It’s 1am now. I have work to do in the morning and I absolutely hate showering at night. The bathroom looks like the scene of a passerby incident. There is red in some places. The shower floor, the glass door (wow, I can’t wait to clean it later…), on the tiles, in the grout, and even the bloody ceiling. No, I don’t have the worst periods in the world. I just dyed my hair hot pink in a hurry and apparently now I have to do it every time I wash my hair.
Let’s get back to the topic. Two weeks ago, I was sitting in a chair at Hadley Yates Salon when Georgina Hamilton-Hopkins, the salon’s color director, looked at me quizzically. Like pink pink? ‘I was convinced – I had been ready to enter the King Kylie era (IYKYK) for years now. So Georgina nodded reassuringly (she happens to be behind one of the most famous barnets in the business, by the way) and began a full day’s work.
Eight hours later, I left the salon feeling like Kim Possible. Read: Hot as hell. My hair was bright pink, a fun addition to my boring uniform of white T-shirt and jeans. And thanks to the K18 treatment Georgina added to my service, it felt healthy despite my already dark black base. However, there was a catch. “I dyed your hair lighter than you wanted, because the color starts to fade as soon as you wash it,” she warned me as I bounded out of the salon in innocent glee.
It has now faded to a perfect peachy pink shade and I hit the bottle of dye every time I wash it to maintain this shade. Well, there’s a little more to it. “What many people don’t realize is that unnatural hair colors (blue, pink, purple, etc.) are only temporary,” says Georgina. This means you need to be serious about maintaining your chosen shade. “Light-colored hair equals high-maintenance hair!” She adds that the color will fade after just 3 to 30 washes. It all depends on your hair health, type, and aftercare approach, and there are things you can do regardless of your hair’s health or texture.
With this in mind, consider this a good guide for all things crazy color maintenance. From now on, you’ll know exactly how to extend the life of your perfect shade.
How to keep colored hair vibrant
use cold water
We’re not saying you should freeze yourself, but ideally you should always lower the water temperature to lukewarm when rinsing your hair. “In cold water, the hair follicles stay closed, which means the color is less likely to fade or wash out,” explains Georgina. The hotter the water, the faster the color will fade.
Wash your hair… less
Yes, this sounds a little strange, but trust the process. Georgina recommends finding a suitable dry shampoo to extend the time between washes. No one wants really dirty hair, but doing this will inevitably make the color last a little longer because you simply don’t have to wash your hair as often. I personally love the ARKIVE Headcare Reset Dry Shampoo. It smells like a dream and leaves no unpleasant residue. If you’re working out, opt for Batiste’s Sweat-Activated Dry Shampoo, which cleverly releases bits of freshness when it comes in contact with moisture.
Archives Head Care The Reset Dry Shampoo
Batiste 24H Active Sweat Activated Dry Shampoo
25% off now
Credit: Batiste
add color to conditioner
Oh, and the tip about flipping the bathroom over every time you wash your hair. I can tell you to take a small bowl, add a spritz of hair color in it, add conditioner and carefully apply the mixed concoction to your hair using a suitable tint brush (And you should). Oh, and you should wear gloves. But in reality, I squeeze the conditioner into my hands as usual, add a small amount of dye, squish it in my hands, and then go to town and apply conditioner to my hair as usual. For my current color, I’m loving Pinkissimo by Crazy Color. Georgina recommends using Shrine Hair Drops for those who want it easier than I did. It comes with a handy mixing bowl and spatula.
Crazy Color Semi-Permanent Hair Color Cream Pinkimo No 42
Hot Pink Hair Dye – DROP IT Kit
If making this cocktail sounds a little messy, opt for a pre-dyed mask instead. This can be used on its own without mixing anything to complement the color (!).
Maria Nila Color Refresh Bright Red 300ml
SCHWARZKOPF Professional Chroma ID Hair Color Mask – Pink
Use hair repair products, oils, and heat protectors
Unless you’re a naturally white blonde, you’ll need to bleach and lighten your hair before you can enjoy the vibrant color. “The lighter your hair, the brighter the color,” Georgina confirms. After all, this is why I spent a whopping 8 hours in her chair. Georgina took a long time bleaching each strand of hair, then waited for my color to come up before heading back into the room to further bleach any stubborn pigmented areas.
As a result of bleaching my lengths (which is traumatic), hair repair formulas and hair growth rituals have become mandatory. “My favorite is K18’s Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask, which helps restore damage at a molecular level, improve hair integrity and set color,” says Georgina. To be honest, I too own a bottle (or two) of this to keep my hair in tip-top condition.
K18 Non-rinse Molecular Repair Hair Mask
It is also essential to use a heat protector for both styling and sun protection. “Adding heat to your hair doesn’t directly affect the color,” Georgina explains. “But heat can be damaging and lead to color fading.” To prevent this damage, she naturally recommends the iconic Color Wow Dream Coat, which boosts shine and protects your style from moisture and heat. I am. My favorite, on the other hand, is the Sun Bum 3-in-1 Leave In. This not only protects from heat and UV rays, but also allows your natural waves to look defined and shiny when your hair dries naturally.
As a South Asian girl, I’m also pretty into applying hair oil. Keeps your scalp and hair healthy. This is very important considering how much work we put into our hair when bleaching, coloring, and styling. My current favorite is the refreshing Cantu Rosemary & Mint Hair & Scalp Oil. I use this as a pre-shampoo treatment, massaging it into my scalp and lengths, then leaving it on overnight and washing it off in the morning. If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to soak your hair overnight, use this oil mask hybrid product from NUXE and leave it on for 10 minutes before washing. After showering, I like to add a little Indie Wild Champi Hair Oil to reduce hair fall and keep my hair shiny.
Rough dry your hair before blow drying
Hair is more susceptible to damage when it’s wet, so it’s a bad idea to use a round brush with metal spikes to blow dry your hair straight to achieve that dream blowout like Matilda Gelf. Instead, Georgina says you should rough-dry your hair until it’s about 90 per cent dry before reaching for your styling tools. My weapons of choice are the Dyson Air Strait and Hersheson’s Wand. I use the Air Straight to rough dry my hair, then straighten it, then use the wand to expertly add smooth curls.
Dyson Airstrait™ Straightener
Airstrait uses air to straighten hair without heat damage (score!). The Wand features a sleek, clip-free barrel with multiple heat settings, making it easy to curl your own hair. Together, these tools make styling your hair easier and faster, and reduce the amount of time your hair is exposed to heat overall.
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