10 Ways to Make Your Hair Colour Last as Long as Possible

If you went shopping and spent £500 on a designer jumper, and the label said ‘dry clean only’ would you just chuck it in the washing machine on 60 degrees? Hell no!! It’s got a care label for a reason right?

I’m not going to lie, it costs good money to have your hair coloured professionally. And we all want that ‘new hair feeling’ to last as long as possible. So why not treat your hair the same way as you’d treat that designer jumper? Here’s your 10 ways to make that colour last – like a care label for your hair.

1. Use a professional shampoo specifically for coloured hair. You don’t have to buy it from your stylist (although we’d prefer it if you did), as long as you buy it from a salon.

2. Condition your hair every time you wash. Shampoo opens the hair cuticle, conditioner closes it. If you don’t condition, you leave the cuticle open for the colour to sneak out.

3. Wash your hair with cool water. Hot water opens up the hair shaft and lets the colour fall out easier.

4. Less washing = less fading! Dry shampoo is your best friend!

5. Turn your heated styling tools down to a lower setting to help prevent colour fade.

6. Use UV Protection. Wear a hat in the sun & use professional styling products with UV protection.

7. Avoid prolonged exposure to water. If you are going swimming, tie your hair up to avoid soaking it in the water for too long. The same goes for baths and hot tubs.

8. Avoid pool chemicals. Strong chlorine chemicals are great for keeping pools clean, but they will strip your hair colour. If you have to get your hair wet in a pool, saturate it with fresh water or conditioner in the shower first to prevent it soaking up too much chlorine.

9. Treat your hair to a deep conditioning treatment at least once a month. Healthy, happy hair shines more and holds colour in better.

10. Avoid hot oil treatments. These are a common treatment for dry, damaged or brittle hair, but on coloured hair the heat opens up the hair cuticle and allows the colour to seep out.

It's as easy as that! Your gorgeous colour's very own care label. They're all fairly easy changes to make if you aren't doing them already, and the pay-off of getting to keep your colour looking tip-top is definitely worth it. They're also great tips for keeping hair healthy in general, even if it's not coloured.

Now your hair colour is staying fresher for longer, next time I'll be giving you some sneaky tips on how to eek out that time between visits to the salon. Sign up to be kept in the loop.