How To Keep Your Hair Color
Fresher & Longer
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What can you do to keep that color where it belongs?
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When you dye your hair
- The pigments are held captive inside the hair strands, says Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic
chemist & vice president of research & innovation at Englewood Lab. - But anything that can lift the hair shaft's cuticle, allowing pigment particles to escape,
can fade that pretty color. - One of the biggest color-stealing culprits is H2O.
- Plain water dilutes the pigment & causes it to fade faster, Wilson says.
- But before you vow to never wash your strands again, try these pigment-protecting tricks.
Wear a Hat
- Protecting your hair from the elements helps prevent the formation of free radicals, atoms
or molecules that contribute to fading when they snatch electrons from pigment molecules. - Wear a sun hat when you're outdoors for a long time, or look for leave-in treatments with
UV absorbers that filter some of the color-ruining rays,like benzophenone-3 or -4, polyquaternium-59, cinnamidopropyltrimonium chloride & butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane.
Two To Try
- Garnier Fructis Color Shield Color Sealer Lightweight Leave-In ($5.99) & Color Proof
Fiber Blast Texture Crème ($21.95). - Rethink going red - While show-stopping, red hair colors fade the fastest because crimson pigment molecules are larger than browns & blacks & the most unstable.
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The more you wash your hair, the faster your color will fade.
- Shampooing causes the hair strands to swell & the color then washes out little by little.
- If you need to shampoo often, invest in products such as:
1. John Frieda Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Enhancing Shampoo ($5.99)
2. Aveda Clove Color Conditioner for brunettes ($18) that deposit dye onto your hair, essentially re-coloring it a little each time you wash.
Protecting shampoo & conditioner color
- Traditional products don't take away from the color, they just don't add anything, says
Wilson. - Wash & condition your strands with products formulated to be protective, like Pantene
Pro-V Color Expressions Shampoo ($6.49) or Redken Color Extend Conditioner ($15.50),
they work by sealing your hair cuticle so your strands hold on to the dye inside. - And, unless it's the day before a color refresh, don't use clarifying shampoo, which can strip strands & speed up the color fade process.
Do you hate when your dye job starts to fade?
Follow these tips to maintain the color.
Keep It Cool
- Steaming hot water definitely has an effect on strands.
- Wet hair has more stretch than dry hair & the 'stretchiness' of hair increases with the
water temperature. - This indicates the hair structure is more relaxed, which can allow more pigment to escape.
- So wash with lukewarm water or cool H2O.
Pool Rule
- Chlorine is a major culprit in fading hair dye.
- Apply a little deep conditioner to your locks before you dive in to protect & moisturize
the hair. - Then add a swim cap over the conditioner for an extra layer of protection.
Expert Tip
- Here's a little secret:
- Deep condition your hair after you dye it to offset the damage from the process.
- It works every time.
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