Please be sure to wash hair and remove any product 24-48 hours before your color service. If your hair gets oily quickly, wait until closer to the 24 hour mark. Washing any sooner than 24-48 hours can cause sensitivity to the scalp, particularly when receiving a lighting service. Washing further from 24-48 hours (for example, 5 day prior) can create a heavier layer of oil that could make it difficult to break through with color or lightener. This could also create inconsistent results with color saturation.

PLEASE DO NOT put product, of any kind, in your hair after shampooing during that 24-48 hour time frame. This will ALSO create a barrier that could cause difficulty for color to break through and could cause issue in color saturation and absorbance.

Skip color depositing shampoos and conditioners. Using these products can create an additional layer of color to work through that is unnecessary.

Avoid clarifying shampoos and deep conditioners. Keep it simple when shampooing before your appointment. Stick with your every day shampoo and conditioner.

Cool and cold water is important to maintaining your color. Hot water will swell the cuticle and any color deposited is likely to rinse out. Over time, your color will fade much sooner than expected. Cold water keeps that cuticle closed and is less likely to rinse out your color.

Use sulfate-free shampoos. Sulfates are very damaging to the hair. They swell the cuticle of the hair which allows color to rinse out. Sulfates have damaging surfactants that cause friction on the hair strand (think harsh chemicals that buffer oil off the hair strand). Sulfate-free surfactants remove oil and buildup by balling up the oil and buildup, then rinse off. This causes much less friction and damage.

Use UV protective products if possible. UV rays, as we all know, can cause damage to our entire bodies. They can cause sunburn, can cause tattoo ink to lift and lighten, and they can do the same for the color in our hair. Remember being a kid and your hair naturally lightening in the summer? That’s what we’re talking about. Think about it as a sunscreen for your hair color. High temperatures on your heating tools can also lift color from the hair. If you need to heat style, please use a heat protectant and keep your temperature under 450 degrees.

Please don’t shampoo every day or even every other day. This will decrease the longevity for your hair to hold color. Demi hair color, for example, lasts up to 28 washes. 28 washes can happen in a matter of 4 weeks washing every day or you can extend that 28 wash period up to 14 weeks, simply by only washing twice a week, or every 3-4 days. This just puts your investment into perspective.

I am ALWAYS happy to discuss options as far as shampoo, products, and other ways to keep your hair healthier for longer. Please don’t hesitate to contact me and we can chat about your options!