How to Keep Purple Hair Color from Fading for Weeks Longer

We can’t think of anything better than that, just out of the salon, new hair experience. Your hair looks lustrous, smooth, shiny and oh, so perfect. But, there’s a reason most colored hair doesn’t stand the test of time. Without the right amount of TLC, dyed hair can look dull, brittle and flat within just a few short weeks – or even less.

Rich and vibrant colors, such as purple, require more upkeep than browns and blonds. This is mainly because purple dye molecules don’t penetrate deep enough through the hair cuticle, making it easy for the color to leach out with each wash. Furthermore, bright colors, such as purple require the use of bleach and peroxides to lighten pre-colored hair. Bleached hair allows the color to deposit evenly, resulting in a more vibrant color – think of your hair as a blank canvas.

Anyone who has bleached their hair understands how damaging and laborious the process can be. Not only does bleach make your hair dryer, but it also leaves your hair more susceptible to dehydration and breakage with each wash. It’s important to understand that your hair color journey does not end after you leave the salon. Vibrant colors require an extensive care regimen to ensure that they last for weeks, without requiring frequent touch-ups.

You should also understand that dull and dry hair with split ends does not offer the perfect canvas for colored hair. In fact, they become increasingly obvious, making your color-treated hair look limp and unhealthy. Therefore, to help you get the most out of your newly colored hair, we’ve put together some bulletproof tips that will keep your purple hair from fading. The goal is to make your new hair color last much longer between colorings while maintaining their smoothness and sheen.

Lasting Color Starts with Healthy Hair

Have you ever wondered what is happening to your hair when you lighten and color it? Or why your newly-colored locks seem more voluminous and healthy, only to appear weak and brittle later?

Bleaching is an art and a science. It is a technique that involves multiple variables to create varying outcomes. It’s important to understand the science behind bleaching and coloring because it helps you create a customized care plan for your hair.

When your hair is being bleached, it causes the hair to swell using alkaline agents and become more receptive to color. According to a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science, oxidative bleach almost triples the surface area of the hair shaft during the first five minutes of bleaching. The chemicals in bleach lift the hair cuticles, leaving the hair scaly and rough. This is the main reason your hair looks thicker after bleaching.

The more your hair shaft is swollen, the richer the color will be. Once the cuticle is opened, it allows oxidative agents in hair dye to do their work. These chemicals infiltrate the hair’s cortex, dissolving the natural pigments in your hair, called melanin. Bleach dissolves hair pigment in various phases and the longer you leave it, the more colorless or platinum hair becomes.

How Porosity Affects Hair Care

Stylists use varying levels of an oxidizing agent, which come in different volumes of oxygen that can be released. The higher the volume of the developer, the quicker the product enters the cortex and dissolves existing melanin. In general, hair becomes slightly porous with 20 volume developers and porous with 30 or 40. Multiple color services can cause hair to become exceedingly porous.

Contrary to popular belief, bleaching and coloring do not change the texture of your hair. Your hair’s texture refers to your hair’s natural diameter. What coloring does do is that it opens your cuticles and makes hair more porous. While this may feel like a texture change, it’s just your cuticle “scales” standing in different directions.

Hair color also makes hair less elastic. This makes hair more prone to breakage while showering, combing and styling. However, with the right purple hair maintenance routine, colored hair is easier to style and hold curls. Often, people complain about having hair that’s too fine and difficult to style, a little change in porosity offers your hair more balance and movement.

Having said that it’s important to note that while porous hair may absorb more moisture – it also releases it much faster like a wrung-out sponge. Moreover, even though slightly porous hair is easier to style, extremely porous hair is so damaged, it can be almost impossible to hold any style.

Be Prepared for Split Ends

We can’t beat around the bush about how damaging bleaching is to your hair. The darker your hair is, the more it has to be lightened and hence, the more damage it incurs. Bleaching causes cuticles to open to such an extent that nothing holds them together anymore. As the cuticle layer disintegrates, the cortex becomes exposed, resulting in split ends.

Additionally, environmental stressors, frequent styling and not using the right care products can cause further damage to your hair. The entire process of hair coloring breaks the disulfide bonds that ensure the structural integrity of your hair. This allows the color to deposit deeply into your hair shafts. However, over time, these bonds no longer fuse, resulting in the corrosion of your cuticle and cortex cells.

Since your hair is less elastic and more susceptible to breakage, roughening up your cuticles with frequent styling, vigorous towel drying, and dehydrating products will not do your tresses any favors.

Note that bleaching and hair coloring aren’t universal. The damage that may take place in one person’s hair may be completely different from another. And your hair’s texture is just one of the variables that affect hair colors. Regardless how fine or thick your hair is, it is essential to use the right products for your hair type and hair color and minimize practices that may cause mechanical damage to the hair.

How Hard is Purple Hair to Maintain?

The answer to this depends on the level of damage your hair has undergone. For example, going from a dark shade of hair to a light shade can be incredibly damaging to your hair, thereby requiring more care than if you’re going from light to dark.

