August 20, 2025 • 26 mins
Tired of watching your beautiful salon color fade away within weeks? You're not alone—it's one of the most common hair frustrations, but it doesn't have to be your reality.
Your gorgeous hair color isn't just magically disappearing. There are specific, preventable reasons behind premature fading, and understanding them is the key to maintaining vibrant, salon-fresh color for much longer. As a professional stylist and educator, I've seen thousands of clients struggle with this issue, and I'm pulling back the curtain on why it happens and exactly how to stop it.
The episode concludes with answers to the most common color longevity questions I receive: why red fades faster than other colors, whether purple shampoo prevents fading, how soon after coloring you can wash your hair, and the best products for refreshing faded ends between appointments.
Ready to break the cycle of fading color and preserve your beautiful shade? Listen now to transform your color maintenance routine and keep that just-left-the-salon look for weeks longer!
Shop my Amazon Storefront, where you'll find the Shower Filter, Olaplex Bond Building shampoo and more!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel
Use my Gloss Genius link to start using today!
______
Train With Confidence. Lead With Impact.
Running a salon is hard enough—training new stylists shouldn’t feel like a second full-time job.
If you're constantly pulled in a dozen directions, struggling to teach while juggling clients, and wishing your new hires would just get it faster—you’re not alone. And more importantly, you don’t have to keep doing it the hard way.
Download The Ultimate In-Salon Training Toolkit today and start onboarding your stylists with clarity, confidence, and zero guesswork.
_______
Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel as well!
Visit my Amazon Store for all my favorite products!
Grab your Ultimate In-Salon Training Toolkit!
Website: www.danisekeilitz.com
Instagram: danisekeilitz
Shop my favorite Eufora Products.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So tell me if this sounds familiar.
You leave the salon feelingfabulous.
Your hair color's rich, shiny,perfect, but then, within just a
couple of weeks, it starts tofade.
The vibrancy is gone, the shineis dull and you're left
wondering did I just waste allthat time and money?
You're not alone.
(00:21):
This is one of the topfrustrations clients have with
their hair color and, to tellyou the truth, it's kind of
frustrating for stylists too.
Welcome to All About Hair, wherewe talk shop, share stories and
spill the secrets behind greathair and a great career.
I'm your host, denise Keilitz,a former salon owner, educator
(00:44):
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylistbuilding your book or just
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the
right place.
Okay, so here's the truth Haircolor doesn't just magically
(01:05):
disappear.
There are some really goodreasons why it fades faster than
you want, and most of them arepreventable.
The good news With a littleknowledge and a few simple
changes, you can extend the lifeof your color and keep it
looking salon fresh for muchlonger.
Okay, let's talk about the firstobstacle your hair's condition.
(01:30):
We're talking the porosity andthe damage that's occurred in
the past.
So why does this matter.
Well, think of your hair like asponge.
If it's smooth and healthy, itholds on to color longer like a
sponge.
If it's smooth and healthy, itholds onto color longer, and if
it's over-processed, dry orporous, color molecules just
(01:55):
slip right out.
So what do you do?
Well, you could do deepconditioning treatments weekly
until your hair gets thestrength and the protein back in
it.
You can ask your stylist to usebond builders in your color, or
they do have bond builders overthe counter that you can use on
your hair with your shampoos.
In fact, I think um Olaplex hasa couple of them that you it's
(02:16):
actually like a shampoo and youwant to make sure that the
protein and the moisture balanceis correct in your hair, and
this makes your hair a strongercanvas so it'll hold onto those
color molecules.
Here's what you can do Just askyour stylist if your hair could
benefit from a porosityequalizer before coloring.
(02:38):
I guarantee you most hair colorcan.
Okay, I'll never forget thisone of my clients, sarah, who
loved platinum blonde, but shealso loved changing her look
every few months and after yearsof lightening, her hair became
so porous that no matter whatcolor we put in, it would fade
(02:59):
within a week.
She was frustrated and honestly, so was I.
But once we slowed down thebleaching, added in regular bond
treatments and gave her a glossbetween her appointments, her
color started holding again.
It was such a good reminderthat healthy hair really is the
foundation of lasting color.
(03:21):
Let's move on to anotherobstacle your water and your
hair washing habits.
Why does this matter?
Hot water swells the cuticleand it releases the color
molecule.
Hard water minerals build upand dull the shade and then, if
you shampoo too often, this canstrip the pigments out of your
(03:46):
hair.
I don't know there's some ofyou out there who really feel
like you need to wash your hairevery single day.
Totally get it.
You don't feel clean unlessyour hair is clean.
Totally get it.
Kind of wish I was that way,but I'm not.
I hate to shampoo my hair.
So why does this matter?
If you shampoo too frequentlyand you use hot water and you
(04:08):
have hard water minerals in yourwater, that is just a storm
ready to happen.
So here's the solution Try towash your hair with cooler water
, use a shower filter if youlive in hard water area, and
guess what?
I will share the link.
I just bought a shower filterfrom my house.
Love it.
I'll share the link in my shownotes.
(04:28):
You can go over to my Amazonstorefront and pick that up and
then also try not to shampoo asoften.
