Now You Can Keep Bright Hair Colors Longer

If you want your hair looking as good as is did the day that you first dyed it, then you’ll love the tips in this post. Every person who loves bright hair colors are on an never ending quest to stop the color from fading, and will do anything to prolong their vivid and unique hair color as long as they can without having to visit a salon or touch up the dye. 

In order to keep your hair colors long lasting and fresh we put together a weekly routine that has tried and tested methods that will help you in maintaining your colorful hair for much longer. For a complete list check out our 18 Tips for Longer Lasting Color.

1. Start With Quality Hair Dye

If you dye your hair at home, then you should definitely make sure that you’re using quality hair dye. That saying, “You get what you pay for,” especially rings true when it comes to long-lasting color. Go for reputable companies that have great reviews online and know that you’ll have to spend a bit more for quality hair dye. We can attest to the Ion brand from Sally’s and Manic Panic. Next on our list to try is Arctic Fox (look for that review in early June). Many of these are rich in color and allows users to go up to three months without retouches and still have amazing color.

2. Start a Hair Washing Routine

If you can get away with washing your hair every other day or longer, do it. The more you shampoo and rinse your hair the more dye will be released from your hair. I reduced my hair washing to 2 times per week. In between the washes I use a dry shampoo.  (If you’re an athlete or workout daily, then dry shampoo will be a must when trying to reduce how much your hair fades.)

Here’s the hair washing routine I’ve been using lately:

• Monday & Thursday  wash my hair after the gym and add in coconut oil after the washing.
• I can normally skip washing on Tuesdays and Fridays
• Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday – dry shampoo. At night I’ll wet my hair and add a leave in conditioner.

Some tips for washing and drying your hair –

• Avoid shampoos that contain sulfates and styling products with alcohol both will fade any hair color. 
• Wash & Rinse with cold water. When you shower using hot water, your hair follicle opens up just like the pores on your skin, which causes the dye to wash out faster than usual. If you can stand it, use cold water to rinse out your hair. Lukewarm or water temperature water also works if you can’t stand the freezing cold temperature in the shower.
• If you have 1 color in your hair – add some color to your conditioner. Simply mix in a bit of hair color with some conditioner and use it in between dye jobs. You’ll give your hair an extra dose of color, while protecting it at the same time!
• Dry your hair roughly with a towel may also result in fading of your hair color. Scrubbing them harshly may make the ends look dry, so blot them gently and let them dry naturally as much as possible.

3. Avoid Heat, Sun and Clorine

I know – this is a sin when you live in Florida like I do… ok maybe not a sin, but it’s practically impossible. Here’s what I’ve done to help:

• After a shower, let your hair dry naturally and reduce how often you use heat tools (like blow dryers, flat irons, and curling irons) too often since heat is known to strip color fast and can damage your hair even more.
• Pick up a UV protector for your hair – like this one.  UV rays have an equal damaging effect on both skin as well as hair. Even if they are not colored, don’t keep your hair exposed to the sun for a long time and always try to wear a hat or a cap when outdoors.
• Chlorine is a major factor in fading the color of hair dyes, so before you dive into the water apply a little deep conditioner to your hair in order to protect and moisturize them. I always wrap my hair into a bun and try to keep my hair dry as much as possible.

By changing these 3 things I’ve been able to double the length of time my hair color lasts before fading. I used to have to dye my hair religiously ever four weeks. Now however, I’m seeing colors stay in 6-8 weeks. The blue I recently had lasted more than 3 months and only faded out because I was actively trying to remove it for a new hair style.

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