Moreover, purple hair tends to fade much faster compared to more natural shades. This is because the dye molecules in purple hair dyes, exit the hair shaft much faster than natural colors. Your goal is to extend the life of your purple hair while ensuring its optimum health.

For colored hair, moisturizing is key to improving its health. When you increase the moisture levels in your hair, you’re making it less prone to fading and breaking. This can be done using sulfate-free conditioners, deep conditioners, and oil treatments as they create a barrier on your cuticle later and prevent water from escaping your hair shaft.

You also want to ensure your color is locked into your hair shaft and doesn’t leach out regularly. You can do this by washing your hair less frequently and avoiding heat styling as much as possible.

How to Make Purple Hair Dye Last Longer

Lilac, violet, eggplant, oh my! Whatever the shade, purple hair can be rich and deep, or soft and subtle. Choosing the right shade of purple can be such an exciting process.

However, these colors tend to come out fast with each wash.

Although the pigments in purple require a little extra maintenance, the following tips will ensure that any shade of purple will remain perky and vibrant between colorings.

Prep Before Your Visit

We’ve talked about what needs to be done after you color your hair, but did you know there are a few steps that can be taken before coloring to ensure best results? Healthy hair holds color better and longer compared to unhealthy strands. Therefore, it is critical that you take extra care of your hair every day before your visit, to prevent drying and damage.

Split ends tend to look worse when colored, so be sure to get a trim first. It’s also ideal to do a deep conditioning treatment one week before your appointment and wash your hair the night before your coloring. Hair that is moisturized and sufficiently clean improves the way color turns out.

You can also make a DIY hair mask a few weeks before your appointment using half an avocado and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Apply all over your scalp and hair and cover with a shower cap. Hair coloring is pricey, so you want your hair to be in the best possible shape to look amazing, post-coloring.

While visiting the salon, be sure to wear your hair as you usually do so that your colorist gets a sense of your style. This helps them provide you with ideas that suit you.

Wait to Wash Your Hair

By as long as possible, we mean at least 2 to 3 days, depending on the intensity of your hair color. While it is perfectly normal to want to feel clean, you should not wash your hair immediately after coloring as it doesn’t give your hair dye enough time to lock into your hair shafts.

As a rule of thumb, try to space out your showers as much as possible to prolong the vibrancy of your purple hair. Hair coloring causes your hair to swell like a sponge so that it can receive dye molecules better. However, the increased porosity also causes hair to lose moisture and color much faster.

If your hair feels sticky or oily, use dry shampoo to freshen your hair. It’s also imperative that you minimize heat styling during this period as your hair is more susceptible to thermal damage.

How to Wash Dyed Hair without Losing Color

While washing your hair, you should use cool water as it closes your cuticles and prevents your hair from losing its purple color. Cold water treatment is also an excellent way to give your hair some much-needed oomph, as it makes your hair feel healthier, bouncier and less frizzy.

Use the Right Shampoo

After coloring your hair purple, it is crucial that you ditch your regular shampoo and use shampoos and conditioners without sulfates. Sulfates are detergents used in shampoos that help produce a rich lather and clean your hair quickly and effectively. While they’re best at giving your hair that squeaky clean feeling, they’re incredibly drying and damaging to your hair – especially post-coloring.

Best Shampoo for Purple Color-Treated Hair

Sulfate-free shampoos are designed to not strip the hair of its natural moisture. Choose a sulfate-free shampoo meant for color-treated hair as not only is it going to be gentler, it’s also going to contain hair-enhancing ingredients such as keratin, your hair’s natural protein.

Can I Use Purple Shampoo on Purple Hair?

Purple shampoos work by depositing purple color to color-correct the warmer tones in blonde hair. Since the color purple is opposite to yellow in the color wheel, it cancels out any yellow, brassy shades that aren’t meant to be present in light hair.

This means that purple shampoo cools down and neutralizes warm shades in blond, whether it’s for highlights, ombré hair or completely blond hair. Purple shampoos work best on blond, platinum, ash blond, light brown, silver/gray, white and pastel hair.

Therefore, if you have darker, richer tones of purple, purple shampoo may not make much of a difference. However, if you have lighter shades of purple on lightened or bleached hair, purple shampoo can cut the yellow or brassiness that may begin to appear as your hair color fades.

Can I Mix My Hair Dye with My Shampoo?

Mixing purple dye into your shampoo may not make much of a difference on dark, vibrant shades of purple but you can mix the color into your conditioner. This works wonderfully because you leave the conditioner on for a much longer time, thereby depositing some color without running the risk of losing it. You can also use a color-depositing conditioner meant for purple hair.

Try a Cleansing Cream

One of the most critical rules in extending hair color is to keep your cuticles closed. This prevents hair color from leaching out and also makes your hair look shinier. A cleansing cream is a gentler option to a shampoo because it doesn’t open your cuticle scales as much. It’s also more moisturizing, which is critical for maintaining purple hair.