In this case.
Dry shampoo is your color'sbest friend, and if you are not
a fan of dry shampoo, I thinkit's probably just because you
haven't found the right one.
Again.
My Amazon storefront has a fewdry shampoos.
(04:49):
Euphora has a wonderful shampoo.
All those links are in my shownotes.
You go over there and shop away.
Okay, let's talk about the thirdobstacle using the wrong
products.
Why does this matter?
Well, many drugstore shampooscontain harsh sulfates that act
(05:10):
like laundry detergent and juststrip the color out of your hair
.
They're really great atcleaning, but they are brutal on
hair color.
Even some of the moisturizingshampoos and I'm saying that in
air quotes they aren't colorsafe, even if they say it.
See, this isn't all regulated.
They could say things on thelabel and just hope that you
(05:34):
don't read the ingredient list.
So make sure that you're usingshampoos that do not contain
sulfates.
Here's what I would do Investin salon quality shampoo and
conditioner formulated for colortreated hair.
How about listening to yourhairstylist and take their
recommendations.
(05:54):
I guarantee you they're notjust trying to sell you shampoo
and conditioner to make theirlittle tiny, minimal commission
that they might make on that.
It's actually good for yourhair color.
If you're going to spend allthat money on coloring your hair
, why wouldn't you invest insome products to protect your
investment?
You want to make sure thatthey're pH balanced, sulfate
(06:15):
free and your hair color willlast longer.
Now let's move on to the fourthobstacle heat styling.
This is a tricky one becauseconstant blow drying, flat
ironing and curling irons.
It actually breaks down thecuticle layer that's meant to
hold in your hair color, and youknow how I feel about that
cuticle layer.
(06:35):
We got to protect it at allcosts, right, but once that
cuticle is frayed, pigments justwash right out yeah, really,
really quickly.
So how do you combat this?
Well, you always, always,always have to apply heat
protection before styling yourhair.
I say this all the time.
(06:58):
Also, limit your high heat whenpossible.
You don't have to use thehighest heat on that flat iron.
You don't have to use thehighest heat on your blow dryer,
you really don't and maybe justembrace some styles that last a
few days between your washes.
Maybe the first day you blowdry your hair, the second day
you spray some curly spray in itor sea salt spray in it and
(07:22):
wear it a little bit wavy.
Maybe the third day you'rewearing it in a ponytail.
Then you're only washing yourhair every four days.
It could actually solve yourproblem.
All right, let's talk about thefifth obstacle the sun and the
environment.
Just like the sun fades fabricon your patio furniture and
we've all seen that right italso fades your hair color.
(07:43):
The UV rays, the chlorine fromswimming pools and even
pollution in the air workagainst your hair color.
So you want to protect yourhair, just like you protect your
skin.
We all know to use sunscreen onour skin.
Well, how about your hair?
Wear hats in the sun, rinseyour hair before and after
(08:06):
swimming, get that chlorine outof your hair and use leave-in
products with UV filters.
This is what I always suggest,like, especially if you're going
swimming or you're going to beat the beach all day.
Wet your hair beforehand because, remember, your hair is just
like a sponge A wet sponge has ahard time collecting any more
moisture in there.
(08:26):
So if your hair's already wetand you go into a pool, it's not
going to absorb all thechemicals that's in the pool,
right?
However, go the extra step.
How about you wet your hair andyou put a deep conditioning
protein mask on there that hasUV filters in it, maybe braid
your hair or then put it under ahat?
(08:46):
You're using the heat from thesun to open up that cuticle.
Get that mask in your hair.
So you're working all the areashere right and you're
protecting your hair.
That's what I would do.
I once had a client who sheloved spending every weekend on
her boat in the summertime andshe'd come in with the brightest
(09:07):
, glossiest brunette color, butwithin just a few weeks her hair
was brassy and dry.
We figured out it was hours ofunprotected sun exposure from
being on her boat.
So once she started wearing awide brimmed hat and using a UV
spray, her color lasted twice aslong.
So there is something to that,all right.
(09:30):
The last obstacle this I'mtalking to hairstylists, okay
the application and yourdeveloper choice.
Sometimes fading has less to dowith what clients do at home and
more with how the color wasapplied in the first place.
You see, using the wrongdeveloper, like if you're using
too high of a developer.
(09:51):
Using the wrong developer, likeif you're using too high of a
developer, skipping porosityequalizers, if you're not using
them or not processing longenough, can cause premature
fading.
Remember the episode I talkedabout toners?
Think about your toners.
For every minute you leave iton the hair, that's going to be
one shampoo.
That's not scientific, that isjust kind of a way to think
(10:13):
about it.
So if you're only leaving thattoner on the hair for five
minutes, it's only going to lastfive shampoos.
That's not the client's fault,that's your fault for getting
freaked out about not pickingthe right toner and it looks
like it's processing too darkand you're you're freaking out
of the shampoo bowl or you'rejust running behind and so
you're not letting the tonerprocess for 20 minutes or
(10:36):
whatever your manufacturersuggests.
Make sure you're using the rightdeveloper.
