6 Tips to Help Prevent Your Hair Color from Fading

If you spend the time and money to color your hair, it only makes sense that you would want your pretty new hair color to stay around for a while. However, no matter how bold your hair color is, without the proper hair care maintenance, your pretty shade could rinse off your strands and straight down the drain. Yikes! To help you keep your hair color from fading, ahead we’re sharing six of our all-time favorite hair care tips for color-treated hair. From the shampoo and conditioner you use to the hair style products your colored hair can’t survive without, your ultimate hair care routine for a vivid mane is below.

HAIR CARE TIP #1: USE PRODUCTS FORMULATED FOR COLOR-TREATED HAIR

Not all shampoos and conditioners are created equally. If you dye your hair, it’s important to look for a system of shampoo and conditioner formulated for color-treated hair. Try a duo of sulfate-free products, like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Repair & Defend Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris EverPure Repair and Defend Conditioner. To give your colored locks some extra TLC, you can also use a deep conditioner like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Rapid Reviver Deep Conditioner. 

HAIR CARE TIP #2: KEEP IT COOL

Showering in super-hot water might feel relaxing, but it can actually do a number on your hair, leaving it feeling dry and looking dull. Everyone can benefit from turning down the temperature in the shower, but it’s extra important for gals with color-treated hair to heed this advice: Wash your hair and rinse off in lukewarm water—not hot. Your hair color will thank you!

HAIR CARE TIP #3: MAKE TIME FOR MASKING

Using the proper shampoo and conditioner in your hair care routine is a big step, but when it comes to protecting against color fade, it’s not quite enough. To elevate your hair care routine to match your hair color's high maintenance needs, stock your shower with a couple of hair masks. If you’re using the shampoo and conditioner we recommended above, give the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Repair Remedy Balm a try. The balm instantly penetrates to restore strength and brilliance strand by strand—just what your locks need.

HAIR CARE TIP #4: OPT FOR AN AIR DRY

Since heat can be a culprit of hair color fading, try to air dry your hair as often as possible when you want to elongate the length of time between coloring appointments. To help enhance your style sans a blow-dryer, add a bottle of the L’Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle AIR DRY IT Wave Swept Spray to your routine. With just a few spritzes and scrunches for good measure, you’ll look fresh off the beach with a head full of laidback waves. Beachy waves minus a trip to the ocean? Yes, please!

Editor’s tip: Have naturally straight locks? After spritzing your hair with the wave spray, braid your mane. When your hair is dry, remove the braids to reveal loose, effortless waves!

HAIR CARE TIP #5: ALWAYS USE A HEAT PROTECTANT

On those days where you absolutely cannot avoid heat styling, whatever you do, just be sure to start with a heat protectant. Give your hair a few spritzes of the L’Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle SLEEK IT Iron Straight Heatspray, then heat style your hair.

One more suggestion for your heat styling routine? Put your heat tools on the lowest setting that gets the job done without going over sections repeatedly!

HAIR CARE TIP #6: BE PREPARED FOR TOUCHUPS

There will come a point when you’ll have to touch up your hair color. Be prepared by keeping a box of dye stocked in your vanity. Try our best at-home hair color kits: L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference, L’Oréal Paris Féria, and L’Oréal Paris Excellence Creme. Each of these at-home hair color kits is available in a variety of beautiful shades, whether you want to opt for something subtle or go bolder. Make sure to follow the instructions included with the packaging and you’ll be good to go. 

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR HAIR COLOR STARTS TO FADE

We touched a bit on what to do when your hair color starts to fade (keep those at-home hair dyes on-hand!), but you may be wondering if there are other tips and tricks to keep your color looking fresh before you get to the salon. Lucky for you, we know a few.

TIP #1: TOUCH UP YOUR ROOTS

One of the first things you may start to notice as your hair color fades is noticeable root growth. Yikes! To conceal your roots, keep a root spray or pen on hand. Try the L’Oréal Pairs Magic Root Cover Up or the L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Precision Pen, both of which are available in a variety of shades for quick, easy coverage.

TIP #2: USE TEMPORARY HAIR COLOR

Waiting for your salon visit and too afraid to color your hair at home? Use a temporary hair color that washes out in just one shampoo! There’s no damage or commitment required, making it an easy way to refresh your mane without the fear of messing up your color. Choose a hue (or two!) from the L’Oréal Paris Colorista 1-Day Spray or the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Makeup 1-Day Color lines.

TIP #3: REVIVE YOUR COLOR

Depending on your color, there are hair treatments that can be added to your routine to boost your color. If you’re a blonde, give the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Blonde Shade Reviving Treatment a try. The color refreshing mask instantly neutralizes unwanted brassiness while intensely nourishing over-processed hair to boost your blonde! A professional or at-home hair gloss is another option for refreshing your color.

Now that you know the basics of hair color fade prevention, you may want to brush up on specific tips for your particular hair color. To get you on the right track, check out our articles, The Right Way to Take Care of Blonde, Color-Treated Hair, The Redhead’s Guide to Maintaining Beautiful Color, and The Brunette’s Guide to Maintaining Beautiful Color.