How Long Does Permanent Hair Color Last – (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 4-6 weeks

Ideally, permanent hair color changes the natural hair color to another different color and also changes its hair structure.

It is majorly used to change the tone of your hair, lighten or darken the color of the hair.

For those people who are growing old and their hair changes to gray in color, the permanent hair color can cover that grey hair permanently to another hair color of interest.

The permanent color covers the entire hair fully. This process is done when the permanent hair color is mixed with a developer-activator before it is applied to someone’s hair.

Also, when there are leftovers of mixed products, they can be saved future use.

How Long Does Permanent Hair Colour Last?

Generally, permanent hair color will last up to 4-6 weeks before the hair turns back to its original color.

After this period of time, the color will begin to shade off to their original color. The tips below will make the permanent hair color to last for a long period of time.

Keep the permanent colored hair away from sunlight

Exposing the colored hair to too much sunlight will make the dye to start looking dull. This is because sunlight is the enemy of the coloured hair as it will strip off the permanent hair color.

Thus when one stays out of sunlight, the colored hair will stay long, or one has to wear hats or use hair products that are UV protected.

Minimal use of hair shampoos

The use of shampoos frequently to wash the dyed hair will make the colored hair to start fading.

Washing of the colored hair can be done with special shampoos meant for colored hair. Hence minimal use of shampoos will make the colored hair to last longer, or the use of special shampoos meant for colored hair.

Keeping the colored hair moisturized

Lastly, the colored hair must be moisturized through getting conditioned after it has been washed. This is because permanent hair color contains peroxide or ammonia, which dries out the hair follicles and thus reducing its longevity.

Why Does Coloured Hair Last That Long?

To begin with, moisturizing the colored hair will make the permanent hair to last longer. This is done with the use of a hair conditioner, which is applied to the hair after it has been washed.

The moisturizer will prevent the colored hair from getting dry and later dull. This is because permanent hair color contains ammonia or peroxide, which dries the hair follicles. Thus, the use of moisturizer will make a permanent hair color to last longer.

Another way of making the permanent hair color to last longer is by minimal use of hair shampoo.

When a permanent colored hair has been washed using a hair shampoo frequently, then the colored hair will become dull.

Washing colored hair using shampoo will slowly wash away the permanent hair color and thus shortening the period of the dyed hair. Hence, minimizing the use of hair shampoo will make permanent hair to last longer.

Lastly, exposing hair that has permanent hair color to sunlight will make it become dull, and thus, the color will last for a short period of time. This can be prevented by wearing hats or using hair products that are rich in UV protection. Thus, these prevention methods will make the permanent hair color to last long.

References

1. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/cr1000145
2. https://www.derm.theclinics.com/article/S0733-8635(18)30675-2/pdf