Follow these simple tips and tricks to double the lifespan of your dye job so you can cut down on salon retouches
Follow these simple tips and tricks to double the lifespan of your dye job so you can cut down on salon retouches
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Label.M Brunette Dry Shampoo, $58 (200 ml), uses rice starch to soak up excess oil, and leaves hair with a matte, slightly texturised finish.
Banish oiliness with the tinted Batiste Medium and Brunette Dry Shampoo, $12.90 (200 ml), which is great for brown-coloured hair.
SPACE OUT YOUR WASH
Right after colouring, wait at least two days before washing your hair. This gives your hair cuticles more time to seal in your new colour longer. And space out shampoos - we’re talking twice a week, max. To tackle greasy roots or smelly strands, try a scented, coloured, dry shampoo. It’ll absorb any oil, prevent more from building up and give your locks a refresh in-between washes.
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Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Wash Shampoo, $40 (250 ml), contains colour-preserving ingredients and a wheat protein complex to guard against UV rays and humidity.
If you have a sensitive scalp, the Vichy Dercos Ultra-Soothing Color Cleansing Cream, $29 (250 ml), is formulated with scalpsoothing active ingredients that won’t cause colour fade.
Moist Diane Perfect Beauty Extra Moist & Shine Shampoo, $16.90 (450 ml), contains organic argan oil and keratin to repair damaged strands while enhancing vibrancy of coloured hair.
GO SULPHATEFREE
When you do shampoo, opt for formulas that don’t contain sulphates such as sodium lauryl sulphate. While these foaming detergents are good for those with oily scalps, they can strip away colour and cause premature fade.
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Protect and quench dehydrated hair with the nourishing IGK Thirsty Girl Coconut Milk Leave-in Conditioner, $42 (179 ml), which also helps keep frizz in check.
Activated by steam, the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Intense Repair Hair Sheet Mask, $6.90, saves you time by letting you moisturise your mane in the shower.
Neutralise brassy tones and put the radiance back in highlights with the Christophe Robin Shade Variation Care Nutritive Mask with Temporary Coloring, $77 (250 ml).
KEEP YOUR MANE MOISTURISED
The more moisturised your hair is, the better it holds colour. However, styling or treatment products that have alcohol listed in the top five ingredients can dry your hair out and strip the colour. To remedy this, use a weekly conditioning treatment, oil or mask to rehydrate, smooth and lock in colour.
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Aquis Lisse Luxe Hair Turban, $46, claims to cut hair drying time by 50 per cent, keeping your tresses vibrant, shiny and soft for a longer time.
Keune Care Absolute Volume Thermal Protector, $27 (200 ml), has a vitamin-enriched formula to strengthen hair fibres from within, while protecting it from heat styling.
TURN DOWN THE HEAT
Hot water is the biggest culprit for fading colour, so keep the water temperature as cool as possible when showering to make your shade go the distance. Using hot styling tools for your daily blowdry or weekly straightening contributes to colour-fade too, as heat fries the colour by opening the cuticle (where colour is locked in), lifting it out from the hair in the same way hot water does. Limit your use of heat tools as much as possible, and when you do use them, always apply heat protectant beforehand.
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Hydrate hair and enhance your colour with Aprilskin Turn-Up Color Treatment, $13 (60 ml), a temporary hair tint that lasts about two weeks.
Lengthen the life of ashy hues with Kevin.Murphy Colouring.Angels Cool. Angel, $50 (250 ml), which also nourishes your hair to keep it shiny.
Refresh your colour or switch shades whenever you wish with L’Oréal Paris Colorista Washouts, $16.90 (80 ml), a semi-permanent hair colour treatment that slowly fades over one to two weeks.
USE IN-SHOWER PIGMENTS
Sure, there are products made for colour-treated hair that work to preserve your just-dyed mane, but the next best things are in-shower pigments to help improve colour longevity, adjust the shade of your locks and lightly cover greys. Combine it with a protecting product to smarten your hair colour and make tresses look vibrant for longer.
RED CARPET-WORTHY TRESSES FOR EVERYDAY LOOKS
These celeb-inspired low-maintenance styles will keep you looking chic for a longer period of time
EXPOSED ROOTS
Rock “lived-in hair” like Jennifer Lopez, which involves using a colour at the roots that would help blend in with your natural colour when it grows out.
SOMBRE
A softer take on the ombre trend, sombre highlights feature a more gradual transition from darker to lighter tones. Create texture and movement with waves, like Ashley Tisdale.
BABYLIGHTS
Ask your stylist for very fine highlights a la Jenna Dewan to give your hair a subtle, sunkissed look that’s natural and multi-dimensional instead of flat.
ECAILLE
Also known as “tortoise shell”, this gold-tinted look, as seen on Kathy Chow, features woven streaks of browns and highlights to give hair tons of dimension and brighten up your visage.
BALAYAGE
Ask your stylist for handpainted highlights like Tiffany Haddish, which keeps your roots darker so that regrowth is less noticeable.
Fuss-Free Camouflage
If greys are poking through, your roots are showing or your colour has faded, try these DIY touch-ups
No pre-mixing necessary with Liese Blaune One-Touch Color in Bronze Brown, $17.90, which comes with a unique mini brush for the hairline and roots.
Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch- Up Stick Temple & Brow Edition in Light Brown, $38, does the doubleduty of disguising greys around the hairline and filling in scanty eyebrows.
Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch- Up Stick Temple & Brow Edition in Light Brown, $38, does the doubleduty of disguising greys around the hairline and filling in scanty eyebrows.
*Our savings of $800 is based on average spending of $100 every six weeks.
TEXT: BAUERSYNDICATION.COM.AU / ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ELIZABETH LIEW / PHOTOS: TPG NEWS / 123RF.COM
