo.

-If you’re out in the sun a lot, making sure your shampoo has UVA and UVB filters is important. (ex. Redken Colour Extend)

-If you wash your hair often, something with coconut oil in it will help to create a water barrier.

-If you have brighter colours (ex. Red) in your hair, a shampoo specifically designed to help retain the colour ions is your best bet. (ex. Redken Colour Extend Magnetics)

- If your hair is damaged, using a shampoo that has protein in it will help to strengthen your cuticle and retain more of the colour molecules (Ex. Redken Extreme)

-If you are a swimmer or are on well water, making sure you use a cleansing or chelating shampoo will strip off the chemical or mineral deposits and keep your colour fresh (ex. Redken Clean Maniac)

Ideally, you want to be washing your hair every three to four days, anything more than that will fade your colour quicker.

Using conditioner is always best as it helps to close your cuticle.

Also making sure that your shampoo and conditioner is pH balanced is essential. Ideally you want the pH to be between 4.5-5.5 as that is the natural pH in your hair.

Even though everyone loves a hot shower, it’s not the best option for your hair. Rinsing your hair in cooler water will stop your cuticle from opening. So even if you want to have a hot shower, make sure that you give your hair a quick rinse with cool water.

Hot Tools

Using hot tools without heat protection is the quickest way to fade your colour and damage your hair. Your hot tools work at close to the same temperature as what you cook a turkey at, and you would never stick your hand in the over without mitts, so it’s the same idea with your hair.

-If blow drying, you have a few options as to what product to use. If you have fine hair, then a light blow dry spray would be ideal (ex. Redken Pillow Proof Primer)

For thicker hair, you can use a blow dry cream which will also help tame your hair (ex. Redken Pillow Proof Primer Cream)

You can also find various products that have extra goodies to help repair your hair at the same time.

-When using a flat iron or curling iron, make sure you have a heat product that is designed for the tool you will be using. Again, you can find products that are designed for your hair type.

For example, If you have fine hair that needs extra help holding the curl, try using a product that has some hold in it (ex. Redken Hot Sets 22)

When using a gel or cream product, always focus it on the mids and ends first. When using a spray, make sure to hold it 15 inches or so away from your scalp, and don’t soak the hair, just lightly mist it and brush the product through so it distributes more evenly.

Always remember, don’t ever put heat on your hair without having some protection on it first.

For the best results, get your stylist to give you a personalized plan, based on your hair condition and type, on how to best retain your colour.

Remember, all colour does fade over time, but by following a few steps, you can put it off for as long as possible.