Make Deep Conditioner Your Best Friend

We can’t stress enough on how important moisture is for colored hair. Hair that is moisturized often looks sleeker, shinier and more lustrous. It also makes hair more receptive to color.

Bleached hair is vulnerable to damage. This is because your cuticles are raised and can be easily broken from your everyday washing and styling routine. When your hair’s cuticle is opened, and your cortex is exposed, your hair becomes more prone to losing its moisture. This is the reason for conditioning every time you wash your hair and using a deep conditioner weekly is vital for colored hair.

To keep hair moisturized, with its color locked in, it’s vital that you use a deep conditioner to condition your hair the first time you wash your hair after your salon appointment. This allows your hair to receive a much deeper hydration after a lengthy and rigorous coloring process. After the first day of washing, use your regular color-friendly conditioner every time you wash your hair.

Along with your regular deep conditioner, you can also use olive oil, argan oil, and almond oil to add moisture to your hair. During styling, apply a pea-sized amount of argan oil to your hair ends to control frizz and flyaways.

Seal Your Cuticles with Vinegar

Take hair protection a step further with this quick DIY trick. Before you shower, prepare an apple cider vinegar rinse and take it into your shower with you. Rinse your hair with it at the end of your shower to seal your cuticle shut and prevent your hair from giving away any more moisture.

Your hair loves an acidic environment. Just below the surface of your scalp are sebaceous glands that secrete your hair’s natural conditioner – sebum. This oil nourishes your hair and scalp and is part of the acid mantle. The acid mantle is a fine, slightly acidic layer that protects your hair and skin health.

The acid mantle is also essential for your hair’s appearance as it helps your cuticles lay flat, giving your hair a smooth and shiny appearance. Unfortunately, this can be easily disrupted via chemical treatments and specific care products that throw the natural pH of the hair out of balance. According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, most shampoos have a pH of around 6-7. Human hair and sebum require a pH balance of 4.5 to 5.5 to look its best.

Because apple cider vinegar is acidic, with a pH of around 3, when diluted it helps balance the pH of your hair leaving your hair shinier after washing. To make an apple cider vinegar rinse, mix 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to 2 cups of water and use it once a week.

Use Sunscreen For Your Hair

Just like your skin, the UV rays of the sun can damage your hair and hair color. On days you have to spend a lot of time in the sun, try wearing a scarf or a hat to shield your hair from excessive sunlight.

Additionally, you should use a hair product with SPF that offers UV protection from the sun and prevents oxidative damage to the hair. Although your hair is non-living and cannot be sunburned, UV radiation can affect the cosmetic value of your hair. According to a text published in the journal, Collegium Antropologicum, excessive sun exposure is one of the most common causes of hair damage.

If you do not want to use too many care products, coconut oil is your savior. Coconut oil has a pH of around 6, which is enough to protect your hair from the sun – but not your skin. Plus it doubles as a hair moisturizer! You can also wet your hair with a mix of coconut oil and water before you jump into a pool to prevent pool water from discoloring your hair.

Stick to Your Roots

When washing your hair, see if it is possible to get away with just washing your scalp, while keeping the rest of your hair dry. This will remove dirt and sebum from your scalp and make your hair feel fresher.

The less you wash your hair, the longer your color will last.

Speaking of roots, make sure your touch-ups are strictly performed to the new growth only. It’s important to avoid overlapping hair dyes as coloring previously colored hair can cause darkening and over-processing, giving you uneven results.

Keep Away From Heat

Heat causes bleached and colored hair to dry even further. This allows hair to become more brittle and prone to breakage. Therefore, try reducing your use of heat styling tools, such as blow dryers, hair straighteners, and curling irons.

If you have to use heat styling tools, it’s best to choose the lowest temperature setting to minimize hair damage. It also helps to stop blow-drying when your hair is just dry, instead of over-processing it.

While it is critical to keep away from heat styling tools as much as possible, especially when you have an easy-fade color such as purple, we understand that sometimes your hair needs extra work. On occasions when you feel the urge to use a hot tool, be sure to use a heat protectant spray before styling. Follow up with a nourishing, light hair oil, such as argan oil to keep your tresses shiny and healthy.

Use a Shower Filter

A shower filter will eliminate chlorine, chemicals, and minerals in your shower water. Hard water tends to strip hair of its natural oils and cause the color to leach out much faster. It also makes the hair look duller. Using a filter will reduce the risk of your gorgeous new hair color going down the drain.

How Long Does Purple Hair Dye Last?

This generally depends on how dedicated you are to your new hair. Bright purples often begin to fade after the first few washes but using the above care tips can prevent hair from fading for weeks! As long as you wash your hair as little as possible, stick to cool water, avoid heat and moisturize thoroughly and regularly, you should notice little to no color fade for the first few weeks.

If your hair is showing signs of fading, try adding a bit of your purple dye to your conditioner. This should help bring your color back to life and keep you from having to visit a salon for a much longer period.