Redken Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate-Free Shampoo Though they're a splurge, the products earned the best score for preventing hair color from fading over a month of simulated wear. They also came out on top for making color look shiny, richer and more vibrant.
Color-Safe Shampoos: These shampoos are designed to protect and prolong the vibrancy of your hair color. Consider products from brands like Joico Color Balance, Matrix Biolage ColorLast, or TIGI Bed Head Colour Goddess.
Use hair masks
Using nourishing hair masks and conditioning treatments helps keep your color vibrant and fresh. Dry hair tends to lose color more quickly than hydrated hair. This is why using nourishing hair masks once a week will give you shiny and fresh-looking hair color.
Sulphate-rich shampoos are ideal for stripping hair since they help to release the colour - especially with dark or vibrant colours. These include clarifying or deep cleansing shampoo or anti-dandruff shampoo.
Wash your hair less often
We're not telling you to skip out on showers completely, but the more you shampoo, the more you rinse or fade out your color. So try to limit your hair washes to a couple of times a week and wait at least 24 hours before shampooing your hair for the first time post-color.
An ammonia-free formula that contains plant-derived pigments and oils like jojoba and coconut oil, Phyto was the winner of the GH Beauty Lab's most recent at-home hair color test. It provided the richest, most uniform and truest color, and users found that it lasted longer than all others tested.
So in short, yes, using apple cider vinegar can help set and preserve your hair color's lifespan.
Conditioner is best paired with non-developer-based semi-permanent and direct dyes, as when used with permanent or developer-based dyes, conditioner can interfere with the chemical reaction and oxidation process required for lasting color, potentially resulting in uneven or inconsistent coloring.
As relaxing as it is to shower with hot water, if you wash your hair with lukewarm water, the hair cuticles will be stronger and will keep the colored hair dye vibrant for longer. Remember that to remove residue from hair or coloring from the scalp, it is always advisable to use warmer water.
Dove Love Your Shine Color Care Shampoo
This moisturizing Dove shampoo plus conditioner duo made with plant oils and glycerin was a winner in GH Beauty Lab testing for coddling dry processed hair. In addition to thoroughly cleansing, they excelled at effectively conditioning strands.
Our favorite color-depositing conditioner is the dpHue Gloss+ thanks to its wide range of shades, easy application, and ability to soften and hydrate hair. For a clear gloss that adds shine to any hair color, we recommend the Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat + Sheer.
Red hair is notoriously difficult when it comes to upkeep. While it's the hardest color to fully strip from your hair, it's also the first to fade, often lightening drastically within the first few washes. So unless you're wanting to touch-up your own color at home, it would be wise to skip the scarlet shades.
If your hair is brown, you may need to bleach it more than once before you apply the grey dye. It's important you get your hair as light as possible before you attempt to turn it grey – this will help ensure a more even tone and vibrant, all-over colour.
Hard water is perhaps the most frustrating cause of fading hair color. That's because hardness isn't immediately obvious — which means you could use this water on every wash and inadvertently make things worse. Hard minerals can fade your hair dye and cause other issues.
Dish Soap
Fortunately, if you go through the effort of using this drying soap on your dyed hair, it can help remove unwanted color. You'll need to do many washes to fade it out, but it is a step in the right direction if you want to remove a color.
Clarifying or Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
Therefore, it totally makes sense to reverse this when you're looking to remove your dye. Whilst it's not a quick fix, using a clarifying or anti-dandruff shampoo to strip colour is a much safer and healthier way to transform your shade compared to bleach or colour remover.