Hair Color Maintenance (And How to Make It Last)

keep that salon color vibrant

You just left the salon. Your color is perfect. The tones are exactly right, the depth is everything you wanted. four weeks later... it's not quite as perfect. It's a little brassier. A little more dull. The vibrancy is lacking.

Hair Color Maintenance and how to make it last is one of the most common Questions we hear at Beyond the Fringe. Here is what actually causes hair color to fade and what you can do about it.

WHY HAIR COLOR FADES

Color molecules live inside the hair shaft, which is made up of overlapping layers called cuticles. When those cuticles are raised or damaged, color escapes faster. Contributing factors that raise your hair cuticle and accelerate fading are:

• Hot water: the number one silent color killer

  Heat styling without protection: every flat iron pass opens the cuticle

• Sun exposure: UV light breaks down color molecules, particularly reds and vivids

• Using products with sulfates: these strip color as aggressively as they strip oil

• Washing too frequently: every wash cycle removes a small amount of color

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS

small changes to your routine will make a significant difference in how long your color lasts between appointments.

• Switch to lukewarm water when shampooing. Rinse conditioner with a cool rinse. That cool water closes the cuticle and seals the color in. Seriously, It works! Bonus - your hair will also feel smoother and look shinier.

• Invest in a color-safe shampoo and conditioner.

• Use a heat protectant every single time you style with heat. Every time. Not occasionally.

THE ROLE OF TONING

Toners are one of the most under utilized tools in color maintenance. A toner is a semi-permanent gloss applied over your color to refresh the tone and can be utilized to eliminate brassiness. Toners are a great way to add shine and refresh color. Many of our clients come in between full color appointments for a gloss treatment.

Ask your stylist at your next appointment whether a toner or gloss service would be a good fit for your color. If you are fighting brassiness, the answer is almost certainly yes.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOUR COLOR ACTUALLY LAST?

This depends heavily on the technique. Traditional single-process color at the root grows out and becomes visible within four to six weeks. Balayage and blended highlight techniques are designed to grow out beautifully and can last twelve to sixteen weeks before a refresh is needed. Vivid or fashion colors fade the fastest and typically need refreshing every four weeks.

Your stylist should tell you exactly what to expect from your specific service and build a maintenance plan with you ; not just send you home with fingers crossed.

ONE MORE THING

Your at home maintenance routine accounts for roughly fifty percent of how well your color looks and lasts. That's not a sales pitch. it's the truth. A good stylist will explain every product and be honest about what is worth spending more on.

Want to learn more? We love that you are curious! Click here to book your next appointment with us!