If you’re bored with blonde, tired of being a brunette, or fed up with red, you might have scrolled through Instagram feeling envious at the endless images of bloggers, models, and celebrities with their hair dyed in cool silver tones or pretty pastels.
Silver definitely stands out from the crowd and pastel shades from purple to bold blues and pinks are very pretty and totally on trend.
But before you take the plunge and change your look, there’s one thing you need to know; silver and pastels are tough to maintain, so if you want something low maintenance, they’re definitely not for you. But if you want to give them a go and you aren’t afraid of a bit of a maintenance and a good haircare routine, here’s how to maintain silver and pastel shades.
How to maintain silver shades
Silver can be harder to maintain than blonde. With blonde, you need to avoid brassiness, but if your hair is dyed silver, any amount of brassiness will ruin the effect. Any good colourist will tell you that silver or light grey hair is difficult to achieve because silver or grey dye doesn’t exist, it needs to be mixed from other colours. My advice is to bring a photo of the exact shade you want when you come for your consultation so your colourist can match it. And always go to a colourist who is experienced in doing grey and silver shades or it can go very wrong!
Don’t worry if you leave the salon with a slight blue or lavender tinge to your hair, the colour will fade into grey or silver. To maintain your silver colour, you’ll need to be clever with your use of products. Silver tends to pick up what you put on it, so if you just use purple toning shampoo, your hair will probably turn lavender. Try alternating a sulphate free moisturising shampoo and conditioner with a purple or blue toning shampoo and conditioner for good all-round care. You can also go back to your colourist for a toning appointment to keep your shade looking as amazing as when you first had it done.
How to maintain pastel shades
Go to a professional colourist: Chopping and changing colours can cause hair damage, especially if you’re not using professional techniques and products to protect the hair. No matter how good you think you are at colouring your hair, home dye jobs can look uneven. Go professional for a beautiful colour and a lustrous end result.
Use the right products: Coloured hair needs more tlc and specially-formulated products. Your colourist will suggest products based on your hair type to keep your colour looking fabulous for longer.
Get a regular trim: Bleaching and toning the hair can cause damage, so it’s important that you get regular trims to keep the hair healthy and get rid of split ends. Each time you book in your colour, book in an appointment for a cut.
Use deep conditioning treatments before your colour: If you use a deep conditioning treatment on your hair for at least a month before your colour appointment, the hair will be as healthy as possible and it will hold colour so much better.
Try new hairstyles: Multicoloured hair can look completely different depending on what hairstyle you have, so try something you don’t usually have, like a ballerina bun or different types of braid.
Book in for regular maintenance: Have your coloured touched up every 6-8 weeks to keep it looking fresh and vibrant. If you go without a touch up for too long, you can end up with an uneven colour result when you get it redone.
Make dry shampoo your friend: Using dry shampoo means that you have to wash your hair less often and your colour will stay looking brighter for longer.
Rinse your hair with cool water: Hot water opens the hair cuticle which can cause colour to rinse out. Cooler water seals the cuticle so the colour is locked in and it will last much longer.
Deep condition after your colour: Having a deep conditioning treatment after your colour, such as Olaplex can hydrate the hair and improve its overall health so it holds onto your colour for much longer.
Protect your hair from heat: Coloured hair is more prone to damage, so heat can make it weak and dry. Dry your hair naturally where possible, but if you are blow drying, straightening or curling your hair, use a heat protection product to prevent hair damage. A little note about heat protection: beware of using tinted oils as these can actually deposit colour on pale pastel shades and warp them!
Want to try some beautiful pastel or silver shades? Contact us to book a consultation.