Why Does My Hair Colour Fade?
Few things are more frustrating than leaving the salon with a colour you love, only to watch it fade faster than you’d hoped. The good news is that fading is well understood — and once you know what’s behind it, a lot of it can be managed. Here’s an honest guide from the team at Wisteria Avenue in Abingdon. Broadly, fading comes down to two things: the type of colour you’ve chosen, and the condition of your hair.
Some colours simply fade faster
This is the part people are often surprised by: certain colours fade quickly by their very nature, and it’s nothing to do with the hair being unhealthy or the colour being applied badly.
- Semi-permanent colours are designed to fade gradually — they sit on the surface of the hair rather than penetrating deeply, so they wash out over a set number of washes. That’s how they’re meant to behave, so a shorter lifespan is expected, not a fault.
- Creative and fashion colours — pastels, vivids, bold tones — are some of the fastest to fade. They look spectacular but generally need regular topping up to stay looking their best.
- Reds and coppers are the fastest-fading of the natural shades. The pigment molecules in red tones are larger and don’t hold in the hair as stubbornly as other colours, so reds genuinely do wash out sooner. If you love a red, it’s worth knowing that going in — it doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong.
None of this means you should avoid these colours — just that choosing one is also choosing a bit of upkeep. A stylist can be honest with you upfront about how a particular shade will wear.
Hair condition is the other half of the story
The second major factor is the state of your hair. Colour holds best in healthy hair — and struggles in hair that’s damaged or porous.
The hair’s cuticle — its outer layer — is what locks colour in. When the cuticle is smooth and healthy, it holds pigment well. When it’s damaged, raised or porous, colour escapes far more easily and fades quickly. Hair that’s been over-processed, or simply not looked after, will lose colour faster whatever shade you choose. This is why colour and condition go hand in hand: investing in your hair’s health is also investing in your colour lasting.
What helps colour last longer
Whichever type of colour you have, a few things genuinely make a difference:
- Look after your hair’s condition. Regular conditioning treatments and masks keep the cuticle healthy so it holds colour better. A good in-salon treatment alongside your colour is well worth it.
- Use the right products. Harsh, stripping shampoos pull colour out faster. Products suited to coloured hair are gentler and help it hold. Your stylist can recommend what suits your hair — and the right product matters more than the priciest.
- Choose with your eyes open. If low upkeep matters to you, that’s worth saying at your consultation — some colours and techniques fade far more gracefully than others.
Get it right from the start in Abingdon
The best way to get colour that lasts is an honest conversation before you start — about the shade you want, how it will wear, and what your hair can hold. Book in for a free, no-obligation colour consultation, and have a look at our price list to see what’s involved.
