How to care for coloured hair between appointments

You have just left the salon with your colour looking exactly how you wanted it. The question is how to keep it looking that way for the eight or twelve weeks before your next visit. Caring for coloured hair between appointments comes down to a few small habits, and to using the right products on the days in between.

At Park Row in Brighouse we are a Keune Ambassador salon, which means the products we use on your hair in the chair are the same ones we recommend you take home. The clients whose colour holds up best between visits all tend to do the same handful of things. Here is what works.

Wash less often, and wash gently

The single biggest factor in how long your colour lasts is how often you wash it, and what you wash it with. Every wash lifts a tiny amount of pigment from the hair, so the fewer washes between appointments, the longer the colour stays true. Two to three washes a week is plenty for most coloured hair, and many people stretch it further with a good dry shampoo on day three or four.

When you do wash, use a sulphate free shampoo designed for coloured hair. Sulphates are the harsh detergents that strip natural oils, and they will strip colour at the same rate. The Keune Care Color Brillianz range is what we use in the salon for coloured clients and it is what we send most people home with. The shampoo, conditioner, and mask in that line are formulated to lock in pigment and slow fade, particularly on freshly coloured hair.

Water temperature matters

Hot water opens the hair cuticle and lets colour leak out. Lukewarm or cool water keeps the cuticle closed and the colour locked in. Finishing your wash with a cool rinse, particularly on the lengths and ends, makes a visible difference over the weeks. The hair also looks shinier straight away, because a closed cuticle reflects light better.

Protect the hair from heat

Coloured hair is more porous than virgin hair, which means heat damages it faster. Always use a heat protectant before straighteners, curlers, or a hot blow dry. Turn the heat down where you can. Most modern straighteners do a perfectly good job at 180 degrees, not the 230 setting they default to.

If you can air dry once or twice a week instead of blow drying every time, the cumulative reduction in heat exposure is significant. For hair that already feels dry or brittle from heat, the Keune Care Long Strong range adds back strength to the lengths and ends without weighing the hair down. We will often recommend it alongside Care Color Brillianz when the colour is still holding but the condition needs a lift.

Feed the hair with the right products

Coloured hair needs more moisture than uncoloured hair. A weekly conditioning mask, left on for ten to fifteen minutes, is the easiest way to keep it in good condition. The Keune Care Vital Nutrition mask is a good all rounder for coloured hair that needs extra hydration, particularly through winter or after a holiday.

Between masks, a leave in conditioner or a few drops of hair oil on the mid lengths and ends will smooth the cuticle and stop the dryness that makes colour look dull. We will pick the right product for your specific colour and hair type at your appointment, but you can see the full Keune range we use and recommend at keune.com/uk/haircare.

Mind the sun, the pool, and the sea

UV light fades hair colour the same way it fades fabric on a sofa. In summer, or on holiday, a hat or a UV protectant spray makes a real difference, particularly for blondes and reds, which fade fastest.

Chlorine and salt water are both rough on coloured hair. Wet your hair with clean water before getting in a pool or the sea, so it absorbs that first rather than the chlorinated water. Rinse thoroughly afterwards. If you swim regularly, a clarifying wash followed by the Care Vital Nutrition mask once a month will lift the build up that dulls colour over time and put the moisture back.

Book the right interval for your colour type

How long you can stretch between colour appointments depends on what you have done. As a guide:

A full head of colour or a root touch up tends to need refreshing every four to six weeks, because regrowth shows quickly at the parting and hairline. Balayage and highlights can comfortably go eight to twelve weeks, sometimes longer, because the grow out is designed to be soft. Toners and glosses fade faster than the underlying lift and often want refreshing at six to eight weeks even when the colour itself is still in good shape.

If you are unsure what cadence suits your colour, ask us at your next appointment and we will plan it around your hair, your lifestyle, and your budget. You can see the full range of colour services on our hair colour page at Park Row.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I wash coloured hair?

Two or three times a week is a good rule of thumb for most coloured hair. More than that and you will see the colour fade faster than it needs to. If your hair tends to get oily quickly, a dry shampoo between washes is a much better option than a daily wash.

Can I use any shampoo on coloured hair?

A sulphate free shampoo made for coloured hair will protect the colour for far longer than a standard formula. We use Keune Care Color Brillianz on our colour clients in the salon for that reason, and we send most people home with the matching conditioner.

Does swimming ruin coloured hair?

It does not ruin it, but chlorine and salt water both speed up fading and dryness. Wet your hair with clean water before swimming, rinse it thoroughly afterwards, and use a deep conditioning mask once a week if you swim regularly.

How long does balayage last between appointments?

Balayage is designed to grow out softly, so most clients comfortably go eight to twelve weeks between appointments. A toner or gloss in between can refresh the tone if the lift is still good but the colour has gone brassy or dull.

Do I need to buy salon products to look after coloured hair?

You do not have to, but the gap between salon grade and supermarket products is bigger than people expect on coloured hair. We use Keune in the salon because it holds colour better than most. Whatever brand you choose, sulphate free, designed for coloured hair, and used consistently is what matters.

Book your next colour at Park Row

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Looking after your colour at home keeps it salon fresh for longer, but every colour eventually needs refreshing. When yours is ready, the Park Row team will take it from there. Book Now →