I always say, when you'rerefreshing the ends, a five
volume, seven volume that's allyou need for refreshing ends.
With all the porosityequalizers out there on the
market, there is no reason whyyou should not be using one
(10:57):
every single time.
You're applying hair,especially to the mid shafts and
ends, then processing time.
You've got to process it thewhole time.
This is where finding a stylistyou trust is so important.
You ask your hairstylist aboutbond builders, your glaze
options in between appointmentsand what they recommend for your
(11:21):
hair type, because everybody'shair type's different.
A good stylist will customizethe application to give your
color the best chance of lasting, and if they're not up to that,
you find a different stylist.
There's so many stylists outthere who really do believe in
healthy, beautiful hair.
There's a lot of stylists outthere, too, who believe in
(11:43):
taking shortcuts and using cheapproducts.
So you got options okay, but Iguarantee you, when you follow
these steps, you're going tonotice your color stays vibrant
for weeks longer.
Not only will it look better,but you'll save money and time
on your touch-ups.
Color can be one of yourbiggest confidence boosters and
(12:04):
it should last as long aspossible.
Now that we've covered thebiggest reasons why your color
might be fading and what you cando about it, I want to take a
few minutes to answer some ofthe most common questions I hear
from clients and listeners.
These are the things people arealways asking me about when it
comes to keep their color fresh.
Chances are you've wonderedabout a few of these yourself.
(12:26):
Here's one why does my red hairfade faster than blonde?
Well, red molecules are largerand they don't anchor as deeply
into the hair shaft, which makesthem the first to wash out.
That's why reds are notoriousfor fading fast.
So what do you do?
Use color depositing shampoosor conditioners made for
(12:48):
redheads, which they are outthere, I have to tell you.
Well, first of all, euphora hasa wonderful one, and it is not
a shampoo or conditioner, it's atreatment.
You use it in between yourshampoo and conditioners.
Fabulous, again, euphora linksare in the show notes.
They always are my favoriteproduct line.
However, I was just walkingaround in Target the other day
(13:11):
and I had some time to killbecause I was waiting on a
prescription, and so I walkeddown the hair color aisle, which
I never do.
I just don't shop the haircolor aisle at Target.
But, oh my gosh, I was sosurprised at all of the options
they have in their colordepositing shampoos and
(13:33):
conditioners.
Wow, you should just take avisit, and I'm sure other
drugstores, walmart, whereveryou shop I'm sure they have some
too.
But I was just surprised theyactually have some professional
brands in there that willactually give you some good
results and if you need somesuggestions, hit me up.
(13:54):
I'll help you.
Anyway, use your colordepositing shampoos and
conditioners made for redheads.
You want to make sure you'reshampooing less often oh yeah,
with cool water.
And you want to make sureyou're protecting your hair from
the UV rays which just zap thered pigment faster than most.
Okay, I know red's hard.
(14:15):
Beautiful when it's fresh, butit sure does fade fast, okay.
Another question Can purpleshampoo prevent fading?
Well, no, purple shampoo doesnot prevent fading, it corrects
tone.
Same with blue shampoos forbrunettes it does not prevent
fading, it corrects thebrassiness.
(14:38):
These are designed well.
The purple one is designed forblondes, to neutralize the
yellow or brassy tones, but notto hold the color in place.
Same with the blue shampoosit's not to hold the color in
place, it's just to neutralizethe orange.
So if fading is your issue, youwant to pair your purple
(15:00):
shampoo with a good color, safecleanser and a strengthening
conditioner.
You want protein in thatconditioner because you want to
build up the strength of yourhair.
Think of purple shampoo as atone refresher, not a fade
shield.
I think a lot of people thinkthat purple shampoo is going to
(15:20):
solve everything.
No, it is just used toneutralize yellow.
That is it All right.
Another question how soon aftercoloring my hair.
Can I wash it?
I would probably, and I youknow I have a hard time
reminding people about this Iwould wait at least two days,
two to three days, and I'mguilty of not of not telling my
(15:43):
clients this.
This just gives the cuticletime to completely close and the
pigment molecules time to lockin.
I do know that on my back bar Iuse a shampoo and conditioner
that helps the cuticle closedown so much so that you can't
even use it before a toner,because if you use that shampoo
before a toner, your tonerwouldn't stick because your
(16:03):
cuticle's too tightly closed.
Isn't that crazy?
So there are different shampoosout there, but if you're not
using the same shampoo andconditioner I'm using, then
definitely wait two to threedays before washing your hair,
because washing too soon canrinse away that fresh color
before it's set in.
And when you do wash, make surethat you use cool water and
(16:27):
you're just gentle on washingyour hair, all right.
Another question is hard waterreally that bad for hair color?
Uh yeah, it's like kryptonitefor hair color.
Hard water contains mineralslike calcium, magnesium and iron
that build up on your hair andthis makes your hair color look
dull and causes it to fadeunevenly.
(16:48):
So what do you do?
I would get a shower filter,very easy to hook onto your
shower head, very inexpensive Ithink you can buy one under $30.
Again, I'll put the link downin my show notes.
