How to make hair colour last longer at home

Maintaining immaculately icy blonde or expertly executed ombre is a tall order in the best of times, even with a high-calibre colourist on call. Add a multitude of salon shutdowns caused by COVID-19, however, and colour maintenance becomes more challenging than ever.

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Whether your signature shade is a hand-painted balayage or a blanket block colour, the care is in your hands for the foreseeable future, so it’s imperative to equip your at-home kit with the necessary colour conservation means.

We spoke to Jade Kisnorbo, hair expert for John Frieda, to hear her tips on preserving your colour like a professional, from the comfort of your own bathroom.

Condition deeply

“Use a deep conditioning mask to seal down the cuticle and lock in moisture,” advises Kisnorbo. “This will help keep the hair looking smooth, shiny, and as a result, the colour [will appear] richer in depth. [This is] especially important for brunettes whose hair can look lighter and more faded when the hair is dry,” she explains.

Regenerating Mask by Christophe Robin, $93 at David Jones

Tone your blonde

“For blondes I’d recommend utilising a purple toning shampoo. These products are formulated to neutralise brassy tones that can appear on the hair between colour cycles,” she tells us.
“You can even apply these toning products as a colourist would do at the salon, coating the hair with a thick layer and leaving to work its magic for 5 minutes before rinsing. Apply majority to the ends where the hair is lighter, and then lightly fade into the mid to top sections,” Kisnorbo advises.

Violet Crush For Blondes Intense Purple Shampoo by John Frieda, $17.99 at Priceline

Lean on colour depositors

“Colour depositing shampoos and conditioners can really help to keep your colour fresh and vibrant during these times of lockdown at home,” she shares. “They can help to provide extra depth of tone that may otherwise fade over time. This is particularly the case for redheads and brunettes.”

Bright Blonde Shampoo by Oribe, $68 at Adore Beauty

Now is a fitting time to give your hair some respite from heat styling, however, if you do need to turn to hot tools, protection is key when it comes to preservation.
“Make sure that you use a heat protecting spray every time that you use heat stylers on your hair. Heat damage from blow-drying and styling tools also equals colour fade, so using a [protective] product can minimise the damage caused,” Kisnorbo tells us.

Hot Toddy Heat Protectant Mist by Drybar, $37 at Sephora

Space out washes

While colour preservation certainly starts in the shower, it’s important not to overdo it—it’s a case of making every wash count (whether it be thanks to toner, depositors or a deep condition) rather than increasing the frequency with which you’re washing.
“Wash your hair less. Frequent washing can lead to colour fade, as dye particles can rinse out as part of the wash,” she shares. Look to style-extending products such as dry shampoo, volume spray or texture powder to keep hair fresh for longer sans shampoo.

Lazy Girl Dry Shampoo by Sam McKnight, $40 at MECCA

Main image credit: @themaneartistry