Keep your hair color from fading

A common issue among people who color their hair is fading of the color tone.  The list of tricks they try to prevent it from happening includes everything from wearing scarves to cold water washing and more. There are however better ways to keep your hair color from fading. The key lies in understanding the nature of hair and its color.

The structure of a hair can be described as a tube-like fiber that has a cuticle layer covering its surface much like scales on a fish.  The best way to keep color in your hair is to treat it correctly. Different pH levels can open or close the cuticle layer of the hair.  The higher the pH, the higher the cuticle lifts; the lower the pH, the tighter it closes the cuticle.  Your body’s natural acid mantle is 4.5 to 5.5; therefore anything below this level is considered a low pH, anything above – high pH.  In addition, tightly closed cuticle locks in your hair color thus keeping it from fading.

Let us look at some ways we can keep that cuticle closed.

#1 The right shampoo and conditioner

Low pH shampoo and conditioner.  It is very important to use a shampoo and conditioner that is “color safe”. Such shampoos and conditioners are typically low in pH levels and they contain quality ingredients which work less as a detergent and more as a gentle cleanser.  A great example is Milk_Shake® Color Maintainer Shampoo and Color Maintainer Conditioner.  Both contain low pH in the range of 4 to 4.5 which is the low side of your natural acid mantle.  Moreover, the rest of Milk_Shake® Shampoos and Conditioners are also color safe and have low pH levels.

#2 Leave in conditioner

A good leave-in conditioner with low pH is also a must.  The surprising reason for this is water which is the last thing hair is exposed to after shampooing.  Average tap water carries a pH of 7, no matter what temperature it is.  Even after using a low pH shampoo, this raises the cuticle layer again and the hair color is not as protected and can become compromised.  A low pH leave-in conditioner will close the cuticle again protecting the hair color.  Milk_Shake® Leave-in Conditioner Spray has a pH of 3.5 and Milk_Shake® Whipped Cream leave-in conditioner has a ph of 4.0.  In addition, milk_shake Incredible Milk (a leave-in spray mask) has a 4 pH.  All three of these products are great ways to keep the cuticle closed and protect the hair color.

#3 Sun protection

While sun has many positive and healing characteristics, it can also be damaging to our hair and its color. Some hair products contain organic elements which have natural sun filtering characteristics.  Great examples of these are Milk_Shake® Lifestyling or NO INHIBITION styling products. Both lines contain natural sun filters and are enhanced with anti-oxidants that also help fight the harmful effects of free radicals that degrade hair color.