If you have recently dyed your hair, you might have many questions and concerns about it. This article will answer some commonly asked questions on the topic and discuss hair fading techniques and concerns.
How to Fade Hair Yourself
There are a few ways to fade out your hair dye faster without waiting for it to happen by itself. These are-
Baking Soda
This is the most common DIY method for fading out hair dye. Mix a few spoons of baking soda with some water to create a gooey paste, and apply it to your hair. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Use a conditioner afterward to prevent drying.
Clarifying Shampoo
If you use a clarifying shampoo formulated for product buildup and impurities, your hair’s color pigments can be washed out to some extent. Use the shampoo multiple times to speed up the process. To prevent excessive drying, use a moisturizing conditioner afterward.
Vitamin C Tablets
Since vitamin C has acidic properties, it works well when stripping off color. For a better effect, crush the tablets into a fine powder and mix it with the clarifying shampoo. Leave the paste on your hair for 30–60 minutes and then rinse.
Why Does My Hair Fade So Fast?
There are a lot of reasons why your hair might be fading fast; for example,
You shampoo too frequently
Shampoo washes out the dirt in your hair. So it’s not surprising that it’s also capable of washing out the dye. Especially if your shampooing frequency is higher than what’s recommended for healthy hair. Overwashing strips your hair of the color molecules and makes the dye fade.
You’re using heat-styling instruments
Heat-styling instruments like curling irons or flattening irons are very commonly used. When you dye your hair, your hair cuticles lock in the color molecules. But when you use heat-styling equipment, these cuticles open up and cause the molecules to escape.
You’re getting chemical treatments
Getting chemical treatments like perms and relaxers once in a while is not a big deal. But if you’re getting them often, then you’ll see that your hair is starting to retain dye a lot less than before. This is because your hair shaft has become weak; thus, it is more susceptible to color loss. It can also happen due to frequently dying your hair.
You’re using harsh hair products
Some hair products cause color loss more than others. Especially the hair products containing sulphates and alcohol. These substances strip away the moisture of your hair, taking the color along with it.
Your hair is damaged
Your hair’s porosity levels also have an impact on your color-retaining period. If your hair is highly porous, it absorbs and releases color more easily. Your hair can have high porosity by birth, which might be why you never manage to make your color last long. You can take The Wet Stretch Test to determine your hair’s porosity level before you dye it.
You did not apply the dye properly
Most of the time, hair color fades quickly because you didn’t follow the dying instructions properly. You have to keep the dye on for a certain period of time for the color to be properly processed in your hair.
You did not emulsify your hair
If you want to make your hair dye last long time, it’s important to emulsify your hair in a shampoo bowl. This ensures that the hair absorbs as much color as possible before closing the cuticles. For the emulsification process, you have to first add a small amount of water to your hair. Then you should massage the hair and the dye together for 4-5 minutes to create a nice lather.
You stay under the sun too long
UV rays have an effect on hair dye. It can break down the pigments in the dye quicker, which leads to faster fading. So you should always use UV-resistant products on your hair or keep your hair covered when you have to stay under the sun for too long.
Your water’s quality is bad
Bad water quality, specifically hard water, is extremely damaging to your hair. When the hair is dyed, the color fades quicker. This is because hard water has high mineral content, which deposits in your hair follicles. So make sure the water with which you are washing your hair is of good quality.
It might not be your fault
There are various internal and external factors that can affect the time you retain your hair color.
For external factors, there is environmental pollution. Pollutants in the air deposit in the hair shaft, which pushes out the color molecules and causes the color to fade fast.
In case of internal factors, your genes could be a cause. Some people naturally have hair that is prone to fading. It can also be because of certain medications you use. Moreover, as you grow older, your hair shaft changes, so the color retaining ability also changes.
Why does red hair fade?
If you have dyed your hair red, you might have noticed that compared to other colors, red fades faster. There is actually a good reason behind that.
The biggest reason is that the red hair dye’s molecules are typically larger than the ones in other hair colors. As a result, the molecules have a harder time penetrating the cortex of your hair, and the cuticles cannot trap them as much. So, the molecules stay loose and get easily washed away when you shampoo your hair.
Will brassy hair fade?
A few weeks after you colored your hair, you might start seeing brassy hair. Brassy hair is basically when the hair dye begins to fade and reveals the natural undertones of your actual hair color, which might not look very good for some. It’s especially more evident in people with lighter hair colors. Brassiness is caused mainly by outdoor factors like sun, pollutants, and free radicals.
If your hair has become brassy, you can fix it with a toner or a touch-up. However, it’s worth noting that there are different shades of brassiness, and the treatment required for each is different. So it’s best to consult your nearest salon.
Will pink hair fade back to blonde?
It’s hard to give a definite answer to that because it depends on a bunch of factors. For example-
Type of Dye
Suppose you’re using a temporary or semi-permanent pink dye. In that case, it will gradually wash away over time and make the underlying blonde visible quickly, but permanent pink dyes will leave a residual tint as they fade.
Intensity of color
The intensity of the pink color you chose and the shade of the underlying blonde will also affect the visibility of the fading. If the pink is very vibrant and the blonde is very light, the fading will be less obvious.
Hair care routine
To prolong the life of your pink color, follow a proper hair care routine. Use color-safe shampoo and conditioner, wash your hair less frequently, and avoid heat-styling tools.
Does hair fade to blonde?
If you bleach your blonde hair, its color pigments will be completely removed. Then, when you apply a dye to it, your hair will take on the dye’s color. When the dye begins to fade, it will not naturally go back to blonde because you already bleached it away. Instead, it will take a lighter shade of the color you dyed it to. In order to go back to blonde, you have to go to a professional for color correction or cut off the bleached portion.
Dying your hair is a great endeavor for self-expression. But to get the most out of it, remember the above knowledge!
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