Avoid hot water and use less shampoo: 11 ways to make your hair colour last longer
By ALANA MOORHEAD
SALON visits can be expensive, so, to avoid having to shell out for regular
visits, follow these 11 top tips to help your hair colour last longer.
Expert colourists were asked their best advice about how to maintain your hair
colour for longer and have revealed their answers.
1. Avoid showering straight away
Ryan Pearl, a celebrity colourist who works at Cutler Salon in New York City,
recommends waiting 24 hours before shampooing.
This allows the dye to settle into the hair but if you really have to, he
suggests rinsing it with cool water and massaging the roots.
“A nice scrub will still cleanse the hair and scalp without pulling
colour,” Ryan wrote in an email to TODAY.
2. Turn down the temperature of your water
Washing your hair in hot water could be damaging it, as it dries it out but
also it can be detrimental to the colour.
Ryan advises people to use cool water when washing their dyed hair because it “will
help prolong the brilliance of the colour”.
3. Thinking about alternating your favourite products
To help maintain your glossy colour, it might be better to switch up your
shampoos in favour of products that are sulphate and alcohol-free.
JB Shelton, an educator for Bosley Professional Strength haircare explains:
“Many over-the-counter products contain salts, sulphates and detergents.
“That’s why they are so inexpensive. These ingredients strip hair colour
out!”
4. Spread out your shampoo washing
Washing your hair every day can strip your hair of its natural oils, so, JB
recommends to “use a dry shampoo in between washes if your scalp
experiences an oily build-up”.
While celebrity hairstylist Richard Collins suggests you invest in treatments
designed for colour-treated hair and Christyn Nawrot, an educator for PHYTO,
insists on natural ingredients.
5. Avoid clarifying and anti-dandruff shampoos
Sometimes, coloured hair can suddenly develop an orange-tinge, this is could
be because of clarifying on anti-dandruff shampoo.
Celebrity stylist and salon owner Rita Hazan recommends ditching the
clarifying shampoos because they can strip the hair.
6. Wash your hair in the right places
Sarah Potempa, a celebrity hairdresser says “focus your shampoo on
cleansing your root and not on the middle to ends of the hair as this will
strip your colour over time”.
7. Your conditioner application is important
Hairdresser Christopher Pierce of Andy LeCompte Salon in West Hollywood
advises those with dyed hair to “Make sure to wring the hair out well
and apply the conditioners evenly in small sections in order to thoroughly
saturate the hair.
“Let it sit per the manufacturer’s instructions before rinsing.”
8. Buy a conditioning treatment
Rita advises fans of coloured hair to use a conditioning treatment once or
twice a week to add moisture back into your locks.
If your hair is dry it can lose a lot of its colour and vibrancy, so
treatments can help with avoiding this.
9. Heat is not your friend
Ryan suggests using a lightweight oil or heat protectant on your hair before
drying or styling.
“Adding your favourite hair oil throughout the mid-length and end of hair
and combing through gives the hair a protective barrier and hydrates hair
for colour longevity,” he says.
10. The sun can be bad for your locks
Richard recommends those with dyed hair should “Stay away from the sun
without a hat, it will fade your colour, if you’re doing any outdoor
activities like hiking or going to the beach, be sure to take cover.”
11. Avoid swimming pools
And swimming pools are similar. “Don’t swim in pools with chlorine as it
will fade your colour, but if you do swim, using a leave-in conditioner can
reduce fading,” he continues.
But, if you have to take a dip, Ryan advises clients to mix a conditioner and
water solution together and apply before entering the water.