That's your first line ofdefense.
But you can also get clarifyingtreatments at the salon.
What that does is it completelygets all the minerals off your
(17:13):
hair and it's a clarifyingshampoo.
It goes in there and reallydeep cleanses the minerals out
of your hair.
We used to do this at the salonand we'd put it under heat and
you can actually see the like,uh, mineral deposits coming off
into the like you put a littleplastic bag over their hair and
(17:37):
it would actually come off andit would be like yellow liquidy.
Yeah, we used to live in aplace that had really hard water
and uh, uh, it was a problem.
It was a problem.
People, you know, get brassyhair.
Um, but if you're using aclarifying treatment and you
could do, I used to and I stilldo tell people this is to
clarify your hair before you goto the salon to get your hair
colored, because what that doesis you're totally cleanses the.
(17:57):
To clarify your hair before yougo to the salon to get your
hair colored, because what thatdoes is you're totally cleanses
the palette of your hair and itmakes it so the um color
molecules don't have to breakdown anything to get into the
hair shaft and into that cortexof your hair.
So maybe think about askingyour stylist for a clarifying
(18:18):
shampoo that you can take homeand use the day before you come
into the salon.
I think that everyone should dothat.
It's, that's a magic.
It is like magic makes thestylist job a lot easier too,
and also a chelating shampooonce a week can make a huge
difference.
And a chelating shampoos notquite as strong as a clarifying
(18:40):
treatment, but it does reallydoes help to get a product
buildup off the hair, somemineral buildup off the hair,
and that is something you couldjust keep in your shower, and
just once a week.
You know, sometimes we take theweekends to just really have a
day for ourselves.
Maybe that's your day to useyour chelating shampoo Again.
(19:00):
You can go over to my Amazonstorefront and I have a few of
those over there, all right.
Another question Do expensiveshampoos really make a
difference?
Well, in most cases, absolutelythey do.
Professional shampoos areconcentrated, ph balanced and
formulated without harshsulfates that strip hair color
Drugstore brands they oftencontain fillers and detergents
(19:24):
that make your hair feel clean,but they can also take the color
out of your hair.
With salon shampoos, a littlegoes a long way, so you actually
end up using less over time.
I think that's a hugemisconception.
Professional shampoos I'm notgoing to say that they are
affordable, because most of themaren't.
(19:45):
I mean, think about it.
It's like a $30 shampoo andsome are like 50.
Heck, I've seen like $75shampoos and I was like shoot,
you get your hair done and thenyou buy a shampoo and
conditioner and shampoo andconditioner is 150 bucks.
What Crazy right?
I totally get it, totally getit.
However, remember they'reconcentrated.
(20:05):
A little goes a long way andit's almost like buying
insurance for that hair color.
If you just spent and Lord knows, it's all over the place these
days but if you just spent eighthours in the salon, four hours
in the salon, spent $500 on thatbeautiful balayage with the
toner and all that stuff, thelast thing you want to do is get
(20:25):
a drugstore shampoo and wash itall out, holy cow.
So if you're going to spend allthat time and money and effort
to get your hair coloredbeautifully.
I would go ahead and make thatinvestment into a professional
shampoo and again, speaking tomy hairstylists and salon owners
out there, you could actuallybundle your shampoo and
(20:47):
conditioner into your hair colorpricing.
We've done that before.
Maybe not the full eight ouncebottle of shampoo, but maybe
your travel sizes.
Maybe you get travel sizeshampoo and conditioner.
You don't give it away for freebecause it costs you money.
Put that price into the priceof your hair color, but you're
sending them home with a littlemini version of shampoo and
(21:10):
conditioner so your client canactually see the difference in
what quality shampoo andconditioner feels like on their
hair and they're more apt to buyit next time.
We used to love doing this andbecause they're already spending
a lot of money coloring theirhair and a lot of people don't
have it in their budget to buythe shampoo and conditioner, I
(21:32):
don't blame them.
It does make a difference.
It absolutely makes adifference.
Another question what's the bestproduct to refresh faded ends?
I think the best product is acolor depositing conditioner or
gloss.
These add back pigment andshine between your appointments
and some brands even make customcolor conditioners for specific
(21:55):
tones.
I've seen that and actually Isaw those in in Target.
You always want to make sureyou apply this to your mid shaft
and to your ends, where thefading is most noticeable, and
follow this with a nourishingmask to seal it in.
The thing that I find thatpeople do is they use these
color depositing conditionersthinking that they're going to
(22:15):
feel like a conditioner, andthey're not.
They don't feel like aconditioner, it's actually.
It actually makes your hairfeel dry.
So that's why you want tofollow it up with a mask.
And then another question I getis how often should I gloss or
tone my hair between myappointments?
I would suggest every four tosix weeks.
That's typical, depending onyour hair type and how fast it
fades.
A gloss or a toner refreshesyour shade, add shine and
(22:38):
reseals the cuticle, so yourcolor looks fresh.
Think of it as a tune-up foryour color between surfaces.
