Tips to Maintain Vibrant Summer Hair Color
Make a splash this summer with a pop of color to brighten your day! Bold, vibrant summer hair color is always on trend. However, keeping your color fresh through the season is the biggest challenge for those who love to mix up their hue. Color-treated hair is especially vulnerable to damage from heat, elements, and styling. The treatment process can leave your cuticle feeling a bit exposed which in turn causes frizz and breakage. So is there any way to keep your colors from running while you enjoy the long, sunny days?
Don't let fear of fading keep you from rocking the hair color of your dreams this summer. Proper color care and maintenance go a long way in fighting the fade and keeping your tones vibrant. Check out RevAir's top tips for maintaining summer hair color. Implementing color care recommendations opens up a whole new world of summer style. Let's dive in!
Shampoo With Care
Naturally, the best way to extend the life of summer hair color is not to wash it out. Minimize washing your hair as much as possible. Depending on your hair type and texture, you might aim for going anywhere between 3-4 days to a week or more between washes if you have textured hair. While your hair may take time to adjust to the change, your lovely locks will eventually get on a program and look less oily between wash days as your hair and scalp settle.
If you're struggling to keep your hands off the shampoo bottle, grab a spritz of dry shampoo instead for an added lift. One trick for using dry shampoo to style between showers is to tease the hair up and apply a spritz to the back as if you were going for a beauty queen vibe.
Focus on finding the right shampoo for your look. If you're going platinum blonde, you'll need a high-quality purple shampoo to balance the yellow tones throughout. Try to stick with a sulfate-free formula during the summer to keep your hair moisturized, and remember to obey the color wheel. That is, whatever color your hair is will be balanced by shades on the opposite side of the wheel. Doing a bit of research into the science behind hair care is a great way to feel confident walking into your summer hair color appointment.
Scrub gently. Vigorous scrubbing can cause the color to bleed out more quickly. Manage your hair gently and patiently to avoid damaging your new signature color. You can also try implementing a color-safe shine serum if your hair tends to be on the dryer side of the texture spectrum.
You don't want to hear this tip....cold water! Washing and rinsing your hair in the coldest water that you can stand is the number one tip to extending your color, especially if it is a vivid color, like blue, red or purple. Believe it or not, you get used to it!
Your Hair Doesn't Need to Sunbathe
Keeping your hair out of the sun is the biggest challenge colored hair wearers will face this summer. It's important not to allow your color to be exposed to excessive UV. Hot, dry days strip away the moisture in each strand and cause the color to fade more quickly than usual. That means if you're out hiking, running, or just relaxing poolside, your hair may already be fading.
Avoid sun exposure as much as possible for summer hair color. There are a few different strategies when it comes to beating the heat. Many color pop fans simply choose to rock a hat on days when they know they'll be taking in a lot of sun. You can also spritz your hair with a hydrating, SPF-approved protectant.
Of course, sun exposure happens to the best of us and it's not something to over-worry about with colored hair. If your hair is looking a little stressed, deep condition it or treat yourself to a spontaneous salon day. Professional maintenance is just as important for keeping a style fresh as the initial summer hair color appointment. A deep conditioning treatment is a great idea for colored hair in the summertime.
Sunbathing may be our favorite way to relax in the hotter months, but protecting your hair is the key to maintaining vibrant fashion colors.
Hidden Hair Color
When considering summer hair color trends, we tend to focus on all-over color. Highlights and lowlights, colored ends, and bright, dazzling bangs often come next in our "what to do with my hair this summer" vision board. But did you know hidden hair color has the advantage of avoiding the sun while still looking fabulous?
Think outside the color wheel with unique hidden hair color trends. Low-key color is on everyone's must-have style list. Imagine subtle violet strands interwoven with dark chocolate hair or a brilliant undercut highlighted by a pop of rainbow. Peak-a-boo hair colors are another fantastic hidden hair color look that involves dying the bottom of the hair and allowing the remaining hair to conceal the surprise hue. This look is nothing short of magical when styled in a high pony or bun.
Best of all, these styles tend to last longer than all-over hair colors. It's no secret that all-over color is difficult to maintain. Taking a subtle approach helps with the overall style upkeep. There's no worrying about root touch-ups or brassy tones coming through after a long day at the beach. If you're someone who enjoys low-maintenance chic, hidden hair colors are for you.
Alternatively, you might ask your stylist which colors will fade most seamlessly into your natural shade. For example, deep brown looks stunning with red strands while purple often fades well with light to medium blonde hair. If you aren't a fan of frequent color maintenance, opting for an easy hair color that looks good when faded is another great hack for getting the most out of your summer hair color.
Pool Days the Healthy Hair Way
Who doesn't love a summer pool party?
The unfortunate answer is -- your hair!
Pools are incredibly harsh on color-treated hair. Your colors start bleeding out the moment you dive in. A combination of chlorine, water, and chemicals strip color away by the time you get out. To prevent fading without compromising any of your summertime plans, find a pool/beach routine that works for you. Ideas for protecting color-treated hair at pools and beaches include tying the hair up, rocking a chic bathing cap, and sticking to activities that don't involve direct exposure to the water like sunbathing, wading, and volleyball, and always protecting your hair with a reliable SPF serum. It's also a good idea to wet your hair with regular water first before jumping in.
Be sure to always pack a detangling spray for any pool or beach excursion. This will prevent you from losing any of your colors to shedding and general hair loss.
Turn Down the Heat, Turn Up the Style
When we get our hair color treated, the chemical bonds start to weaken as a result of lifting, lightening, and, of course, the hair dye itself. This can lead to excessive breakage during a time of the year when your hair is more vulnerable to thinning. It's important to give your color the extra protection it needs to stay chic and vibrant. That means minimizing heat from sources we can control.
Heat styling is one of the worst culprits of rapidly fading summer hair color. Hair that's had a bit too much long-term exposure to high heat will start to dull and lose its color integrity. For bleached or lightened hair, this is often most apparent in a brassy, yellow, or even green texture. We recommend ditching high heat devices altogether for a more hair-friendly solution.
Our incredible reverse air dryer device allows for low heat summer styling in a fraction of the time clunky, traditional hairdryers take. You can dry, stretch, and smooth with one single, compact device. Best of all, RevAir is whisper quiet and easy to take along on summer vacation. This innovative device fits nicely into gym bags and carry-on suitcases so you're never without a hairdryer. It's safe for all hair types from 1A and 4C and won't pull out your funky fashion colors. RevAir users swear by the simplicity of this tiny, but powerful low heat styling tool; "the new RevAir takes hair care and the hairstyling experience to new heights of ease, joy, and satisfaction."
Conclusion
It's time to take your summer hair color game to the next level. Your dream colors deserve their moment in the sun. We're here to make sure that moment lasts all summer long. Contact our team for color-specific care questions and learn more about what makes RevAir the perfect choice for extending the life of summer hair color.