How to Make Your Hair Color Last Longer

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WholeBlends #CollectiveBias

I’ve been dying my hair for as long as I can remember. I loved changing my hair every year when I was younger, and then I learned how much it damaged my hair. Now I only do drastic changes every five years or so. I’ve learned some tips and tricks about how to make my hair color last longer because of this. Especially because I dye my hair red, which is one of the fastest fading colors. Here are my 10 tips for keeping your color vibrant in between color sessions. 

1. Stop washing your hair so much – This section comes in a few parts, but the #1 thing to remember when coloring your hair is to wait 72 hours after the process to shampoo it. It can sometimes take up to three days for the cuticle to close, so you are more likely to trap the color molecules in if you wait as long as you can to wash. 
2. You should only be washing your hair at most, three times a week. I only do it twice (and on busy weeks maybe once, shh no judgment). Your hair (and the rest of your body) produces a natural oil called sebum that helps ward off dehydration and infectious bacteria. I know that sounds gross, but it is being produced for a reason! If you’re one of those people that have to shower every day, then invest in a nice shower cap to keep your hair out of the water. Shampoo less and you’ll lose less color.
3. Don’t take such hot showers – The heat from the water opens up the cuticle in your hair. Then when you wash it, the water penetrates deep, deep enough to grab the color and have it flush down the drain. So start with a warm shower and then turn the water to cold to close the cuticle of your hair after you condition it. Cold water is also better for your skin; it doesn’t leave it so dry. 
4. Repair your hair – The chemicals in dyes leave hair porous and can dry your hair out. I just started using Garnier Whole Blends Repairing Hair Care Honey Treasures because it uses royal jelly, honey, and propolis. My favorite lotion has royal jelly in it, and it locks in moisture and gets rid of my dry skin so imagine what it is doing for my hair. The Whole Blends Repairing Hair Care smells amazing. My favorite product in the line is the hair Whole Blends Repairing Hair Care Mask, which completely rejuvenated my hair. Because I color my hair on a regular basis, it gets dry and brittle with bad split ends. I’ve used this on my hair a few times, and it has already repaired some of the damage from the bleaching process my hair goes through to have blue ends. I found the new Garnier Whole Blends Repairing Hair Care Honey Treasures line at Walmart in the shampoo aisle. There are different blends for different hair needs too.
5. Condition more – These Garnier Whole Blends line has carefully-selected ingredients in formulas made to nourish deeply, hydrate, and repair. Conditioner and masks will help repair your hair after color treatments and lock in your color longer. 
6. Air and cool dry your hair – We all know heat can damage your hair but did you know blow drying it when it’s soaking wet can make it even worse? The extreme heat damages the cuticle of your hair, trapping water inside the cortex and causing the water to boil. Um, no thanks! So let your hair air dry 75% of the way and then on the coolest setting dry your hair the rest of the way. 
7. Create a hairstyle schedule – Because I only wash my hair twice a week I have a style schedule. The day I wash my hair I finish it off straight. Curls hold better in day old hair so the next day I like to do long waves or curls. After though curls look like a hot mess I like to do a messy bun or a ponytail. Which I can get away with for a few days. Dry shampoo is your friend in between washes. I use a colored powder one that matches my red hair. Curl day is my favorite.
8. Skip the pool, head to the beach instead – I know this isn’t always an option, but chlorine destroys colored hair. It can even change the color of your hair. Swim in saltwater pools, fresh water, or the ocean. Salt water will give you those sexy beach waves too!  
9. Put a filter on it – No, not an Instagram filter. A showerhead filter can cut back on mineral sediments in the water. 
10. Block the sun – Use a hat or even a hair product with sunscreen in it. The sun can fade the paint on buildings, cars, and billboards, of course, it can fade your hair. 

I love coloring my hair and I know I won’t stop doing it for a long time. I’ll be the grandma with turquoise blue hair. I get compliments from everyone about my hair. It’s out there and vibrant, just like me.