How Long Should Salon Hair Color Last

How shampoo and conditioner can make your salon hair color last longer

There are so many tips and tricks that will help keep your dyed hair looking salon-fresh for as long as possible. From waiting a couple of days post-color to wash it at home (which ensures the dye is fully locked into strands) to washing it with cool or luke-warm water (too hot and it’ll strip the color) – but one of the easiest ways to make your salon color last longer and stay looking just as vibrant as the day of your appointment is by investing in a shampoo and conditioner specifically formulated for colored hair.

Usually marked as either ‘color safe’ or ‘gentle’, it is common to be cynical about whether shampoos and conditioners actually make a difference when it comes to prolonging your hair color’s vibrancy. This curiosity is understandable, but let us be the first to tell you that they do actually work to help make your salon color last longer – and there is scientific proof to back up those claims, too.

If won’t strip color

Sulfates – often listed as SLS or SLES in an ingredients’ list – are what give most shampoos that frothy lather. But when it comes to colored hair, you’d be better off avoiding them, as they can strip the vibrancy and essential oils out of dyed hair. By opting for a color safe shampoo, such as Nexxus’s Color Assure Long Lasting Vibrancy Shampoo, hair will be left squeaky clean using milder cleansing agents that won’t risk drying out hair. This does mean the shampoo might not foam up as much as you’re used to, but rest assured it’s working just as hard, just in a more gentle and protective way.

It’ll restore lost moisture

If you’ve noticed your colored hair feels drier or more dehydrated than before your appointment, you’re probably not imagining things. It’s entirely normal and happens as a result of the chemical process of dyeing strands. So if you color your hair regularly, you might notice that the structure, appearance and feel of your hair changes, and over time this can leave it weaker and more prone to damage, breakage or snapping. But using a conditioning product formulated specifically for colored hair can help restore and prevent some of that damage from happening. Nexxus’s Color Assure Long Lasting Vibrancy Conditioner contains moisture-boosting, reparative ingredients alongside the brand’s PROTEINFUSION blend (which is formulated with elastin protein and quinoa – more on those later) which not only extends and protects hair color, but it helps lock in moisture, too. For an even more intense hit of hydration, try the Color Assure Long Lasting Vibrancy Deep Moisture Hair Mask once a week or so. It has all the same benefits as the range’s conditioner, but seals in even more weightless moisture in just one use.

It contains much-needed proteins and amino acids

During the dying process, hair loses proteins and amino acids – which normally work to help keep hair strong and healthy – so it’s vital that the aftercare products you’re using help to replace them. It’ll probably come as no surprise to hear that color-protecting shampoos, conditioners and masks contain them. Actually, Nexxus has made those essential ingredients the core part of its Color Assure range. Each product in the line uses the brand’s PROTEINFUSION blend. Made with elastin protein and quinoa, both of which are rich in the amino acids lost during the coloring process, it helps replenish the supply of protein in the hair to ensure vibrant, healthy-looking hair.