Color Care 101: How to Keep Your Hair Vibrant Between Salon Visits

Oct 7

Walking out of La Foi with fresh color feels amazing — whether it’s sunkissed balayage, rich brunettes, vivid fashion tones, or soft pastels. But color doesn’t stay flawless on its own. With the right habits and products, your shade can look just as salon-fresh weeks later. Here’s your go-to guide for keeping your hair vibrant between visits.

1. Wait Before You Wash

Give your hair time to “settle in” after coloring. We recommend waiting 48–72 hours before your first wash post-color. This helps the cuticle seal and locks pigment in place.

2. Choose Color-Safe Products

Not every shampoo or conditioner is friendly to color-treated hair. Opt for:

Sulfate-free formulas
Alcohol-free styling products
Gentle cleansers with antioxidant benefits

These formulas help reduce stripping of your color pigment.

At La Foi, we carry professional-grade color-safe lines — ask your stylist for a recommendation that’s right for your shade and hair type.

3. Wash Less Often

Every time you shampoo, a small amount of pigment can wash away. To stretch your color:

Try washing 2–3 times per week rather than daily
Use a dry shampoo to refresh the roots between washes

4. Use Lukewarm or Cool Water

Hot water opens the hair cuticle, which makes it easier for color to escape. Always rinse and shampoo with lukewarm to cool water. This helps seal the cuticle and maintain shine.

5. Protect from UV Exposure

Living in Lubbock means plenty of sun, but UV rays can fade your color faster. Do the following:

Wear a hat outdoors
Use hair products with UV protection
Apply a leave-in UV spray or mist before time outdoors

Dermatologists agree: UV light can damage and weaken color-treated hair.

6. Be Gentle with Heat Styling

Heat tools (flat irons, curling wands, blow dryers) can dull your color and damage hair. When you do use them:

Always apply a thermal protectant
Use the lowest effective temperature
Try to air dry when you can
Embrace your hair’s natural texture

This helps reduce stress to the hair shaft and preserves vibrancy.

7. Deep Condition Weekly

Color treatments can strip moisture, making hair more porous. Once a week, use a deep conditioning mask or treatment on mid-lengths to ends to restore hydration, smooth the cuticle, and improve shine.

8. Add Glosses or Toners Between Full Services

To refresh tone and boost shine without a full-color redo, schedule gloss or toner touch-ups between your regular color appointments. These treatments help neutralize brassiness, deepen richness, and extend your color life.

9. Trim Regularly

Split ends and damaged hair absorb color unevenly, which can make your shade look duller faster. Regular trims keep your ends healthy, which in turn helps maintain a more vibrant, even color. Wella Professionals+1

10. Stay Consistent with Appointments

Color maintenance is a long game. Keeping up with root touch-ups, glossing, or refresh sessions helps you avoid drastic color fade or visible regrowth. Set reminders with your stylist so you maintain momentum.

Bonus Tips for Specific Colors & Conditions

Blondes / Highlights – Use a purple or blue shampoo occasionally to counter brassiness. ELLE+1
Reds / Coppers – Red tones fade faster, so use richer conditioners and limit exposure to heat and sun. Wella Professionals
Fashion / Vivid Colors – These hues require even more care. Use pigment-depositing masks or conditioners to refresh the tone mid-cycle.
Chlorine / Pool Exposure – Wet hair with fresh water, apply a protective mask or leave-in before swimming, and rinse immediately afterward to minimize fading or green tints.

Final Thoughts

Your color deserves more than one perfect day — with intentional care, you can stretch that “just-out-of-the-salon” vibrancy much further. Use gentle, color-protective products, reduce stress from heat and UV, hydrate your strands, and stay on top of maintenance touch-ups.

Whenever your hair is starting to look dull, brassy, or “off,” reach out to us at La Foi Salon — our colorists love helping find the right refresh treatment or tweak just for your shade.