Staying Bold with Vivid Colors
How to keep your color bright longer and fading beautifully.
“Life is too short not to have really exciting hair.”
Whether you are already a mermaid hair goddess, or considering taking a walk on the colorful side, these tips will help you maintain your hair color and keep you turning heads.
Advice from Misfit Concepts
Vivid color services are typically performed with Semi Permanent colors, meaning that they do not contain any ammonia, are not damaging to the hair, and do not penetrate the hair shaft the way a Demi Permanent or Permanent hair color would. This also means the color will fade faster and may need to be applied more frequently. Because of this, I always recommend my vivid color guests to avoid washing their hair 24-72 hours after their service depending on their comfort level. This allows the pigment time to settle and set in. Below I will list my key at home care tips :)
Choosing the right Shampoo
This is the first key factor in keeping your hair bright. I would like to discuss this first because I feel that there is a lot of confusion on the topic. It is important that you pick out a color safe shampoo/rinse to preserve your new color. Here are some things to consider when choosing the right one for you.
What is a color safe shampoo?
When you see this indicator on a shampoo, it is typically a sign that this wash is manufactured without the presence of harsh chemicals or ingredients that would cause your color to fade. Generally they will feature mild cleansing agents to help prevent fading and dryness.
Sulfates in shampoo is one ingredient you may know to avoid, but why?
Sulfates are very good at what they do. Their main purpose is providing a deep cleanse and washing away oil. A shampoo with strong surfactants like this can accelerate color fading, can make your scalp dry, and can make your scalp prone to irritation. So these should also be avoided if you are a person with sensitive skin or eczema. Check your shampoos ingredient list for things like sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and sodium chloride, etc. If you do not see any of these or other like sulfates included, your shampoo is likely sulfate free.
Keep it cool
and we’re not talking about the weather, baby. Cooler water and iron temps for styling will contribute to how long your color lasts.
Hot water is not your friend when it comes to preserving your color or the overall health of your hair, despite how much we all love it. Hot water will open the cuticle layer of your hair, giving your bright color an escape root and drying out the strands. This will not only leave you faded and dull, but it will likely fade unevenly. Washing your hair in lukewarm or cool water will give your hair color its longest life span and ultimately allow it to fade as evenly and beautifully as possible.
Your hot tools can be a culprit in your color fading. This includes your blow dryer and any hot tools you may use to style your hair. Even if you are using heat protectant, it is important to keep the temperatures on your hot tools low. With proper sectioning, you should be able to achieve most styles with your iron set to 350 degrees or lower. 450 is also commonly the protective strength of heat protectants for ironing, so doing this will allow better protection from your products when applied routinely! Becoming conscious of this will keep your hair from becoming damaged, dull, or lack luster over time.
Hopefully some of these tips will be helpful for you! There is nothing we can do to prevent your awesome unicorn hair from fading completely. Contact with water, heat, and the sun will always accelerate this process, but they are also key elements that we enjoy in life :) with these tips, you should be able to get out there and live and worry about your hair color fading a little less. As always, talk with your stylist to get ideas about what hair care products or at home deposit color may be a good fit for you.