The thing that you don't wantto do is you do not want to pull
that root color through yourends, because it can probably
contains a higher level ofdeveloper and all you're going
to be doing is opening thatcuticle up too much and trying
(22:59):
to deposit, and you don't wantto do that.
So if you are going to glossand tone in between your
appointments, make sure it's alow volume developer like a five
, a seven, no more than a 10,for sure, and um, but I would
say more like a five.
Anyway, I hope that I answeredsome of your questions and I
hope this helped you, and if youhave any other questions, reach
(23:22):
out to me and always remember,when you know better, you do
better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
If you loved this episode, hit,subscribe, leave us a review
and share it with a fellowstylist or hair loving friend.
You want more tips, tools andbehind the scenes goodness?
Follow me on YouTube or head tomy website at denisekeilitzcom.
(23:43):
Yes, I know it's hard to spell,so don't worry, the link is in
the show notes.
Until next time, keep learning,keep creating and keep loving
what you do.
So tell me if this sounds familiar.
You leave the salon feelingfabulous.
Your hair color's rich, shiny,perfect, but then, within just a
couple of weeks, it starts tofade.
The vibrancy is gone, the shineis dull and you're left
wondering did I just waste allthat time and money?
You're not alone.
(00:21):
This is one of the topfrustrations clients have with
their hair color and, to tellyou the truth, it's kind of
frustrating for stylists too.
Welcome to All About Hair, wherewe talk shop, share stories and
spill the secrets behind greathair and a great career.
I'm your host, denise Keilitz,a former salon owner, educator
(00:44):
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylistbuilding your book or just
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the
right place.
Okay, so here's the truth Haircolor doesn't just magically
(01:05):
disappear.
There are some really goodreasons why it fades faster than
you want, and most of them arepreventable.
The good news With a littleknowledge and a few simple
changes, you can extend the lifeof your color and keep it
looking salon fresh for muchlonger.
Okay, let's talk about the firstobstacle your hair's condition.
(01:30):
We're talking the porosity andthe damage that's occurred in
the past.
So why does this matter.
Well, think of your hair like asponge.
If it's smooth and healthy, itholds on to color longer like a
sponge.
If it's smooth and healthy, itholds onto color longer, and if
it's over-processed, dry orporous, color molecules just
(01:55):
slip right out.
So what do you do?
Well, you could do deepconditioning treatments weekly
until your hair gets thestrength and the protein back in
it.
You can ask your stylist to usebond builders in your color, or
they do have bond builders overthe counter that you can use on
your hair with your shampoos.
In fact, I think um Olaplex hasa couple of them that you it's
(02:16):
actually like a shampoo and youwant to make sure that the
protein and the moisture balanceis correct in your hair, and
this makes your hair a strongercanvas so it'll hold onto those
color molecules.
Here's what you can do Just askyour stylist if your hair could
benefit from a porosityequalizer before coloring.
(02:38):
I guarantee you most hair colorcan.
Okay, I'll never forget thisone of my clients, sarah, who
loved platinum blonde, but shealso loved changing her look
every few months and after yearsof lightening, her hair became
so porous that no matter whatcolor we put in, it would fade
(02:59):
within a week.
She was frustrated and honestly, so was I.
But once we slowed down thebleaching, added in regular bond
treatments and gave her a glossbetween her appointments, her
color started holding again.
It was such a good reminderthat healthy hair really is the
foundation of lasting color.
(03:21):
Let's move on to anotherobstacle your water and your
hair washing habits.
Why does this matter?
Hot water swells the cuticleand it releases the color
molecule.
Hard water minerals build upand dull the shade and then, if
you shampoo too often, this canstrip the pigments out of your
(03:46):
hair.
I don't know there's some ofyou out there who really feel
like you need to wash your hairevery single day.
Totally get it.
You don't feel clean unlessyour hair is clean.
Totally get it.
Kind of wish I was that way,but I'm not.
I hate to shampoo my hair.
So why does this matter?
If you shampoo too frequentlyand you use hot water and you
(04:08):
have hard water minerals in yourwater, that is just a storm
ready to happen.
So here's the solution Try towash your hair with cooler water
, use a shower filter if youlive in hard water area, and
guess what?
I will share the link.
I just bought a shower filterfrom my house.
Love it.
I'll share the link in my shownotes.
(04:28):
You can go over to my Amazonstorefront and pick that up and
then also try not to shampoo asoften.
In this case.
Dry shampoo is your color'sbest friend, and if you are not
a fan of dry shampoo, I thinkit's probably just because you
haven't found the right one.
Again.
My Amazon storefront has a fewdry shampoos.
(04:49):
Euphora has a wonderful shampoo.
All those links are in my shownotes.
You go over there and shop away.
Okay, let's talk about the thirdobstacle using the wrong
products.
Why does this matter?
Well, many drugstore shampooscontain harsh sulfates that act
(05:10):
like laundry detergent and juststrip the color out of your hair
.
They're really great atcleaning, but they are brutal on
hair color.
Even some of the moisturizingshampoos and I'm saying that in
air quotes they aren't colorsafe, even if they say it.
See, this isn't all regulated.
They could say things on thelabel and just hope that you
(05:34):
don't read the ingredient list.
