How often to color hair

Generally, it’s safe to re-dye every 6 to 8 weeks. Permanent hair dye lightens the hair and deposits color.

Re-dying the entire length of your hair can be done safely about every 8 weeks, but if you simply want to make a tonal change – warm it up or cool it down – there are less permanent – and non-damaging – options such as glazes or toners in the semi-permanent color category (more below).

Wait At Least 2 Weeks to Re-Dye

Trichologists (hair scientists) recommend waiting at least 2 weeks – but technically 15 days – before you re-dye your hair if it’s already damaged. This is especially true if you’ve used permanent hair color or a high-volume developer (30 or 40 volume).

How often is it safe to go for color? You shouldn’t dye your hair more frequently than every two or three weeks. The problem is when you’re going blonde you can see your dark roots after a week, but if you color your hair every week, then you will see damage.

The timing between dyes, according to Lint, is roughly every four to six weeks. If you’re stretching that time gap pretty thin, however, there are methods to cover your gray roots in the meantime. “There are lots of products, such as powder or makeup, that cover your gray and then wash out when shampooed,” says Lint.

How long should you wait before re-coloring your hair? It’s generally suggested to wait at least four weeks between coloring hair. That’s the minimum interval if you care about your hair but it would actually be better to wait somewhere around six or seven weeks if you’re really scared of doing any damage.

Re-dye often, but not too often. Your hair shaft is delicate, and should only be dyed once a month or so. Any sooner than that and it will be prone to breaking, splitting, tangles and straw-like texture. Deep conditioning treatments used in conjunction with any color service are always recommended.

1. Blonde Highlights. There are three reasons we recommend blonde highlights when covering grays. First up, the difference between blonde and silver shades is subtle, so gray roots won’t appear as visible – even if it’s been six to eight weeks since you last went to the salon.

It could be that your hair is resistant to tint, especially when the hair texture has changed as a result of going white. But also it could be that by going lighter, either all over, or by introducing (subtle) highlights you would not see the regrowth strip quite as quickly as if it were lighter.

Ideally, you should be visiting your stylist for a root touch up every 4 to 6 weeks, and no later than 8 weeks. This isn’t purely because it’ll look better, but for biological reasons, too.

As a general rule, Mike Liang, advanced colorist at Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa in New York suggests going gray when you reach 80 percent non-pigmented or white hair. If your hair starts to feel increasingly dry, brittle, or damaged or you experience scalp irritation, it might be time to ditch the dye.

If you leave hair dye in longer than the recommended time this can cause damage to your hair. The chemical process can result in hair that is fragile, dry, and brittle. 30 minutes is usually long enough for the chemicals in a permanent hair dye to develop and permeate the hair.

It’s a good idea to give your roots the most time to absorb color—at least a 10 minute head start, 20 minutes if you have stubborn grays at your roots. But please remember that you should not apply color all over every time you color (see above).

Root Cover Sprays or Sticks

The most genius way to cover those grays in between salon visits is using a root touch-up quick stick or temporary root concealer spray. Gray Away found at ULTA Beauty makes salon-quality products that can be applied in minutes and make it look like you just stepped out of a salon.

A temporary root concealer spray is the quickest way to help cover gray roots. Try the L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover Up, which is available in eight shades. The lightweight, quick-dry spray helps conceal gray roots in just three seconds without any smudging or sticky residue once it dries.

Palmer recommended washing colored hair in cooler water: “That makes your hair cuticle stay closed and keeps your hair color trapped inside the strands of hair. Warm water makes the cuticle more likely to open and let the color out, which is why color fades so fast.”

Shampooing the day after you dye your hair.

“After having your hair colored, wait a full 72 hours before shampooing,” says Eva Scrivo, a hairstylist in New York City. “It takes up to three days for the cuticle layer to fully close, which traps the color molecule, allowing for longer lasting hair color.”

Pre-softening the hair is a technique used by many hairstylists for coarse grey hair. It involves applying just the color directly on the hair with no developer, letting it sit for a few minutes. Then, mix your formula and paint over previously applied hair. Add Oway Hypercolor to your formula.

Use cool water for rinsing your hair

Hot water is drying to the hair whether it has been colored or otherwise. Hot water causes the hair cuticle to open, allowing color molecules to escape, while cold water helps close and seal the cuticles.

Coconut oil does not remove hair dye. It protects hair from fading by reducing protein loss that damages your hair. Coconut oil does help repair the damaged cuticle that protects the embedded color. Poor dye application, hair damage, sulfate shampoos, and sun damage are the main factors for color loss.

Demi-Permanent haircolor does not contain ammonia and does not penetrate the cortex through the cuticle, but wraps around the cuticle. It will last about 24 shampoos. Permanent haircolor lasts the longest.