Tricks To Prevent Haircolor Loss : The Obvious and the Unusual

I've been coloring my hair since I was in middle school, in one way or another. And if you count the fact that perming use to significantly lighten my locks, then it's been since 4th grade. (For more proof, check the pics, here.)For the last few months, I've gone back to having my hair colored in the salon. Since it's getting longer, I don't want to damage my naturally on-the-dry-side-hair by coloring and highlighting in a damaging way.

It. Looks. Amazing. It's a little more fiery than this picture shows, but trust me. It's lovely.But since it's red, it doesn't always last. I came up with two solutions to help assist in keeping my coiffure colored exactly the way I like it.The first is the not so obvious. And since I'm up for almost anything, I was all ears when a reader wrote in and told me about a trick she discovered years ago:A few days after you have had your hair colored, shampoo your hair and rinse the shampoo out. Then mix some table salt into a cup of water and rinse your hair with the salt water, leaving it on for a few minutes. Then rinse again and condition as usual. She claimed it helped lock in the red and extended her color beyond what she usually got. While I don't understand it, I decided to give it a try. But first, I asked my go-to Color Genius, Bethany Magliacane, owner of Laboratorie: The Salon, if she had ever heard of such a thing.

(Inside Laboratorie. It's so relaxing.)

"I know that if client comes in for hair color after going to the gym, sometimes the salt from their sweat will make color go much darker than expected. It actually makes it harder to predict how the color will turn out if the hair is, well, saltier than usual. I don't know of a reason that color treated hair would react to a salt water rinse AFTER the color has been applied, but I have never tried it."

(My lightbulb shaker that Loxy bought because it was adorable. It now resides in the bathroom.)

Here is what I did. I used my usual sulfate free shampoo and washed like I always do. Then I rinsed with a salt water mixture (probably one tbsp. per cup) and let that sit on my hair for a few minutes. I then very thoroughly rinsed the salt water out and followed with my conditioner. I did this every other time I washed my hair. When I went in for my next appointment (4 weeks later), Bethany agreed that my red looked unusually fresh. It wasn't perfect, but it did look really great.While I can't explain why this worked, it did seem to have a positive effect on retaining my hair color. (It also made me never salt my food, as the shaker was constantly in the bathroom, which has to be a good thing, too.)Then there is a slightly more obvious way to get the same effect. I've been very successful in holding on to my color when I'm using Wen. Most recently, I tried the Fig Cleansing Conditioner formula, since my hair is on the dry side. It also held on to my color beautifully. As of today (a week before I go in for color), it looks almost as beautiful as it did when I had it done. Once you are using Wen (and have figured out how much works for you), the results are pretty amazing.Even my super picky sister-in-law Abz loves it. I like how the Fig hydrates my dry hair from a conditioning standpoint, but I'm honestly not so crazy about the scent. Sweet Almond Mint also works on dry hair, so I think I'll stick with that in the future. Either way, I don't worry about my red fading!Do you have a trick? Tell me all about it!Wen was sent for review. Wen doesn't test on animals. Laboratorie is extremely eco-friendly and Bethany really likes dogs.Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2009-2011, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

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