How can I make my colour last longer?

Maybe you have a toner on your hair that you wished would last longer or just find that you colour loses its vibrancy sooner than you’d like.

The answer is porosity, which means the condition of your hair. The condition is the most important factor. If the hair is in good condition then the colour will last, if it isn’t it will fade faster.

Let’s start with toners. Toners are semi permanent colours that alter the toner of the hair by neutralising unwanted tones. The most common unwanted tone is gold/yellow. We neutralise gold with violet. Doing this leaves the hair a platinum shade of blonde. A lot of clients wish is to have the whitest blonde they can achieve. The only problem with this is that once hair is bleached, it starts drying out. Bleaching hair even when done properly and professionally is damaging. It’s essentially stripping the hair of all its strength and structure, each time its done it weakens the strands even more.

The reason why your toner fades and the yellow is exposed again is because the yellow never went away. The protein in our hair is called keratin and is also yellow in colour. So whilst there’s protein, there is yellow. Toners are just a plaster. They temporarily hide the yellow tones but cannot remove them totally. If the hair is ever lightened to white with bleach then the hair is ruined and destroyed. So whilst there is yellow, it means your hair is healthy.

The only thing you can do is look after it well. The products you use will help. Using a nourishing shampoo and conditioner and a weekly deep conditioning mask will keep your hair moisturised. Also getting regular trims, cutting down on the heat you put on your hair or if this cannot be avoided, using heat defence products. How you maintain your hair after your appointment is very important. Avoiding using certain products as they could be stripping your hair colour faster. Think about your skin care routine. Most people have a good cleanser, a scrub, toner and moisturiser. When it comes to hair, you should have a good shampoo, conditioner, mask and heat protector.

Invest in your hair too!