Colour Retention Products
(previously published in The Experts Magazine)

Question: When I get my hair colored, I just love it for the first two weeks. Then it just seems to fade and look brassy. How can I keep my color longer?

The first thing you should do is check your shampoo. One of the main reasons hair color fades quickly is due to the use of harsh shampoos. These shampoos usually contain sulphate, one of the ingredients thought to remove artificial color from hair.

An interesting study was recently done on the effectiveness of several color retention shampoos found in beauty supply stores. Seven professional shampoos, from varying price brackets, were chosen to determine how repeated shampooing would affect the test swatches. The swatches were soaked in their respective shampoos for 30 minutes and then rinsed. This was done a total of 14 times. At the end of the test, each swatch was compared to the control swatch, which had been kept in a cabinet with no exposure to light. There was significant degeneration of color on the swatches, with some shampoos being more harsh than others. One of the more inexpensive shampoos, made by Tri, ranked among the top. According to a news release from the Institute of Tricology, "Structural Balance Hydrating Shampoo & Color Protector produced the best test results by effectively cleansing the hair with least measurable effect on its color".

If your color is "dying" right before your eyes, switch to sulphate free, color retention products, and keep your color alive.