Six Best Ways to Keep Hair Color Looking Fresh

Change is inevitable, but if you're like me, you love the vibrancy of your hair color right after it's done, and feel pangs of disappointment as the brightness of your hair dye fades, changing in depth and tone and becoming duller with every wash and dry. The truth is, hair is porous, letting things in...like conditioner and hair color, but that porosity also means the hair's cuticle lets things out, like moisture and...hair color. 

Never fear, we can slow DOWN the fading process, so whether your hair color is jet black or bright pink, here are some tried and true ways.

1-Minimize shampooing, but when you do, always use a color-safe shampoo. As a hair color lover, we value the color over the cleanliness, so skipping a shampoo a day or two extra a week can really add up for the vibrancy of your hair color.

2-Change water temp to warm, not hot, during the hair portions of your shower. It's worth the sacrifice, and you don't have to freeze during your entire shower, just for your shampoo and conditioning phase.

3-Use a heat protection spray ahead of blow drying or using heat tools. Heat tools on blonde shades can really fade or yellow the hair, and protection products are typically light, so just add this step before your styling products.

4-Keep heat tool temps between 300° and 340° Go as low temp as you can while still achieving your look, and remember that once your hair is dry and you continue to keep the blow dryer going, this causes stress and color fading.

5-Refresh color using glosses in-between your hair color to maximize shine and keep the tone on point on those mids and ends. Typically, you want to use a gloss a few tones lighter than the original color to add shine and bump up the color without a huge change.

6-If you're using a vivid hair color, mix extra and store it in the Hummingbird. This way, you'll have the exact shade that you originally used on hand to refresh your hair color. I recommend adding about one-half to a third more of your favorite conditioner to the color, and then you will have an easy-to-apply refresh for the shower or while watching a show for an hour. Do not do this on a white sofa;)

Sometimes, change is enjoyable, including the fading of our hair color into various tones as time goes by. We may even find we like the shade better as it softens a bit. But if you want to hang onto that "fresh new color" longer, use all of these tips, and you will see the difference in your brighter and healthier looking hair color.