Keeping Color Vibrant

Uniform cuticles in healthy hair cover the surface of every strand and reflect light more clearly and sharply, resulting in shinier hair.

Dyes are formulated to give hair long-lasting and richly hued colors, but several factors—from mechanical to environmental—can accelerate color changes and fading:

• Poor initial color application. When color has not been given enough time to penetrate the hair shaft, color molecules are not as tightly bound in the cortex, allowing them to be washed away. Most of noticeable fading appears after the first two washes, indicating that the color molecules settled on the outside of the hair shaft and had not penetrated deeply enough to be retained through washes.
• Cuticle damage. The cuticle is the primary protection for the hair cortex—where the majority of color molecules are housed. If friction or excessive chemical treatments damage the cuticle and strip away its protective fatty layer, the exposed cortex will chip away, and color molecules will escape during shampooing. Protection of the cuticle with shampoos and conditioners that contain friction-reducing silicones helps reduce this type of color loss.
• Water exposure. Fading due to water exposure is often related to a damaged cuticle. When the cuticle is overly compromised, water can more easily enter the
  cortex and some of the color molecules can be pulled out and washed away. Shampoos do not strip color. In fact, data shows that water alone is responsible
  for the majority of color lost during shampooing.¹⁸ Conditioning shampoos and conditioners with cationic surfactants and waterproofing amino silicones can help combat the effects of water exposure.
• UV exposure. UV light is known to fade color in many substrates such as wood, cloth and paint. Hair is no different.¹⁹ UV radiation penetrates the hair and breaks down color molecules. The process happens with both natural and artificial pigments in the cortex—and is the reason people develop highlights after spending long periods of time in the sun. UV protectants are added to some shampoos and styling products to help prevent hair color fade due to sunlight, although their efficacy is debated. Wearing a hat is the best protection against UV damage.
• Some shades fade more quickly than others. Red shades tend to fade the fastest because they have relatively small molecule size, which can diffuse from the hair and wash away more quickly than other shades.²⁰ UV exposure also breaks down the red tone more easily, while pure browns and blacks resist fading because their color molecules tend to be larger. Blonde shades have little color, so fading is less of a concern.

Coloring causes damage to the hair shaft, creating the need for extra care.

Myths & Facts

Anti-dandruff shampoos cause hair color to fade faster.

Myth: Studies on successive washing of color-treated hair with a pyrithione zinc shampoo (the most effective dandruff treatment to date) show no difference from a cosmetic shampoo or even regular tap water.

Some shades of hair color fade faster than others.

Fact: Red shades tend to fade the fastest because of their relatively small molecule size, which can diffuse from the hair and wash away more quickly than other shades. UV exposure also breaks down the red tone more easily, while pure browns and blacks resist fading because their color molecules tend to be larger. Blonde shades have little color, so fading is less of a concern.

Learn more in the Hair Color Research Update »