So you’re going about your weekly co-wash when a bright red stream flows down into the shower drain. While it’s not quite the violent shower scene from the movie Psycho, the hot water and harsh cleansing agents in your favorite smell-good shampoo just murdered your once-fly, once-vibrant hair color.
Disappearing hair color happens to most of us who choose to wear bright hair hues. Whether the shade is a red, a chocolate, a blonde or even a blue, our bold hues dull over time and one day, we notice the hair color that garnered so many compliments just a week before is gone.
Common beauty knowledge tells us that we’ve got a solid month to flaunt new hair color before it begins to lose its luster. Recent clinical results have shown that hair color can fade up to five times faster in the initial week after walking out of the salon (or the kitchen) with new color. Knowing a few tricks of the trade can help you keep your color fresh and your hair healthy after coloring.
Understand, first, that hair color is a permanent change in the make up of your hair.
Hair color changes our hair because it opens up the cuticle of the hair to penetrate and deposit color. Hair color, relaxers, and other damaging agents ruffle the hair cuticle and, if you’re not careful, can make your previously healthy strands appear dull and dry.
It sounds counter-intuitive, but the first action you can take to keep your hair and new color in tact is rinsing your hair until the water runs completely clear. You may worry that you’re rinsing away the color you just applied, but believe it or not, failing to fully rinse out color causes the domino effect of fading.
Use a shampoo and conditioner combo made for color-treated hair.
Created specifically to protect color-treated hair, Bigen Protect & Repair Shampoo and Conditioner uses rice water essence (Inositol) and sunflower oil to repair damaged hair, while it gently cleanses and conditions. This shampoo and conditioner combo also helps prevent future damage.
Keep a consistent hair routine to care for your hair.
Understanding how hair color works and what products will keep you hair healthy are key to protect your hair shade. The most important part of keeping your hair healthy is your plan following your hair appointment. You have to choose a simple (or complex!) hair care routine that you’re motivated to implement and stick with. Slacking in this area means a brassy head of hair and that’s not cute on anyone.
Maintaining the right mix of good hair habits and understanding the dynamics of hair color, plus using the proper shampoo and conditioner will keep any daring hair color you choose as bright and head-turning as the day you left the salon.
