Being Bright: How To Keep Your Hair Color

First off, let me begin this post by saying that if you've dyed your hair blonde, you can stop right here. When you dye your hair blonde its not even dying, you're bleaching and just softening yellow tones. Thats it. You dont need to worry about keeping your color, you've stripped it already. However, if you use semi-perm colors like your darling Creep here (ie Manic Panic or Special Effects) you're going to have some problems. Even if you use normal color, reds can bleed just as bad too.

Step 1.) Shampoo Smart.
You should not be washing your hair everyday. At most, every other day. Me, I tend to go once a week, though right now my scalp is giving me issues, so I'm using a nicely PH balanced Head and Shoulders with soothing botanicals to heal my dry itchy scalp that comes with New England winter. To keep your color vibrant, you're going to a need a color-safe or otherwise PH balanced shampoo.

Step 2.) Some Like It Chilly
It doesn't matter what time of year it is, your hair color doesn't care, but to keep your color, you need to shampoo it on cold. This keeps the color from running. However, in the first week, it is going to run regardless of anything you do. It will also look more opaque the longer time you spend between washes. So, if you want to keep from ruining your shower, I highly recommend acquiring a shower head with one of those lovely hoses that you can detach from the mount. This way you can kneel and keep the color stains down the drain, and not all over your shower stall walls.

Step. 3) Condition With Care
Never ever ever skimp on conditioner. You need to baby your hair, especially if you spend a lot of time lightening it before a semi-perm dye job. I've used Garnier Fructis Color Shield for years with no problem. However, I've recently discovered they do animal testing, so I'll be switching to Herbal Essences once my last bottle runs out. You can condition your hair in warm water, but don't run it too hot, its bad for your hair and especially harsh on your scalp. There's no real schedule for conditioning to me. If your hair feels dried out and damaged, condition.

Above all else, dry your hair with black towels or ones that otherwise match your hair color. If you're going to spending the say outside, especially at the beach, consider a hat or hair wrap to keep your lovely locks from fading in the sun. Try an all natural dry shampoo like cornstarch or powdered rice to remove the oils from your hair without stripping the color,