So make sure that you're usingshampoos that do not contain
sulfates.
Here's what I would do Investin salon quality shampoo and
conditioner formulated for colortreated hair.
How about listening to yourhairstylist and take their
recommendations.
(05:54):
I guarantee you they're notjust trying to sell you shampoo
and conditioner to make theirlittle tiny, minimal commission
that they might make on that.
It's actually good for yourhair color.
If you're going to spend allthat money on coloring your hair
, why wouldn't you invest insome products to protect your
investment?
You want to make sure thatthey're pH balanced, sulfate
(06:15):
free and your hair color willlast longer.
Now let's move on to the fourthobstacle heat styling.
This is a tricky one becauseconstant blow drying, flat
ironing and curling irons.
It actually breaks down thecuticle layer that's meant to
hold in your hair color, and youknow how I feel about that
cuticle layer.
(06:35):
We got to protect it at allcosts, right, but once that
cuticle is frayed, pigments justwash right out yeah, really,
really quickly.
So how do you combat this?
Well, you always, always,always have to apply heat
protection before styling yourhair.
I say this all the time.
(06:58):
Also, limit your high heat whenpossible.
You don't have to use thehighest heat on that flat iron.
You don't have to use thehighest heat on your blow dryer,
you really don't and maybe justembrace some styles that last a
few days between your washes.
Maybe the first day you blowdry your hair, the second day
you spray some curly spray in itor sea salt spray in it and
(07:22):
wear it a little bit wavy.
Maybe the third day you'rewearing it in a ponytail.
Then you're only washing yourhair every four days.
It could actually solve yourproblem.
All right, let's talk about thefifth obstacle the sun and the
environment.
Just like the sun fades fabricon your patio furniture and
we've all seen that right italso fades your hair color.
(07:43):
The UV rays, the chlorine fromswimming pools and even
pollution in the air workagainst your hair color.
So you want to protect yourhair, just like you protect your
skin.
We all know to use sunscreen onour skin.
Well, how about your hair?
Wear hats in the sun, rinseyour hair before and after
(08:06):
swimming, get that chlorine outof your hair and use leave-in
products with UV filters.
This is what I always suggest,like, especially if you're going
swimming or you're going to beat the beach all day.
Wet your hair beforehand because, remember, your hair is just
like a sponge A wet sponge has ahard time collecting any more
moisture in there.
(08:26):
So if your hair's already wetand you go into a pool, it's not
going to absorb all thechemicals that's in the pool,
right?
However, go the extra step.
How about you wet your hair andyou put a deep conditioning
protein mask on there that hasUV filters in it, maybe braid
your hair or then put it under ahat?
(08:46):
You're using the heat from thesun to open up that cuticle.
Get that mask in your hair.
So you're working all the areashere right and you're
protecting your hair.
That's what I would do.
I once had a client who sheloved spending every weekend on
her boat in the summertime andshe'd come in with the brightest
(09:07):
, glossiest brunette color, butwithin just a few weeks her hair
was brassy and dry.
We figured out it was hours ofunprotected sun exposure from
being on her boat.
So once she started wearing awide brimmed hat and using a UV
spray, her color lasted twice aslong.
So there is something to that,all right.
(09:30):
The last obstacle this I'mtalking to hairstylists, okay
the application and yourdeveloper choice.
Sometimes fading has less to dowith what clients do at home and
more with how the color wasapplied in the first place.
You see, using the wrongdeveloper, like if you're using
too high of a developer.
(09:51):
Using the wrong developer, likeif you're using too high of a
developer, skipping porosityequalizers, if you're not using
them or not processing longenough, can cause premature
fading.
Remember the episode I talkedabout toners?
Think about your toners.
For every minute you leave iton the hair, that's going to be
one shampoo.
That's not scientific, that isjust kind of a way to think
(10:13):
about it.
So if you're only leaving thattoner on the hair for five
minutes, it's only going to lastfive shampoos.
That's not the client's fault,that's your fault for getting
freaked out about not pickingthe right toner and it looks
like it's processing too darkand you're you're freaking out
of the shampoo bowl or you'rejust running behind and so
you're not letting the tonerprocess for 20 minutes or
(10:36):
whatever your manufacturersuggests.
Make sure you're using the rightdeveloper.
I always say, when you'rerefreshing the ends, a five
volume, seven volume that's allyou need for refreshing ends.
With all the porosityequalizers out there on the
market, there is no reason whyyou should not be using one
(10:57):
every single time.
You're applying hair,especially to the mid shafts and
ends, then processing time.
You've got to process it thewhole time.
This is where finding a stylistyou trust is so important.
You ask your hairstylist aboutbond builders, your glaze
options in between appointmentsand what they recommend for your
(11:21):
hair type, because everybody'shair type's different.
A good stylist will customizethe application to give your
color the best chance of lasting, and if they're not up to that,
you find a different stylist.
There's so many stylists outthere who really do believe in
healthy, beautiful hair.
There's a lot of stylists outthere, too, who believe in
(11:43):
taking shortcuts and using cheapproducts.
