Did you recently take the plunge and get your hair dyed an exciting color? While dying your hair can be fun, maintaining the color is important to keep that awesome look!

If you dyed your hair purple, you might be worried about how to manage it. Purple hair is especially tricky because it can start to fade if not managed properly. 

This article is the perfect guide for you as it will cover:

• How you can keep your purple hair from fading?
• How to pick the best products? 
• How you can generally maintain the purple shade?

Why Is It Fading? 

If you notice the purple in your hair slowly fading, you may be wondering why. It is also best for you to try and identify the reason, so you take steps accordingly. 

Too Much Sun

One common reason is too much direct exposure to the sun. UV rays can damage your hair in general, but in the case of purple hair, they can cause it to fade away. 

Hot Showers 

Another reason that purple color fades easily is if you take hot showers too frequently.

Hot water basically makes your hair cuticles open further, allowing the color to escape and wash away when you are shampooing. 

Shampooing Too Soon

In case you noticed the purple fading away too soon, i.e., only a few days after you dyed your hair, then maybe you made the mistake of shampooing too soon after the coloring. 

Hard Water

Hard water can be another cause behind the fading. Hard water that contains calcium and magnesium is extremely harsh on your hair.

These elements can build up on your hair and even prevent the color from fully settling in your cuticles, meaning it will wash and fade away easily. 

Related: The 27 Best Shampoos and Conditioners for Hard Water

Using Straighteners And Other Such Equipment

If you are the one who likes to style your hair frequently, you need to be careful about this after you get purple hair! 

Using hot styling tools like flat irons, blow dryers, and curling wands without any heat protection can be extremely harsh on your hair. 

It can cause your hair to get damaged and the purple color to fade away. 

No Recoloring 

Another reason your purple hair color might be fading is that you have not gone for a touch-up or recoloring in a while.

It is natural for the purple to start fading away after a while, especially if you are not recoloring it.

See also: The 15 best purple hair dye for dark hair without bleach

How Can You Keep Purple Hair From Fading? 

Now that you know all of the factors that can cause the purple color in your hair to fade, we will now cover ways to ensure that your color does not fade.

This will help your hair look bright and prevent any fading so you can enjoy it for a longer time!

Protect Your Hair From The Sun

It’s important to protect your hair from UV rays by reducing your direct exposure to the sun. 

Sometimes it is not realistic to completely avoid being outside during day time, so in this case, you can try and shield your hair by covering it.

You can do this by wearing a cap, hat, or even by using a sun umbrella. 

You can also apply sun-protection products. There are plenty of sun protection products available that are tailor-made for your hair. The best part is that they are lightweight! 

Wait A While Before Your First Wash

You should wait at least 24 hours after the coloring to wash your hair, and even then, make sure that you use appropriate aftercare products that are made for purple hair. 

And while the recommended time is to wait for 24 hours, you should wait at least 2 days for your first wash to be on the safe side.

After coloring, the dye’s chemicals may make your hair weaker, and every wash can cause some color to wash off and fade. 

No More Hot Showers!

While hot showers can be relaxing and understandable if you enjoy them, they are very harsh on your hair.

So if you want to maintain the purple in your hair for longer, you should let go of hot showers for a while.

It is best for your hair if you shower in cold or at least lukewarm water. Cold water also helps seal in color, so it lasts longer! 

As discussed above, hot water has the opposite effect and can cause the color to wash off. 

In case you cannot resist hot showers, it is best to cover your hair before doing so. You can easily cover your hair by using a shower cap or towel. 

This way, you can enjoy the odd hot shower without having to compromise on the maintenance of your beautiful purple hair! 

Use Heat Protection

Use thermal protection hair products when styling your hair with hot styling tools like straighteners. 

These products ensure your hair does not get damaged by the heat produced by your straightener, blow dry, etc. Direct heat can not only damage your hair but also cause the color to fade.

It can also be a good idea to tone down your use of styling tools.

While they make it easy to style your hair, they can be particularly harsh on colored hair, which is already vulnerable after the coloring process. 

Using heat protection, you protect your hair both from getting damaged and the color fading at the same time!

Color-saving Shampoos

Some shades of purple fade faster. This is especially true for lighter shades such as lavender and lilac. These shades use lesser pigment which means it is normal for them to fade quickly. 

However, you can try and prolong the staying life of these lighter shades by using the shampoo and conditioner for purple hair.

Using purple shampoo is a great option. It can help prolong the purple color, and it also removes any brassiness that may appear when the purple in your hair is fading.

Recolor At Home

While recoloring your hair at home can be a bit risky, this is definitely an option! 

A safe way of doing this is by mixing purple dye with your hair conditioner.

You must let your conditioner sit for 3-5 minutes so it can deposit purple pigments. After this, you can rinse it safely.

If you decide to use this method, it’s best to make sure that you have the exact purple dye available for the original coloring. 

You can also use products that touch up your hair. These tend to be semi-permanent.

Before using these products, conduct a strand test to ensure they are suitable for your hair!

See also: How To Remove Semi Permanent Hair Dye From Bleached Hair?

Conclusion 

The excitement of getting your hair colored purple can quickly fade away when the color starts fading away.

But you don’t have to worry because you can now easily identify what causes the color to fade and how you can prevent this.

It is best first to identify what specifically is causing your color to fade. As this article details, it can be a range of issues. 

Maybe you have too much direct exposure to the sun or take hot showers and are using hot styling tools too frequently. Or perhaps you showered too soon after coloring your hair before the color had sealed in your hair properly.

Whatever the problem is, we have found you a solution!

You can simply take preventative steps like avoiding hot showers, hot styling tools, and protecting your hair from the sun by covering it. 

You can also use heat protection products and color-saving shampoos. If you have exhausted all of these options and the color has still faded, you can choose to recolor it at home yourself!

While this may be a little risky, it can restore your purple hair to its former glory! And you can rock your purple hair for a longer time. 

So whatever the issue is, do not stress about the purple color in your hair fading! Be methodical and identify what the issue is so you can correct it!

We hope you can enjoy your purple hair for as long as possible! 

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