Colour Corrections and Fadage

The biggest change in modern salon hair colour besides added conditioning agents is the ability of the colour to open the cuticle very minimally in order to deposit the colour. This is important because a closed cuticle reflects more shine, will tangle less, and will protect the inner hair shaft from environmental damage.

The cuticle layer is also a key factor in colour fadage. Two things that will affect fadage are porosity (which is how open your cuticle sits) and colour selection (certain tones will fade faster ei. reds)

  


 

Going back to your natural colour? Keep these things in mind. If you have lightened your hair, it will be more porous. At this point, hair is in a less predictable state. If you are having it colouring it back to brown, artificial hair colour will show differently on porous hair. Two things you can do to make the process better:
 
  1. Keep your hair in the best condition that you can with premium shampoo and weekly protein treatments. When you are ready to change your hair colour, your hair will react more predictably.
  2. Consider that it is a work in progress. Depending on the extent of colour correction and damage that we are working with, your exact desired level and tone may require a few applications and would ideally evolve over a few hair appointments.
 

Remember that if your hair tends to soak up the colour too much, and go darker (ie. it is more porous), it will tend to let go of the colour and fade faster. Occasionally with very porous hair, browns or toners will grab darker, or produce a cooler, more ashy tone than the colour was designed to go. In this case it is better to let the colour “wash up” over a few shampoos rather than lift it, only for it to lift too much later on it’s own. Avoid asking for ash or cool browns on bleached hair as there is more of a chance of your hair appearing more “muddy”. Remember to avoid these situations by keeping your hair in optimum health!
 

Do not scrub or brush your scalp the day of your booked colour.  This will open up more possibility of scalp irritation.