How to Keep Hair Color From Fading: 9 Ways to Protect Your Color

To keep hair color from fading, wait at least 24 to 48 hours before your first shampoo, wash less often and in cooler water, switch to sulfate-free products made for color-treated hair, and protect your hair from heat and sun. You cannot stop color from fading entirely, but you can slow it down considerably, and you can put pigment back when it does.

Here are the nine things you can do that make the most difference.

9 Ways to Keep Your Hair Color From Fading

1. 1. Wait at least 24 to 48 hours before your first shampoo

2. After the initial wash, give your hair at least 24 to 48 hours before shampooing again. The process of coloring your hair opens up the hair cuticle to receive artificial pigment, so one of the most important steps you can take to preserve your color is to allow enough time for the cuticle to close completely and allow the color to settle in.
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4. 2. Take lukewarm showers 

5. Hot water can actually re-open the hair cuticle, allowing color to escape. Cooler water helps keep the cuticle layer smooth and healthy while minimizing pigment from fading. Wash with cool or tepid water rather than hot, then finish with a cold rinse after your conditioner. It is the easiest change on this list and one of the most effective.
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7. 3. Put a filter on your shower head

8. Hard water leaves mineral deposits like iron, calcium, and copper, that can dull color, pull blondes toward brass, and coat the hair. Installing a filter will cut down on your hair’s exposure to these impurities. It is an easy, one-time fix, and most people find their hair feels softer, smoother, and shinier as a bonus.
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10. 4. Switch to sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner

11. Sulfates can strip your hair of color, so it’s important to wash and condition your strands with color-safe products only. Look for formulas free of sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, and phthalates.  ColorSolve™  is our color-protecting shampoo and conditioner, and you choose the formula for your hair type and texture.
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1. 5. Wash your hair less often

2. Every wash takes a little pigment with it. The less you wash your hair, the better for your color, and the less natural oils are stripped from the hair. Two or three times a week is plenty for most people, and three or four days between shampoos is better still, if your scalp allows. 
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4. 6. Take a break from hot tools 

5. Heat makes colored hair brittle and fades it faster. Air dry when you can. If not, keep your blow dryer and straightening iron on the lowest possible heat settings, and always use a heat protectant before styling. Bonding Time leave-in serum protects the hair from heat, while strengthening and smoothing it at the same time.
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7. 7. Protect your color from the sun 

8. UV rays can penetrate the hair cuticle and oxidize or fade your color. It can alter the tone of your color leaving blondes with brassiness and brunettes with unwanted orange tones. If you will be outside for a long stretch, a hat or a scarf does more for your color than any product will. A color-protecting shampoo and conditioner like ColorSolve™ and a leave-in serum like Bonding Time both include UV protection as well. 
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10. 8. Make masking a habit, and make it a color-depositing one

11. When your hair becomes dry or brittle, it’s actually far more susceptible to color-fading. Adding hydration back in is key. Every other tip here slows fading down. This is the one that puts pigment back. A Color Therapy Color Depositing Hair Mask conditions and deposits tone at the same time, so use it in place of your regular conditioner every two to three washes. Not intended for gray coverage. 

1. 9. Use styling products made for color-treated hair 

2. Styling products vary a lot in the ingredients and benefits they provide. Some can actually dry the hair out causing color fade. Look for products designed specifically for color-treated hair, formulated with nourishing ingredients like keratin, argan oil, and gingseng root extract rather than a high concentration of alcohol.

1. The Takeaway

2. You cannot completely stop color from fading, but everything on this list is a small change you can incorporate into your routine. Wash gently, wash less, minimize heat and sun exposure, and put pigment back before your color starts looking dull. When it needs more than a mask can give it, a semi-permanent Color Reviving Gloss revives faded color and adds shine, and lasts 6 to 8 shampoos.

   More on stretching the time between colorings: how to make hair color last longer. Curious what is actually in your color? Read our guide to hair dye ingredients.

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