5 care mistakes that fade your colour faster

With normal care, a good colour holds for six to eight weeks before the roots show – and the colour itself should stay vibrant during that time. If it looks dull after just two or three weeks, it is almost always down to one of these five things.

1. Water that is too hot

Hot water opens the cuticle layer of the hair. That is exactly where the colour pigments sit – and they get rinsed out a little with every hot shower. Lukewarm is perfectly enough, and a short cold rinse at the end closes the cuticle again.

2. Washing straight after colouring

Colour needs time to settle into the hair. Reaching for the shampoo the day after your appointment rinses part of the pigment straight back out. Waiting two to three days makes a noticeable difference.

3. The wrong shampoo

Many drugstore shampoos contain harsh surfactants that clean thoroughly but also strip colour. A shampoo for coloured hair is formulated more gently. It sounds like marketing – in this case it is not.

4. Heat without protection

Straighteners and curling irons work at 180 to 230 degrees. Without heat protection this changes not only the hair structure but the tone as well: blondes turn brassy, dark tones lose their depth. A spray before styling takes five seconds.

5. Underestimating sun and chlorine

UV light bleaches hair colour just as it does fabric, and in summer chlorinated water adds to it. If you spend a lot of time outdoors or in the pool, consider a leave-in with a UV filter – or simply soak your hair with clean water before swimming so it does not absorb the chlorinated water.

In short

Colour does not hold on its own. Wash lukewarm, be patient for a few days after your appointment, use the right shampoo and always use heat protection – that alone buys you several extra weeks of vibrancy. If you are unsure which care routine suits your hair, just ask us at your next appointment.