Home Hair Color Fading...

I agree with the red colors fading more quickly-and rinsing with cool water. Also, as much as I like Preference, it may not be the one for your hair. A friend of mine colors her hair and the one the salon would use faded quickly. Finally they tried a different one and it stayed a little longer. It has a lot to do with the follicles and such. Try Superior or a different brand. If you are just looking for gray coverage, Loreal makes Color Match. I was surprised how it matches my true hair color.

I would just try another brand. My Nice N Easy lasts a long time for me, but quickly fades on my mom. Everyone's hair is different. Keep trying until you find one that holds for you.

Shampoo strips hair of dyes, so try not to wash everyday. Every 2 or 3 days is better. If your hair gets oily, you can put a little baby powder in unwashed hair to "degrease" it. Try one of the shampoos that deposits small amounts of color with every wash, like John Frieda (blondes, brunettes, redheads). I read that Redken and Pureology are the best shampoos for colored hair. Redken is cheaper and when I tried it, it seemed to make my color last longer.

I also have been a hairdersser for many years and I agree with Anne L. Pretreat your grey areas with some of the developer before you mix it with the color for about 5-7 minutes. Don't rinse it out, but use a towel to wipe it off. Apply color to the grey areas first as well and let that process for 10 minutes before you apply color to the rest of your head. Home bought colors (any color you buy at any store) are not "professional" colors. They are not as srtong and the colors do not have as much pigment in them as a professional color does. The only way to buy a professional strength color is to go to a beauty supply store that sells to licensed cosmetologists ONLY (Not Sally Beauty supply)
I wash my hair every 2-3 days and I ALWAYS rinse my hair in cold or cool water, as this closes the cuticles and keeps those color molecules inside the hair shaft.
If you are looking for long lasting hair color you may have to break down and see a professional colorist.
Good Luck!

Not sure what color you are using but if it has a red for the base color then you will definately notice it fading faster... never did figure this out in all my years in the salon!

A big thing I have found that make my color
(red) last longer and will make any color last longer, box or professional, is that if I use cool water when washing and rinsing my hair. It keeps the cuticle (outer layer) of the hair closed. When you use hot water it opens it up and expands it causing more of the color to fade/rinse out.

Another is to not wash your hair every day. I wash mine only every 2-3 days... depending on activity. I still take a shower but wear that granny shower cap! lol This helps to make my color last til the next touch-up. It still will fade some but it is a tolerable fading and not noticeable over a couple weeks time.

Good luck and blessings to you and yours!

Hi I use the same brand as you do and dont have any issues, but I dont wash my hair everyday. I wash it everyother day because my hair tends to get a greasy look if I wash it everyday...Dont ask me way....Now my mom also uses the same product and was having the same issue as you. She is in her upper 50's and it was fading and showing her grey so we used the same product but the one that was used to cover the grey and it worked much better and lasted longer. I know you have alot of responsed but I hope this one helps some...Good Luck

The other advice was great. Gray hair is VERY resistant to color, so check your processing time. You want to use the longest time to process gray.

Hi I too have this problem with professional color. It is alwyas different and I use color safe shampoo etc. I was told that heat from styling products can cause color changes even heat from water! ugh. I bet your hair is brown b/c blondes dont seem to have as big a problem with it as brunettes. I was told that if you use a pre treatment before blowdrying curling straightening like a heat protectant that helps. they have color protect ingredients in the sprays or products. i have used pureology products they are expensive but seem to work. i am sure there are drug store brands too. good luck! share with us if you find something great.

Hi, I was a hairdresser for many years. I wanted to explain hair structure to you and others. Hair is kind of like a tube with little clamps going down from the shaft, in laymans terms anyway when you color the clamps grab onto the color molecules. Red hair color has the largest color molecules so therefore the clamps cannot hold them as easily and water sort of forces them out faster, darker colors have smaller molecules and stay longer but still fade. Try putting a little peroxide alone for about 15tn minutes on the gray areas especially the sides, you can use a cotton ball with a little peroxide. It opens the cuticule making it more receptive to grab the color molecules quicker and the color stays longer. Also I heard Goldwell haircolor stays longer but you can only have it done in the salon and not everyone carries it. I have tried the shampoos, well I never had seen any difference. Hope all of this helped a little. For explanation sake anyway. Take care A.