How To Refresh Your Faded Hair Color At Home

Coloring your hair is fun, but as time passes by, the color starts fading away, leaving a dull look. If you are wondering how to refresh your hair color or maintain it over a long period without having to visit a hair salon, we have your back. We have brought together some hair tips and hair makeover tricks you can follow to make your hair color look as fresh as the day you dyed them even after weeks.

Hair coloring provides confidence to many. But retaining the color is a big task. In this article, we look at the best ways to keep your hair color intact without re-dyeing it. Keep scrolling to know more.

How Long Does Hair Dye Last?

How long your hair color lasts depends on the type of hair dye you use and the integrity of your hair. If you use semi-permanent hair dye, your hair color will last for about 6 weeks. If the cuticle is cracked or damaged, it may last for a lesser time. You can expect the color to last for around 6 months if you used permanent hair dye.

Your hair texture and natural color also determine how long the hair dye lasts. If you have highly porous hair, the dye is more likely to fade away faster. When it comes to blonde or light hair, the hair dye may stain the hair and look washed out after some time.

Some hair pigments will fade away quicker than others because of their molecule size. Red hair color is prone to fading much faster than others. Pink can also fade away and leave behind a stained orange tint on light/blonde hair.

Whether you have blonde or dark hair, regularly refreshing your hair color will make the dye last longer, leading to healthier and brighter tresses. Find out how to refresh hair color at home and make it last longer below.

How To Refresh Your Hair Color At Home

Refreshing hair color is a process of reviving the pigment of your hair without dyeing it again. This is the perfect way to stop your hair color from fading and bring out that freshly-colored shine. Here are some tips that can help you keep your hair color from fading:

1. Try A Hair Gloss Treatment

A hair gloss treatment is a semi-permanent, clear coating color that makes the hair look shiny and locks in the color underneath it. A hair gloss treatment method of refreshing your hair color. It does not contain ammonia and is safe for frequent use, unlike some hair dyes. You can also use an at-home gloss treatment that takes a few minutes in the shower and knocks that dullness out of your tresses.

2. Don’t Take Frequent Showers

Frequent showering can cause your hair color to fade away quicker. Your strands are subject to constant swelling and stretching due to frequent hair washes, which can open up the hair cuticle and let the dye seep out. To keep the color from fading, wash your hair no more than once or twice a week.

3. Use A Concealer At The Roots

There are many types of hair concealers available on the market that can help you cover your emerging roots for special occasions, thus avoiding the need to re-color your hair very often. These concealers are not permanent and do not contain harmful chemicals. They wash out with water and shampoo.

4. Remove The Build-Up

A build-up of pollutants, hair products, or chemicals on your hair and scalp can cause discoloration and dullness of your tresses. Use a good cleansing shampoo or detox product to remove the scalp build-up and make your hair color look more vibrant. You can also rinse your tresses with apple cider vinegar mixed with equal parts water to eliminate build-up. Avoid using a clarifying shampoo when washing fresh color, as this will make the color fade faster.

5. Use A Cranberry Juice Rinse

If you need an organic hair treatment method to refresh your hair color at home, try a cranberry juice rinse. Anecdotal evidence suggests that cranberry juice can make your hair look vibrant and bright, especially if you have red hair.

Quick Tip

Preferably use 100% cranberry juice or fresh cranberry puree mixed with water.

6. Rinse Your Hair With A Cup Of Coffee

Coffee is the perfect way to refresh your brown hair color without using any harmful chemicals. Just soak your hair in a cold cup of black coffee (without any milk or creamer). The longer you brew the grounds, the darker the shade your hair will soak up.

7. Rinse Your Hair With Champagne

What coffee is for brunettes, champagne is for light-colored hair. A rinse with champagne can help bring out the golden tones in blonde hair. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a champagne rinse can also keep frizz under control and boost hair health. Be careful not to leave your hair in the champagne for too long, and always use a leave-in conditioner afterwards. Alcohol will dry out the hair if left for too long.

8. Dye Your Hair With Henna

For a quick fix, resort to the time-tested henna. It is a natural way to color your gray roots and delay re-coloring brown or dark red hair for a few months. Henna is a metallic dye, not a color, which means that it cannot mix, or have other colors used on top of it (even if it’s been weeks or months and appears to have washed out) or it could melt the hair and have bad chemical reactions with whatever color goes on top of it. Henna can also protect your locks by combating bacteria on the scalp (1). Be warned that once henna touches the hair, you cannot use any other kind of dyes or colors because of the metallic properties. Also, henna cannot be lifted like other colors can; it will leave the hair green or orange, and the lifting process will compromise the hair. Henna is not a quick or temporary fix.