So you got options okay, but Iguarantee you, when you follow
these steps, you're going tonotice your color stays vibrant
for weeks longer.
Not only will it look better,but you'll save money and time
on your touch-ups.
Color can be one of yourbiggest confidence boosters and
(12:04):
it should last as long aspossible.
Now that we've covered thebiggest reasons why your color
might be fading and what you cando about it, I want to take a
few minutes to answer some ofthe most common questions I hear
from clients and listeners.
These are the things people arealways asking me about when it
comes to keep their color fresh.
Chances are you've wonderedabout a few of these yourself.
(12:26):
Here's one why does my red hairfade faster than blonde?
Well, red molecules are largerand they don't anchor as deeply
into the hair shaft, which makesthem the first to wash out.
That's why reds are notoriousfor fading fast.
So what do you do?
Use color depositing shampoosor conditioners made for
(12:48):
redheads, which they are outthere, I have to tell you.
Well, first of all, euphora hasa wonderful one, and it is not
a shampoo or conditioner, it's atreatment.
You use it in between yourshampoo and conditioners.
Fabulous, again, euphora linksare in the show notes.
They always are my favoriteproduct line.
However, I was just walkingaround in Target the other day
(13:11):
and I had some time to killbecause I was waiting on a
prescription, and so I walkeddown the hair color aisle, which
I never do.
I just don't shop the haircolor aisle at Target.
But, oh my gosh, I was sosurprised at all of the options
they have in their colordepositing shampoos and
(13:33):
conditioners.
Wow, you should just take avisit, and I'm sure other
drugstores, walmart, whereveryou shop I'm sure they have some
too.
But I was just surprised theyactually have some professional
brands in there that willactually give you some good
results and if you need somesuggestions, hit me up.
(13:54):
I'll help you.
Anyway, use your colordepositing shampoos and
conditioners made for redheads.
You want to make sure you'reshampooing less often oh yeah,
with cool water.
And you want to make sureyou're protecting your hair from
the UV rays which just zap thered pigment faster than most.
Okay, I know red's hard.
(14:15):
Beautiful when it's fresh, butit sure does fade fast, okay.
Another question Can purpleshampoo prevent fading?
Well, no, purple shampoo doesnot prevent fading, it corrects
tone.
Same with blue shampoos forbrunettes it does not prevent
fading, it corrects thebrassiness.
(14:38):
These are designed well.
The purple one is designed forblondes, to neutralize the
yellow or brassy tones, but notto hold the color in place.
Same with the blue shampoosit's not to hold the color in
place, it's just to neutralizethe orange.
So if fading is your issue, youwant to pair your purple
(15:00):
shampoo with a good color, safecleanser and a strengthening
conditioner.
You want protein in thatconditioner because you want to
build up the strength of yourhair.
Think of purple shampoo as atone refresher, not a fade
shield.
I think a lot of people thinkthat purple shampoo is going to
(15:20):
solve everything.
No, it is just used toneutralize yellow.
That is it All right.
Another question how soon aftercoloring my hair.
Can I wash it?
I would probably, and I youknow I have a hard time
reminding people about this Iwould wait at least two days,
two to three days, and I'mguilty of not of not telling my
(15:43):
clients this.
This just gives the cuticletime to completely close and the
pigment molecules time to lockin.
I do know that on my back bar Iuse a shampoo and conditioner
that helps the cuticle closedown so much so that you can't
even use it before a toner,because if you use that shampoo
before a toner, your tonerwouldn't stick because your
(16:03):
cuticle's too tightly closed.
Isn't that crazy?
So there are different shampoosout there, but if you're not
using the same shampoo andconditioner I'm using, then
definitely wait two to threedays before washing your hair,
because washing too soon canrinse away that fresh color
before it's set in.
And when you do wash, make surethat you use cool water and
(16:27):
you're just gentle on washingyour hair, all right.
Another question is hard waterreally that bad for hair color?
Uh yeah, it's like kryptonitefor hair color.
Hard water contains mineralslike calcium, magnesium and iron
that build up on your hair andthis makes your hair color look
dull and causes it to fadeunevenly.
(16:48):
So what do you do?
I would get a shower filter,very easy to hook onto your
shower head, very inexpensive Ithink you can buy one under $30.
Again, I'll put the link downin my show notes.
That's your first line ofdefense.
But you can also get clarifyingtreatments at the salon.
What that does is it completelygets all the minerals off your
(17:13):
hair and it's a clarifyingshampoo.
It goes in there and reallydeep cleanses the minerals out
of your hair.
We used to do this at the salonand we'd put it under heat and
you can actually see the like,uh, mineral deposits coming off
into the like you put a littleplastic bag over their hair and
(17:37):
it would actually come off andit would be like yellow liquidy.
Yeah, we used to live in aplace that had really hard water
and uh, uh, it was a problem.
It was a problem.
People, you know, get brassyhair.
Um, but if you're using aclarifying treatment and you
could do, I used to and I stilldo tell people this is to
clarify your hair before you goto the salon to get your hair
colored, because what that doesis you're totally cleanses the.
