Imagine this, you’ve finally found the hair color that suits your face, your taste; a color that you wouldn’t mind carrying all the time. You find a perfect parlor and get the new look you’ve wanted for a long time. Tune in two weeks later and you can see the beloved color fading away, settling into graying threads before turning into your natural shade. It’s your worst nightmare come true. Dyeing your hair isn’t just about finding the perfect color, it’s also about making it last. So, here are a few tips on how you can make your hair color last for the maximum possible time.

Wait before your shower for the first time
The time between when you first dye your hair and wash it for the first time after that is crucial. Some professional suggest waiting for at least 24 hours before you do anything to your hair. Some even go as far as asking you to wait for 72 hours before letting water touch the freshly colored hair. 

When you color your hair, your cuticle layer opens up. So you have to wait until it closes. It takes a while for the color to permanently settle into your hair. And when you rinse it with water, some of the dye washes away. The longer you wait, the longer the cuticle can absorb all the color and the longer it will last.

Avoid heat
Whether it’s long, hot showers, sweltering sun or heat tools like electric hair straighteners and iron curlers, heat opens up your cuticle. This, once again, increases the chances of your hair color leaking out and fading away. High heat takes away more layers of colors, lightening them quickly and more proficiently. 

Blow dryers also can be included in the list of things that might harm your hair. Aside from removing color, high-temp products are also responsible for cases of hair damage through haphazard use. If you have to use them, lessen their frequency and set the temperature at the lowest level possible. Instead, invest in heat protecting hair products and keep your hair color from fading away quickly.  

Protect your hair while swimming
Too many chemicals and dyed hair aren’t a good match. Whether it’s a dip in a pool of water and chlorine or the salt in the ocean, the damage is usually done when you go swimming completely unprepared. So take care before you head out. Protect your hair with waterproof cap. Spray it with leave-on conditioner so that your hair won’t absorb too much water in case some leaks in from the sides.

Be careful with your shampoo
Shampoo your hair as little less. If your scalp isn’t oily, you can go at least two to three days without washing your hair. If you can’t avoid washing your hair, then at least try to avoid using chemical-laden shampoos that aren’t made for color-treated hair. Picking the right shampoo is equally necessary. You can find shampoos that are specifically designed for dyed hair. Unlike regular hair care products, they are devoid of sulfate and full of silicones. They add another layer to cuticles, thus preventing dyes from leaking out easily. So rather than picking any shampoo you find on the shelves of your regular grocery store, do your research and find one that fits your needs.

Pick the right colorist
When you have a good teacher, you will eventually become a good student. The same goes with colorist. A perfect colorist doesn’t just make sure your hair is perfectly finished, they also care about the aftermath.

In many instances, lack of communication between the colorist and the customer leaves both parties unsatisfied. After each session, make sure you understand exactly what is fit for your hair, what kind of deep conditioner you should be investing in, what color-treated hair shampoos are available in the market, what you can do to keep your hair in its best shape, how often you need to go for retouch and how often can the color be changed. 

It’s said that if your colorist doesn’t ask you about your dyeing history, its better you stand up and just leave. Every last bit of information matters. Doesn’t matter whether you’re in a high-end salon or a regular beauty parlor, details of your previous shenanigans concerning coloring play a key role on how the recent color-treatment can last longer.

Add dye to conditioner
This last one is for those who have opted to have their entire mane dyed rather than get just a few highlights here and there. Applying dye to your conditioner completely will help a lot. With each shower, you lose a little bit of color. So it’s only fair that you gain something out of it.

But beware. Your dye should be the exact same color as your hair. A mismatch might prove to be disastrous. If you do it carefully enough, the conditioner will settle into your cuticles, giving your hair color a higher chance of a lengthy survival.

 
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