How to keep hair colour vibrant
The first 72 hours, choosing a shampoo, heat and sun: the advice we give in the salon for keeping coloured hair vibrant for weeks.
Colour is at its brightest the day you leave the salon; how long it lasts depends largely on what happens at home. Red and copper shades in particular wash out faster because their pigment molecules are larger. Here is, in writing, what we tell clients as they get up from the chair.
Don’t wash for the first 72 hours
After colouring, the outer layer of the hair (the cuticle) has not fully closed. Waiting three days gives the colour time to settle. If your hair gets wet from sport or rain, just rinse with lukewarm water.
Sulphate-free, colour-safe shampoo
Shampoos with lots of foam and harsh surfactants strip colour quickly. Washing two or three times a week with a shampoo labelled “sulphate-free” and “for coloured hair” is enough for most hair. Keep the water lukewarm; hot water opens the cuticle.
Protect from heat
Hairdryers, straighteners and tongs fade colour. Use a heat protection spray every time and keep straighteners below 180 °C. On days when you can, let your hair dry halfway naturally before blow-drying.
Sun, sea and pool
UV light lifts blonde and copper tones especially fast. Wear a hat or a UV-filter hair spray in summer. Wetting your hair with clean water and applying a little conditioner before the pool reduces chlorine uptake.
Book a toner
Balayage and light blondes turn yellowish or orange over time. A roughly 30-minute toner every four to six weeks brings the colour back close to day one without a full colour.
Purple or copper shampoo at home
Once a week, purple shampoo helps cool blondes and a tinted conditioner helps coppers. Too much dulls the hair; ask your specialist how often is right for you.