Quick Tip

Henna can stain your hands and fingers, so wear protective gloves when applying it to your hair.

9. Use a Color-Refreshing Mask

One of the best ways to keep hair color from fading is with a color-refreshing mask. It is available in multiple shades, and it helps in restoring and boosting your hair color. It is also less harmful than chemical dyes.

These are some simple hair care and hair maintenance tips to refresh your hair color at home. But to make your dye job last longer, you need to take proper care of your hair. We discuss how to maintain your hair color easily in the next section.

How To Maintain Your Permanent Hair Color

Some things that you can do to maintain the vibrancy of your permanent hair color and increase hair beauty include:

1. Always use cold water to wash your hair. Hot water opens up the hair cuticle, making it easier for the color pigments to wash out. Note: Permanent color penetrates the cuticle and inner parts of the hair. It doesn’t sit on top. If the color did sit on top and could wash off, it means the cuticle wasn’t lifted correctly when the color process was happening, thus washing off instead of fading out.
2. Every hair wash will reduce the brightness of your hair color. So, wash your hair less often (no more than once or twice a week) to make your color last longer.
3. Using a sulfate-free shampoo will prevent the hair color from fading quickly. Use only hair products suitable or specially formulated for colored hair. These products are usually labeled as €˜color-safe.€™
4. One of the easiest ways to fade hair color is heat styling. Constant heat will make your hair look fried and faded. Again, if the cuticle is compromised, the color can seep out of the strands or fade from the inside out. Using cold air for blow drying and alternative methods of styling besides hot tools helps prevent further damage to the cuticle. Therefore, use heat styling tools like straighteners and curling irons only when necessary, and even then, use them on a low setting after applying a heat protectant to your hair.
5. Avoid swimming pools to keep your hair color from fading (2). Chlorine acts as an oxidizing agent that can penetrate the hair cortex, thereby fading or altering your hair color.
6. To delay the recoloring of your hair, try using a color-depositing product. These hair fashion products contain a dye that will help in intensifying your hair color rather than stripping it away in every wash.
7. Protect your hair from the sun. The harmful UVA and UVB rays can cause discoloration of your hair and make it look dull and dry (3).

Infographic: Natural Ways To Refresh Hair Color

So, you got a hair color after seeing the latest hair trends on your social media feed. But now, your amazing hair transformation is quickly fading and you don’t know what to do. Hair colors fade after a point, and not many can color their hair whenever required. As we saw, there are many ways that help refresh the faded hair color. However, we are here with an infographic that lists the best of the natural ways that you can follow. Take a look.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

In Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you dye already dyed hair?

Yes, you can dye already dyed hair. However, wait for 4-7 weeks before re-dyeing it so that you don’t damage your hair.

What’s the difference between a hair color refresh and a full hair color treatment?

Hair color refresh is a minor touch-up to revive the existing color, while a full hair color is a complete dye treatment.

Are there any risks associated with refreshing hair color at home?

The risks of refreshing hair color at home include damage to hair and scalp, uneven color, and allergic reactions.

What are some common mistakes people make when refreshing their hair color?

Using the wrong product, over-using products, and not conducting a patch test are some of the common mistakes people make while refreshing their hair color.

How can you refresh your hair color without causing damage to your scalp?

Ensure the product is not touching the scalp, use a brush to apply it and thoroughly rinse the hair afterwards.

Refresh your hair dye in 5 minutes with the best products! Learn how to keep your dye vibrant and touch up your hair color with ease. Get the best tips and tricks to keep your hair glowing!

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Madison Dufour is a licensed and practicing barber and cosmetologist with 10 years of experience, as well as an entrepreneur running several hair businesses, including MadisonD Barbering and The Exquisite Find Hair Blog. After working behind the chair for several years, she felt the calling to start the non-profit Barber in a Bag that teaches basic hair cutting skills in…more

Arshiya Syeda is a senior editor at StyleCraze with 7 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer and combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care. She holds a bachelor’s degree in literature and psychology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a post-graduate diploma in psychological…more