6 Ways You're Ruining Your Dyed Hair

If your color isn't lasting, try changing up your hair care routine.
If your color isn't lasting, try changing up your hair care routine.

1. Washing your hair too often
"Color's worst enemy is water," colorist Ruth Roche told Good Housekeeping. The chemicals in hair dye make your hair more vulnerable to water's effects. This doesn't mean you need to stop taking showers -- just make simple tweaks to your routine, like avoiding excessive rinsing: "Once you've shampooed and conditioned, don't tilt your head back and let the water just run over it for several minutes," says Teca Gillespie, a scientist with P&G. Instead of shampooing your hair every day, try using a dry shampoo at the roots to soak up oil. Also, stick to lukewarm or cool water. "Heat makes dye leach faster: The hotter the water is, the quicker the color loss," says Jeni Thomas, Ph.D., senior scientist for Pantene.

Related: 9 Steps to Showing Your Hair Who's Boss

2. Not using a conditioner for color-treated hair
Dyed hair is more likely to become dry and brittle, so treat it with plenty of conditioner specifically formulated for color-treated locks. Regularly using conditioner creates a protective barrier that helps prevent your dye from washing out. Make sure to condition every time you shampoo, even if you have fine hair. "You really want to make sure you condition the longest part of your hair," says Gillespie. "The tips can be years old and have the most damage, whereas the roots are only a couple of months old." Try using a leave-in conditioner for even more of a moisture boost.

3. Overusing your curling iron, flat iron, or blow-dryer
Colored hair is more vulnerable to heat. To keep from frying out your hair, apply a heat protectant spray before using tools like your curling iron.

Related: These 15 Celebs Changed Their Look With a Subtle Boost of Color

4. Forgetting the glossy factor
Your hair may be a gorgeous new color, but has it lost its shine? Your hair's protein layers (cuticles) reflect light and cause it to shine, but dye dulls this luster. To get that Kate Middleton-esque shine back, use an overnight hair repair treatment, spray-on gloss with a serum, shine spray, or an at-home glaze. And, again, cut back on the heat tools.

5. Over-exposing your hair to the sun
If you plan on spending lots of time in the sun, wear a hat to keep your hair color from fading or lightening.

Related: The Biggest Mistakes You Make With Your Curling Iron

6. Re-dyeing unevenly
When you touch up your roots, take care not to overlap with what's already been dyed -- you don't want to darken your existing color. If you want to go over an old dye job, apply the new color to the roots first and wait five minutes to do the rest of your hair. This will give you more balanced coverage.

- By Natalie Gontcharova

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