The single biggest difference between color that looks good for eight weeks and color that looks tired at three is what happens at home. None of it is complicated.
Turn the water down
Hot water swells the cuticle and lets color molecules escape. You do not need an ice-cold shower. Lukewarm to wash, cool for the final rinse, and your tone will hold noticeably longer.
Read the shampoo bottle
Sulfates strip. If the first few ingredients include sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate, that bottle is working against the money you spent in the chair. Color-safe, sulfate-free formulas cost more per bottle and save you a gloss appointment or two per year.
Washing less often helps too. Two to three times a week is plenty for most people, with dry shampoo at the roots in between.
Heat is cumulative
- Always use a heat protectant, even on a quick touch-up
- Keep irons under 380°F on fine or previously lightened hair
- Let hair dry to about 80 percent before you take a hot tool to it
Book the gloss, not just the color
A gloss is the cheapest appointment on the menu and it does the most visible work. It refreshes tone, closes the cuticle, and puts the shine back. Blondes and reds especially should plan a gloss between full color services.
Sun, salt, and chlorine
All three lift color and all three are easy to plan around. Wet your hair with clean water before you get in a pool so it absorbs less chlorine, and rinse as soon as you are out. A hat on a long beach day is worth more than any product.
Written by Shawn Koot Abrahamian, colorist and certified hair loss practitioner at Chameleon Salon, Montrose.