Leaving the salon with a fresh new head of colour can make one feel like a brand new person, but fast forward a few weeks and your once vibrant shade has now become a shadow of its former self.
Is this an all-too-familiar situation? To avoid this scenario for your next dye job, follow these tricks to maintain your brilliant colour for a longer period!
1. Avoid hot showers
After a long tiring day, your first instinct might be to hop into a hot shower to scrub yourself clean. While that may seem tempting, hot water spells death for coloured hair. Not only does hot water dry out our skin, it can also decrease the longevity of your vibrant colour.
What happens is, the hot temperature opens up the hair cuticle, thus releasing moisture and colour pigment. Instead, shampoo and wash off with room temperature water, condition, and then rinse off with cold water to seal your hair cuticles for longer-lasting colour and moisturised hair.
2. Don’t shampoo too much
Most people shampoo every day, especially in Singapore’s humidity and heat. But did you know that washing your hair too much strips it of oils and colour, and you might literally just be washing all that expensive hair colour down the drain? Try to wash on alternate days, and use dry shampoo in between washes if your scalp feels oily.
3. Shampoo at the right places
Shampoo is meant for cleansing hair near the scalp where there’s more oil build up, so choose to focus on cleansing the roots of your hair rather than sudsing up every part of your hair. Doing the latter will speed up colour fading over time.
4. Choose the right hair products
Give your hair the same thought as you give your skin. Just as how you use a suitable cleanser for your sensitive-type skin, you should also use shampoo and conditioner that’s specially formulated with colour protecting ingredients suitable for your shade. Look for products that are free from sulfates and alcohol – they strip away moisture, and moisture loss is one of the main culprits of colour fading.
5. Use a conditioning treatment
As we mentioned in the previous point, dry hair is one of top factor of faded colour. Using a deep conditioning treatment once a week can help retain moisture in your hair. At the same time, you’ll keep your hair healthy, which is important if you’re a fan of changing your hair colour.
6. Stay away from heat styling tools
Staying away from your beloved styling tools like blowdryers, curling irons and straighteners after colouring can help prevent fading. Besides making your hair more susceptible to damage, the heat opens up the cuticles in your hair, and speeds up the process of colour fading. Try to go without heat tools for at least a week after colouring, but if you really can’t live without them for more than a week, try using lower heat settings and heat protective sprays as a preventive measure.
7. Stay away from the sun
You’re aware of the damages UV rays can do to your skin, but did you know the sun can damage your hair just as easily too? Not only does the sun dry out your hair, it can also cause your colour to fade faster. Harmful UV rays can penetrate the hair cuticle and oxidise the colour pigments, making your hair look dull and dehydrated. To protect your glossy tresses, look for hair products that have UV protection and use them before going out in the sun.
