There is nothing like the feeling of a fresh color and cut right out of the salon! Your color is looking bright and vibrant… then a few weeks later you may notice it’s not quite the same. But what happened? This isn’t a product or application issue, so let’s talk about hair care to keep your color poppin’!
There are several reasons why hair color fades or changes over time. Some of the reasons are easy fixes, some require changes in routine, but for each of them, we can help! We spoke with our colorists, Jeannie, Krystal, and Sarah to get the best tips, so let’s explore these together so that you don’t have to watch the color fade.
1 – Water
Did you know that 85% of the homes in the USA have hard water? Let’s take that a step further – did you know how hard water affects your hair? Hard water leaves metals and minerals in your hair; it creates a buildup that can (and will!) dull hair color as well as give your strands a funky texture. Metals and chemicals like chlorine can also make your hair orange or even green! However, there is hope!
You might be stuck with your water at home, but you don’t have to live with it. We recommend using a filtered showerhead in your bathroom to filter out the harsh metals and minerals so that the buildup doesn’t accumulate as fast. You can find filters on Amazon or even just type “Filtered Showerhead” into any search engine and I’m sure you’ll find some great options!
Another option that is super helpful, even with the filter, is making sure you detox your hair occasionally. We offer two different metals and minerals treatments – PreArt and Metal Detox. Your artist will choose the right treatment for you, then you can relax while you clarify your hair and remove that nasty buildup. The treatments can and should be done on the same day as your color service so your artist has a beautiful clean canvas, ensuring the color turns out perfectly and is protected so it STAYS as well. There are also take home options that work side by side with the treatments. The metal detox shampoo and mask are available to help protect your hair at home!
2 – Sun and Heat
We always hear about how much the sun affects our skin and that we need to protect it with SPF. Well, our hair is the exact same; it’s part of the skin organ, afterall. When our hair is colored, the cuticle has been lifted and therefore is more prone to damage from the sun. The sun can change the color and tone of your hair with minimal exposure. However, it’s so important to be outside and get some vitamin D so we aren’t going to say just to avoid it… but let’s discuss protection!
Just like your skin, your hair needs SPF protection. The Shu Uemura Color Lustre line has both UVA and UVB protection in the shampoo, conditioner, and mask. Also, the Essence Absolue line of oils, creams, and conditioners not only have awesome heat protection, but they have SPF to protect from both UVA and UVB as well. The oil line helps seal the cuticles to avoid your color from fading as well as general protection for hair health.
Now, it’s not just the sun that makes a difference. Heat styling tools can be just as bad, if not worse! If you want your color to last, try to avoid daily heat styling. You can try heatless curls, or natural beachy waves with texturizing products, or just reduce the amount of heat you’re applying. Of course, if you do use hot tools, please please please use a heat protectant! The Essence Absolue line mentioned above is a great option, but if oil based options aren’t for you, most of Shu Uemura’s stylers have heat protection as well. So, you can get texture, volume, conditioning, etc while you’re also protecting your hair and keeping your color strong.
3 – Products
It’s not just the styling products and heat protectants that can make or break your color lifespan, your shampoo and conditioners play a huge role in the process! Have you ever wondered why your artists recommend specific shampoos? The shampoos you will find at a regular store, like CVS or Target, will not help in maintaining your color. They will actually strip your hair, resulting in not just your color fading, but drying and damaging your hair cuticles. You need a product with high grade ingredients that won’t strip, cause buildup, or further damage your hair. Both Shu Uemura and Milbon hair care lines are gentle, many are sulfate free or have such high-grade sulfates so they are actually good and nourishing for your hair.
Now that your hair is clean, let’s focus on our best friend: moisture! Moisture is necessary for maintaining a healthy color. After any chemical process your cuticles are lifted which can create frizz and dry hair. On the other hand, moisture helps to seal the cuticle and nourish/hydrate your hair! So, after ANY color service, even if you’re not using bleach, hydration is a key element in keeping your color fresh. Make sure you’re using a great conditioner that is moisturizing, or for especially dry hair you can even try a hair mask. These will add the necessary hydration to keep your hair strong and healthy, and keep that color on your hair!
4 – You’re DUE
Sometimes you can do everything right and it feels like it’s just not working. Well chances are, if you’re at that point you may just be ready for a color refresh! Color services aren’t just about ensuring your roots are well blended. In fact, reality is that glosses typically only stay in your hair for 4-6 weeks. If you are touching up your color with a gloss, you should expect to get a refresh every 4-6 weeks max. If you have red hair you may need to refresh even faster as red tends to fade quicker than other hair colors.
Toners, which are used to shift the warmth or coolness of your hair color, are glosses. Therefore, cool blondes will need to keep up with regular glosses to ensure their hair color doesn’t fade to yellow or even an orange hue. All hair, regardless of color or texture, has warm colors as part of its makeup. All hair will lift warm – red/orange first, then up to pale yellow – which is why we use the cool glosses to shift the tone as needed. If you’re noticing brassy tones or you feel your blonde has yellowed, it’s most likely because you’re in need of a gloss!
While time most certainly plays a big factor in the vibrancy of your color, give these other tricks a try to see how long you can make your color stay fresh! Afterall, what’s the point of an awesome color service if it only lasts a short time.
If you’re interested in a color consult or would like to book an appointment, please call or text us at 203-861-6700 or book online here.
See you soon!