There’s nothing quite like the way you feel when you leave the salon with freshly colored hair. Your new, vibrant shade is such a delight that you just have to take another peek in the rear-view mirror before you start the car. But without the right at-home regimen, color-treated hair can fade or become brassy. What can you do to keep that shimmering color you love? Here are a few simple tips to maintain hair color longer.
1. Wait to wash your hair.
After your color appointment, put off shampooing your hair. Try to wait for at least twenty-four hours. Up to seventy-two hours is even better, especially if you made a dramatic color change. This will give the color time to set in your hair. A good dry shampoo like Oribe’s Gold Lust will absorb any product build-up and oil to keep your style fresh. As an added benefit, it will perfume your hair with Oribe’s luscious scent.
2. Take extra care in the shower.
When you are ready to wash your hair, treat it with extra care. Heat is the enemy of color, so keep the water as cool as is comfortable. You may also want to consider a shower water filter. It can cut down on chlorine and hard minerals that can strip and dull color. Filtered water doesn’t just pamper your hair, but it’s also good for your skin. Filtering out impurities helps combat dry, itchy skin and flaky scalps. Taking warm showers instead of blistering hot ones is good for your hair even when the color isn’t new. So make this change a lifelong habit.
3. Choose the right products.
Color-treated hair has particular needs that can’t be addressed by just any product. Choose formulations that are designed to care for your hair. A good example is Bain Chromatique Riche Sulfate-Free from Kérastase. This gentle shampoo is not only sulfate-free. It adds UV protection because the sun is no friend to color, particularly at our high altitude. It also keeps color-dulling residue off your hair. This is especially important because you never, ever want to use a deposit-removing shampoo on colored hair.
4. Don’t shampoo every day.
Even with the right products, it’s a good idea to only shampoo color-treated hair two or three times a week. On the other days, simply rinse your hair with cool water or use a gentle conditioning cleanser like Re.Store from Kevin Murphy. This single product replaces both your shampoo and your conditioner. It also nourishes your hair with superfood proteins and strengthening amino acids.
5. Add weekly masks to your hair care routine.
A weekly deep conditioning mask is a good idea for everyone and helps you maintain hair color longer. It will combat many of the elements that damage hair, like sun exposure, pollution, and styling damage. But for colored hair, it’s especially important to stay one step ahead of damage. Damaged hair has rough cuticles, which allow the color molecules to escape. Keep color in place and your hair feeling silky with a treatment like Oribe’s Gold Lust effective Masque. It penetrates deeply to condition hair with gentle white tea, baobab, and jasmine extracts.
6. Refresh and seal your color with a glossing treatment.
For a potent boost of color and shine, book an appointment at Deseo Salon & BlowDry for a luxurious glossing treatment. It not only freshens color, but it also lowers your hair’s pH to seal the cuticles. This keeps the color locked in and the strands glossy. This special shine treatment will leave your hair soft with a gleaming shimmer. The same gentle products that protect your color-treated hair will also help maintain your glossing treatment.
There’s no reason for you to have to watch that wonderful fresh-from-the-salon color fade. With a little care and the right products, your color will stay vibrant and true. Maintain hair color longer and enjoy healthier hair with these products and habits. If you’re seeking a fresh new hair color or help in keeping yours perfect, contact us at Deseo Salon & BlowDry to make an appointment with one of our expert stylists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I wait to wash my hair after getting it colored?
Waiting at least 24 hours after a color appointment is recommended, and waiting up to 72 hours is even better, especially after a dramatic color change. This allows the color molecules to fully set and bond within the hair shaft. During the waiting period, a dry shampoo like Oribe’s Gold Lust Dry Shampoo can absorb oil and product buildup to keep your style fresh without water.
Does water temperature affect how long hair color lasts?
Yes, heat is one of the biggest enemies of hair color. Hot water opens the hair cuticle, allowing color molecules to escape more quickly. Washing with cool or lukewarm water helps keep the cuticle closed and sealed, which locks in color for longer. This applies not just right after coloring but as a general ongoing habit. Filtering shower water to remove chlorine and hard minerals is another beneficial step, as these can also strip and dull color-treated hair.
What shampoo is best for color-treated hair?
Kérastase’s Bain Chromatique Riche Sulfate-Free shampoo is specifically formulated for color-treated hair. It is free of sulfates, which strip color, and includes UV protection to guard against sun-related fading, which is especially important at high altitudes. It also helps keep color-dulling residue from accumulating in the hair. Deposit-removing or clarifying shampoos should be completely avoided on color-treated hair as they actively strip color molecules.
How often should I wash color-treated hair?
Color-treated hair should ideally be washed only two to three times per week, even when using the right products. On non-wash days, rinsing with cool water or using a gentle conditioning cleanser like Kevin Murphy’s Re.Store, which replaces both shampoo and conditioner while nourishing with superfood proteins and amino acids, is a great alternative. Reducing wash frequency significantly slows color fading.
How does a deep conditioning mask help color-treated hair last longer?
A weekly deep conditioning mask is especially important for color-treated hair because damaged hair has rough, open cuticles that allow color molecules to escape more quickly. A mask like Oribe’s Gold Lust effective Masque penetrates deeply to condition with white tea, baobab, and jasmine extracts, smoothing the cuticle and sealing in color. Regular masking also combats the damage caused by sun exposure, pollution, and styling, all of which degrade the hair’s ability to hold color effectively.
What is a hair glossing treatment and how does it help preserve color?
A hair gloss treatment is a professional salon service that refreshes and deepens color while sealing the hair’s cuticles for added shine and softness. It works by lowering the hair’s pH, which causes the cuticle to close tightly around the color molecules, locking color in and creating a gleaming, smooth finish. Glossing treatments can be used on any hair color to boost vibrancy and shine, and are an excellent way to extend the life of your color between full coloring appointments.