Coloring your hair can be disappointing when your fab new shade fades too quick, so if you want your new hair color to stay nice and fresh—as fresh as Debra Messing's lovely red hair color (right)—then check out this expert advice.
- If you have healthy hair then your color will last longer. Importantly, then, you need to make sure your hair has the correct moisture and protein levels.
- A hair color that's within two or three shades of your natural hair color will last longer because the fading won't be as noticeable.
- One of the first signs that your hair color is old and tired is when your roots are really obvious. Semi-permanent hair coloring can help you avoid this problem as it fades off more gently.
- If you choose a permanent color then a tinted hair glaze added over the top can help seal in your new hair color.
- If you're booked in for a hair coloring service then skip any other additional chemical treatments as things like perms can make your hair dryer and, in turn, increase the speed at which your color fades.
- For hair color solutions that are a little more fade-friendly try highlights or an underlay: highlights are done with bleach so they don't fade; and since the color of an underlay is quite subtle (its only visible through your top strands) it's not the end of the world if it fades a little.
- Shampooing your hair more than every other day will increase your hair color's fading. We recommend a pigmented shampoo also to help slow fading down.
- The sun does a great job fading your hair, so rather than cover your new hair color with a hat, grab some styling products with UV protectors.
Want more hair color tips? There's everything you need to know in our hair color articles. Check them out!
