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TIPS & TRICKS TO KEEPING YOUR FANTASY HAIR COLOR VIBRANT & HEALTHY.
I have been a Vivid Hair Specialist for a good portion of my career, & usually have vivid hair colors myself. Here is some knowledge that I have acquired over the years on how to care for vivid hair colors. Its a commitment but it's so worth it to have such fun hair!
Keep it Dirty. That’s right, I said it! Shampoo your hair as minimally as possible. If you work out or have gotten sweaty try just wetting your hair with no shampoo and a little conditioner on the ends. Your hair needs some of its natural oils to be healthy.
Turn Down The Heat. Use cold water when wetting your hair. No matter whether you are shampooing your hair, or just wetting your hair try to use as cold water as you can stand. Hot water opens the cuticle and releases color molecules, cold water keeps the cuticle sealed. I wash my hair at the end of my shower so I can use hot water on my body then cold water on my hair at the very end.
Drop it if its Hot! Use your styling tools on low heat. High heated styling tools may style faster but they also fade your color faster. Style your hair on the lowest heat setting that will get the job done. Using a light hold touchable hair spray before heat styling will help hold the style longer and with less heat. I also only do one pass with the flat iron to avoid fading my color.
Hate Sulfates! Use sulfate free shampoo & conditioner. Sulfates may make your hair feel cleaner initially but over time they will strip the natural oils from your hair and cause it to naturally produce excess oil which will lead to you having to shampoo your hair more often. The more often you shampoo your hair the quicker your colors fade. Using salon quality shampoo & conditioner will promote healthy oils in your hair without causing your hair to over produce oils. Sulfate free products also are less harsh, which means less likely to strip out your color. As a curly girl myself I’ve noticed a big improvement with the health of my curls after switching to sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.
Follow Directions! Buy recommended products from your stylist. Your stylist knows whats best for your hair and they have reasons behind why they recommend what they recommend. Your stylist has learned which products work best with the hair color that they use. As a stylist I can tell you we will not steer you wrong! We want to preserve our work on your beautiful hair.
Soak it Up! Use dry shampoo. On no-wash days use a good dry shampoo to soak up any excess oils. Dry shampoo also helps soak up yesterdays smells, it will help your look and smell fresh and help you push your wash day out further. My favorite dry shampoo is by Eleven Australia: called Give Me Clean Hair Dry Shampoo.
Protect Yourself! Use heat protectant. Heat protectant keeps your hair from being damaged by heat tools. If you use a nice light heat protectant it will not weigh your hair down or make you have to wash it sooner.
Conditioner is Key! Leave-in conditioner helps protect your hair from the sun and its damaging rays. Its like sunscreen for your hair. Leave-in conditioner is also important for us curly girls.
Avoid sunbathing! Direct sunlight is a no-no. Even when using a leave-in conditioner you should still avoid sitting in direct sunlight. Sunlight has a natural bleaching effect & will fade your vivid hair color. Avoiding being in the sun all the time is also very good for your skin.
Plan it Out! Plan your maintenance ahead of time. Its important to plan wash days and no-wash days. This way you will know what styles you will wear certain days and how much time you will need to dedicate to your hair each morning. I plan out which days my hair will be down, or up, or completely covered.
Get Creative! Get creative with hair styles, learn some cool braided & ponytail styles to push out wash day even further. Go on youtube and learn some styles for your hair length, texture, & pattern. When I search styles on youtube I like to throw in words like “quick” & “easy’ so I wont be working on my hair all morning.
Trim the Split! Keep your ends trimmed. Make sure to have your hair keep up with your split ends. Damaged hair doesn’t hold color well & will make your hair color look uneven & dull. Trust me: long hair doesn’t look good if its stringy and damaged on the ends.
Shower Power! Invest in shower head filter. Amazon has hard water filters for your shower head to help prevent mineral build up on your hair. Minerals can cause your hair color to fade and also make it harder to lift your hair for vivid color applications. Hard water mineral build up can cause a bad chemical reaction on your hair, which may include heat and/or smoking.
Don’t be a Cheapskate! Cheaper is not always better. Saving initially may cost you more in the future. Cheap hair products will not maintain your expensive hair color. Also its best to go with a colorist who invests in nice professional hair products and colors. This colorist may come with a hefty price tag but it will be worth the price.
Time is Money! Be prepared to spend time on your hair at home and in your initial appointment. When going in to your first vivid hair color appointment expect to be there for some hours! Especially if you go in with already dark or previously colored hair. Expect to spend time experimenting different styles and products that will work for the longevity of your hair color.
Look it Up! Do your own research on your color line. Once you find a color line that you think you like you can go to their website and find a list of stylists in your area that use the color line.
Read Reviews! Research your stylist. Think about what you want in a stylist, then look up stylists in your area and read reviews that describe the qualities you want in the type of stylist you are looking for. I love that my clients leave me wonderful, honest reviews!
Add Some Color! Color depositing shampoo and conditioner is great to keep your colors vibrant. Especially when you have 1 solid all over vivid color. You can ask your stylist to make you a take home color bomb or your stylist may sell color depositing shampoo and conditioner. I like the Viral color depositing shampoo.
Stay Strong! Ask for K18 to be added to your color and take home K18 products to keeps your bonds strong. I use K18 in all my vivid hair services.
Stay Moisturized! Use a moisturizing hair mask every 3rd or 4th shampoo to keep your hair moisturized and strong. This will keep your hair nourished without making it oily. Moisture is so important in hair care & maintenance of all types.
The Drier the Better! Avoid wetting hair if possible, every time you wet your hair you will lose a little bit of color. I know, I know it sucks! But it is the reality of vivid hair color. So one dry hair days cover your hair with a shower cap. A swim cap is also a great tool for those who swim a lot!
Fade it Out! Embrace the fade. Think about how the color will fade when you get it colored. I recommend choosing a color that you will like the color of initially and when it starts to fade. If you hate green don’t go with a teal hair color because you will hate the fade. I love getting purple in my hair because I like the silvery color that it fades to with Danger Jones Creative's Libertine.
Alright guys those are my best tips and tricks for keeping your hair healthy and vibrant with vivid colors, if you have any questions please leave a comment & I would love to answer them for you!