Plus, why healthy hair is the key to staying vibrant.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a fresh cut and color. But when that color has lost its luster a week after walking out of the salon? It’s extremely disheartening—and extremely common.
If only it were simple to preserve salon-grade vibrancy and shine long-term. Good news: it is, and it all starts with understanding why color fades in the first place.
what makes color fade?
There are a few reasons your clients' color might be fading faster than you would like. Some are obvious—but others might surprise you.
Environmental stress. Sunlight and UV rays break down the chemical bonds in hair dye, leading to faster fading, especially when exposure is prolonged and you don’t have protective products in the mix. Our hair gets exposed to the elements constantly. For anyone that loves swimming: both the chlorine in swimming pools and saltwater from the ocean can be stripping and drying which makes hair more prone to pigment loss.
Harsh ingredients. The products we use every day (especially non-color-safe shampoos and conditioners) can make you more vulnerable to fading color. When you read ingredient lists, keep an eye out for some of the following:
Sulfates: These are common in many shampoos to get a nice lather, but are known to strip hair of natural oils and color.
Certain alcohols: Some alcohols can be dehydrating, which in turn makes our hair more porous and color fade way faster. Note: some alcohols can actually increase product efficacy, and the dose is important, so just remember not all alcohols are created equal!
High pH ingredients (like baking soda or some alkaline treatments): A pH of around 4.5–5.5 is ideal for color-treated hair. When products have a high pH then end up opening up the hair cuticle, which allows for dye molecules to escape.
Salt: There are a lot of decadent sea salt scrubs out there…but salt (AKA sodium chloride) is extremely drying which speeds up color fade.
Daily habits. Whether you are showering every day or using heat styling regularly, our daily habits can have a big impact on how long color lasts. Frequent washing (especially with very hot water) can cause color to leach out. The damage + weakened hair shaft caused by hot styling also causes color to fade.
damage makes color fade faster
The important thing to remember is coloring hair = damage. The spectrum of damage varies, but there is no way to avoid it entirely.
Most permanent hair dyes use ammonia or similar agents to open the hair cuticle, allowing color to penetrate. Bleach uses peroxide to strip the natural pigment (stripping your hair in the process). Dyeing your hair can zap away natural oils and make your hair more porous, which often leads to frizz, split ends, and breakage. Coupling damage from services with environmental factors and less-than-nourishing products results in fast-fading color.
so, what can your clients do to preserve color?
Go longer between washes. The more they wash their hair, the faster the color washes out. This is because water alone can swell the hair shaft and loosen the dye molecules (especially if it’s hard water).
Recommend AirWash™ dry shampoo to cut down on wash days and keep their hair fresh and clean for up to three days* longer.
Be picky with ingredients. Read ingredient labels, especially for the products that are being used regularly, and retire anything that might interfere with color.
Gently cleanse with color-safe DAMAGE SHIELD™ pH protective shampoo + DAMAGE SHIELD™ pH protective conditioner, which together protect against dullness, frizz and tangling* + reduce the excess swelling of the hair cuticle while washing.
Start with a healthy canvas. Think of this as proactive care versus reactive care. The healthier their hair is when they walk into the salon for a color, the more vibrant the results will be.
For the first 4-6 washes after a service, then once a week, repair with K18 leave-in molecular repair hair mask for strong, healthy hair. The patented K18PEPTIDE™ within is clinically proven to reverse damage from bleach + color, chemical services, and heat in 4 minutes*.
Repair in the salon chair. Your clients' don’t have to wait until they get home to start their K18 repair journey when you repair and stregthen hair with K18 throughout your services.
Use the K18REPAIR™ service during the color appointment. This reparative approach protects the hair during the service, and restores it afterward.
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