Is your hair dyed black? Of course it is. Or possibly, some other dark or bright unnatural colour too, and you will also no doubt know that dying your hair an odd colour is a pain in the ass to do and apt to wash out, grow out, fade, and generally do its damndest to get itself off your head as soon as possible.
This is particularly pronounced in summer when it is hot and sunny, for various reasons that make perfect sense but are highly annoying nonetheless. When I dye my hair, it takes me the best part of an evening all told (and two weeks of dyed towels and pillow cases afterwards too) and so I do everything in my power to keep my dye on my head as long as possible.
Several years of trial, error and research has enabled me to get a little bit longer out of my colour in the summer than I used to do, and with this in mind, I’m going to share my top tips on how to keep dyed black or bright hair looking fleek in the summer.
Why is summer such a PITA for people with dyed black hair?
The reasons for why your colour doesn’t want to stay on your head during the summer are numerous, and related to both the heat and the additional light. First up, your hair (and nails) grow faster in the summer, and so your dyed locks will grow out quicker than they do in the winter.
Added to this, the heat can be quite drying in itself, and the worse the condition your hair is, the less able it is to hold a colour; then, the sun itself fades colours like black to a reddish or greenish tint, depending on the dye base you used; and finally, swimming, frequent hair washing and other things that happen in the summer all make your hair fade faster too.
Some solutions
There are various different approaches that you can take to prolonging the life of your black hair in the summer, all of which are aimed at counteracting the above effects.
Keeping your hair in good condition by taking good care of it and not abusing it with hairdryers is a good start, as healthy hair takes and keeps a colour better than damaged hair.
Wearing a hat, bandana or some other UV-proof covering over your hair when you’re out in the midday heat is also a great idea, and of course, the top of your head will fade faster in direct sunlight than the ends.
Wear a swimming cap if you’re swimming in the sea or a chlorinated pool to keep your colour from washing or bleaching out. No, you won’t look cool. Yes, your hair will thank you for it.
Having the ends of your rat’s tails trimmed regularly too will keep your hair in better condition as a whole, reduce your split ends, and fading from the ends.
Finally, you’d be surprised at the dearth of products on the market designed to protect your hair and colour from the sun. For sure use a shampoo and conditioner designed for coloured hair, but also, see if you can pick up a bottle of something like this or this.
Do you have a summer haircare tip for dyed black hair? Tell me in the comments.
