Hair Color Journey

How To Care For Your Color

Anyone who says hair color is “just a beauty treatment” clearly does not understand the confidence boost that freshly applied color can provide. The simple act of getting your roots retouched or your red refreshed can turn your entire mood around. But, what if you could have that great hair day feeling every day? If your color could look vibrant, shiny, and healthy from day 1 until it was time to reapply? 

Well, that’s kind of our whole thing here at dpHUE — our salon-quality products are formulated to empower you to care for your color at home, ensuring that it looks beautiful every day of your color journey. We keep the fading, brassiness, dullness, and roots from ruining those fresh color vibes.

With that in mind, we spoke with dpHUE Education Lead Jocelyn Smith and Vice President of Product Development and Marketing Karina Lutzy for a week-by-week guide of how to keep your color looking fresh and glossy until reapplication time. Keep reading for their expert tips.

 

Week 1 - ACV Hair Rinse & ACV Daily Scalp Serum

The biggest mistake most people make with their color is actually washing it right down the drain, says Karina. “One of the first tips I give people after color application to make sure their freshly colored hair stays shiny and vibrant as long as possible is to wait two days before putting water on it,” she says. “This is because the pigments need time to be completely locked in and your hair and scalp need time to get back into balance after your service.” Instead, she recommends reaching for the ACV Daily Scalp Serum, to help soothe your scalp from the irritation of the chemicals that were used during the coloring process. This award-winning oil-free treatment nourishes and hydrates as it calms scalp discomfort.

Once you are ready to wash your strands, Jocelyn says to reach for ACV Hair Rinse or ACV Hair Rinse Lite instead of your usual shampoo. “Shampooing strips your hair of its natural oils,” explains Jocelyn. “The ACV Hair Rinse is a gentle, pH-balanced cleanse that seals the hair cuticle and won’t irritate your scalp or strip your color.”

 

Week 2 - Color Fresh Collection & Glossy Glaze

Build-up from styling products, plus the actual damage from heat-styling itself are other common causes of color fading and dulling, so be sure to incorporate the Color Fresh collection of stylers into your routine. Jocelyn says that once you start washing your hair post-color application, you should be adding products like Color Fresh Oil Therapy and Color Fresh Thermal Protection Spray to protect against heat and UV damage. “The sun fades color, hot tools fade color, so you want to start using those protective layers immediately,” she says. You can also start to incorporate Color Fresh Shampoo and Conditioner into your routine if you prefer a deeper cleanse than the ACV Hair Rinse. For those that don’t professionally color their hair (or that want to add a dose of instant shine and dimension), the Glossy Glaze in-shower conditioning glaze creates a subtle, temporary tint that lasts for up to three shampoos. If you color your hair professionally, you can use it once a week starting at week 2, however it’s best to stop using Glossy Glaze at week 4 in preparation for your upcoming semi-permanent and demi-permanent color treatments.

 

Week 3 - Cool Blonde, Cool Brunette, and Brightening

The first real shift many people will see with their color-treated hair, says Karina, is either a change in tone or dullness. This will be especially apparent in blondes, those with highlights, and some brunette hues. If hair looks dull and feels heavy and weighed down, it is most likely dealing with a build-up of minerals and metals from hard water that makes it a perfect candidate for our Brightening collection. “Our Brightening system will help remove all those minerals that are in your hair and naturally pull them out,” says Karina, “which makes your hair feel lighter, but with blondes it will visibly look a lot brighter.” If your hair has started to take on a yellowish or orange color, you’ll want to reach for a toning shampoo and conditioner like our Cool Blonde and Cool Brunette, says Karina. They use special purple (Blonde) and blue (Brunette) pigments to deposit complementary colors onto the hair shaft that will neutralize the brassy shades and restore your original color vibrancy.

 

Week 4 - Gloss+

Depending how well you care for your color and the type of color you get, Jocelyn says that around the four-week mark is when color fading will typically start to be noticeable. The exception here is redheads, who will most likely begin to see fading happen prior to this due to the larger molecule size of the red color. When your hair hue is noticeably less bold and has lost its luster (or if you just want to give it some extra shine), our Gloss+ is a conditioning semi-permanent color that will enhance your color, shine, and softness in one treatment. Use it weekly to refresh and revitalize your shade in under 20 minutes.

One important thing to note, says Jocelyn, is that you want to discontinue the use of all semi-permanent hair color products around two weeks before you are due to reapply your color. “That’s because even semi-permanent color molecules can build up on the hair,” she explains. “So if you go to the salon with a ton of build-up on the hair, it’s harder for the permanent color to penetrate into the hair shaft and do the work it needs to do because it has to go through all those layers.”

 

Week 5 - Root Touch-Up Kit

Everyone’s hair grows at a different rate, so you may find your roots start to show sooner or later than this. However, typically it’s around week five when you’ll begin to notice visible root growth or grays. Developed with salon professionals, our Root Touch-Up Kit is a permanent hair color kit that includes everything you need to expertly cover grays and up to 1-inch of roots at home. It’s available in six shades that were formulated to be blended seamlessly into your base color.

Week 6 & 7 - ACV Hair Masque & ACV Scalp Serum

According to Jocelyn, the weeks leading up to your next color application should be focused on getting your hair and scalp in the best condition for color service. That means nourished hair and a healthy, balanced scalp. “I suggest focusing on treatment products like the ACV Daily Scalp Serum and the ACV Hair Masque,” she says. “The ACV Hair Masque will help build a nice foundation for color and strength to the hair shaft before you go in and put these strong, permanent chemicals in it. The ACV Daily Scalp Serum works as a daily maintenance product to prep a nice soothing base for the scalp to minimize the potential for irritation during color service.”

Week 8 - Color Reapplication

If you follow these steps to support your color during its full journey, not only will your hair color last longer and look healthier through the duration of its life cycle, but you’ll actually be setting yourself up for even more incredible-looking color for your next application. “All of these steps are boosting the overall health of your hair,” says Jocelyn, “which is going to ensure longer duration of color and healthier color.”