How to Keep Hair Color From Fading

Having your hair colored professionally is expensive and even if you color your own hair you’ve invested a considerable amount of time. That’s why it’s frustrating to watch the color fade after you’ve worked so hard to achieve it. Unfortunately, all hair color fades to some extent due to exposure to the environment, repeated washing, and overuse of heat and styling products. Fortunately, taking a few precautions can help to keep your hair color from fading too quickly. Here’s how to prevent faded hair color.

Change Your Shampoo

Most shampoos contain an ingredient called sodium lauryl sulfate or ammonium laureth sulfate. These are essentially detergents that help to remove dirt and oils from your hair. Although they’re quite effective at cleaning and freshening the hair, they can also slowly strip away hair color. The problem becomes even more pronounced if you use a clarifying shampoo which contains higher levels of sulfates. Dandruff shampoo and volumizing shampoos can also contribute to hair color fading. An inexpensive solution may be to switch over to a sulfate-free shampoo, now readily available at most hair salons, drugstores, and salons. Not only do these shampoos help to protect hair color, but they’re also less likely to strip away natural oils that nourish the hair.

Stop Shampooing So Often

A simple way to keep hair color from fading is to reduce the number of times you shampoo. Each time you later up your hair, not only do you remove oils and dirt, but also hair coloring. If you wash your hair frequently, alternate a dry shampoo with your regular shampoo to reduce fading.  

Avoid Sunlight and Chlorine

The chemicals found in chlorinated pools not only speed up the fading process, but can actually change the color of your hair, particularly if your hair has been lightened. Even the chlorine in your shower water can contribute to fading hair color. Consider investing in a shower filter that filters out chlorine; and always wear a bathing cap when swimming in chlorinated pools. Keep your hair covered when in direct sunlight to reduce the effects of UV light induced fading.

Condition Regularly

Regular, deep conditioning smoothes down the hair follicle and helps to keep hair color from fading, but stay away from volumizing conditioners and hot oil treatments which can strip color.  

Finally, remember that semi-permanent hair dyes naturally fade over time; so if you’re looking for long lasting color, choose a permanent dye instead. If you experience fading hair color despite the above measures, consider using a color enhancing shampoo to deposit a small amount of color onto the hair shaft when you shampoo. This helps to compensate for hair color that fades.