(17:57):
To clarify your hair before yougo to the salon to get your
hair colored, because what thatdoes is you're totally cleanses
the palette of your hair and itmakes it so the um color
molecules don't have to breakdown anything to get into the
hair shaft and into that cortexof your hair.
So maybe think about askingyour stylist for a clarifying
(18:18):
shampoo that you can take homeand use the day before you come
into the salon.
I think that everyone should dothat.
It's, that's a magic.
It is like magic makes thestylist job a lot easier too,
and also a chelating shampooonce a week can make a huge
difference.
And a chelating shampoos notquite as strong as a clarifying
(18:40):
treatment, but it does reallydoes help to get a product
buildup off the hair, somemineral buildup off the hair,
and that is something you couldjust keep in your shower, and
just once a week.
You know, sometimes we take theweekends to just really have a
day for ourselves.
Maybe that's your day to useyour chelating shampoo Again.
(19:00):
You can go over to my Amazonstorefront and I have a few of
those over there, all right.
Another question Do expensiveshampoos really make a
difference?
Well, in most cases, absolutelythey do.
Professional shampoos areconcentrated, ph balanced and
formulated without harshsulfates that strip hair color
Drugstore brands they oftencontain fillers and detergents
(19:24):
that make your hair feel clean,but they can also take the color
out of your hair.
With salon shampoos, a littlegoes a long way, so you actually
end up using less over time.
I think that's a hugemisconception.
Professional shampoos I'm notgoing to say that they are
affordable, because most of themaren't.
(19:45):
I mean, think about it.
It's like a $30 shampoo andsome are like 50.
Heck, I've seen like $75shampoos and I was like shoot,
you get your hair done and thenyou buy a shampoo and
conditioner and shampoo andconditioner is 150 bucks.
What Crazy right?
I totally get it, totally getit.
However, remember they'reconcentrated.
(20:05):
A little goes a long way andit's almost like buying
insurance for that hair color.
If you just spent and Lord knows, it's all over the place these
days but if you just spent eighthours in the salon, four hours
in the salon, spent $500 on thatbeautiful balayage with the
toner and all that stuff, thelast thing you want to do is get
(20:25):
a drugstore shampoo and wash itall out, holy cow.
So if you're going to spend allthat time and money and effort
to get your hair coloredbeautifully.
I would go ahead and make thatinvestment into a professional
shampoo and again, speaking tomy hairstylists and salon owners
out there, you could actuallybundle your shampoo and
(20:47):
conditioner into your hair colorpricing.
We've done that before.
Maybe not the full eight ouncebottle of shampoo, but maybe
your travel sizes.
Maybe you get travel sizeshampoo and conditioner.
You don't give it away for freebecause it costs you money.
Put that price into the priceof your hair color, but you're
sending them home with a littlemini version of shampoo and
(21:10):
conditioner so your client canactually see the difference in
what quality shampoo andconditioner feels like on their
hair and they're more apt to buyit next time.
We used to love doing this andbecause they're already spending
a lot of money coloring theirhair and a lot of people don't
have it in their budget to buythe shampoo and conditioner, I
(21:32):
don't blame them.
It does make a difference.
It absolutely makes adifference.
Another question what's the bestproduct to refresh faded ends?
I think the best product is acolor depositing conditioner or
gloss.
These add back pigment andshine between your appointments
and some brands even make customcolor conditioners for specific
(21:55):
tones.
I've seen that and actually Isaw those in in Target.
You always want to make sureyou apply this to your mid shaft
and to your ends, where thefading is most noticeable, and
follow this with a nourishingmask to seal it in.
The thing that I find thatpeople do is they use these
color depositing conditionersthinking that they're going to
(22:15):
feel like a conditioner, andthey're not.
They don't feel like aconditioner, it's actually.
It actually makes your hairfeel dry.
So that's why you want tofollow it up with a mask.
And then another question I getis how often should I gloss or
tone my hair between myappointments?
I would suggest every four tosix weeks.
That's typical, depending onyour hair type and how fast it
fades.
A gloss or a toner refreshesyour shade, add shine and
(22:38):
reseals the cuticle, so yourcolor looks fresh.
Think of it as a tune-up foryour color between surfaces.
The thing that you don't wantto do is you do not want to pull
that root color through yourends, because it can probably
contains a higher level ofdeveloper and all you're going
to be doing is opening thatcuticle up too much and trying
(22:59):
to deposit, and you don't wantto do that.
So if you are going to glossand tone in between your
appointments, make sure it's alow volume developer like a five
, a seven, no more than a 10,for sure, and um, but I would
say more like a five.
Anyway, I hope that I answeredsome of your questions and I
hope this helped you, and if youhave any other questions, reach
(23:22):
out to me and always remember,when you know better, you do
better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
If you loved this episode, hit,subscribe, leave us a review
and share it with a fellowstylist or hair loving friend.
You want more tips, tools andbehind the scenes goodness?
Follow me on YouTube or head tomy website at denisekeilitzcom.
(23:43):
Yes, I know it's hard to spell,so don't worry, the link is in
the show notes.
Until next time, keep learning,keep creating and keep loving
what you do.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!