How Long Should You Wait To Dye Your Hair Again? Expert Tips for Vibrant Color.

How long should you wait to dye your hair again?

To maintain the vibrancy and health of dyed hair, it’s generally recommended to wait at least 1-2 weeks before reapplying permanent color.

Permanent dyes penetrate the hair shaft and alters its natural pigment so this waiting period allows your hair to recover and minimizes damage.

Semi-permanent dyes coat the hair’s surface rather than penetrating deeply, resulting in less damage. So there’s no need to wait as far as minimizing damage is concerned.

If you’re planning significant color changes or corrections, it’s still wise to give your hair a breather. Overlapping hair dyes too frequently can lead to over-processed hair and darker, muddy color or uneven, patchy results.

So it’s best to be patient! After all, you wouldn’t want that perfect shade of blonde turning green because you didn’t wait long enough between colors?!

Here’s what the experts say:

“It’s healthiest for the hair to be allowed to return to its normal pH over the course of a few weeks before bleaching or coloring again.”

Erinn Baur, Experienced hair colorist, stylist and nail tech

“Give your scalp a minimum of one week (7days) to recover from the effect of the chemical bath that is your average permanent hair colouring solution. Two weeks is better.”

Jen Haylock, 15 years as a beauty therapist with heavy exposure to hair industry

“If you continuously overlap color on top of previously colored hair, you risk a variety of issues including but not limited to hair breakage, dehydration, damage, and uneven sections of brassiness.”

Karen Marie Shelton, CEO at Hairboutique.com

“Find a cute scarf/hat or concealing up do to hide your inconsistencies and give your hair as long as possible break but a minimum of 3 days, and do some deep conditioning treatments in between. It’s safe to say the closer you do the processes together? The more inconsistent results in the colour and condition of your hair.”

Jewelz Hammo, Hairdressing school and hands on client experience

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Factors Influencing Your Dyeing Schedule.

The truth is, the answer to how often you should dye your hair is different for everyone depending on what type of dye you use and your own personal preferences.

There are some things that can affect the quality of your color.

For example, did you know that water temperature can change the way colors look on your hair? Or that certain shampoos can strip away pigment from dyed locks? And what about those pesky grey hairs that seem to pop up overnight?

It also depends on what hair dye you use. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• If you use permanent hair dye, you might want to wait at least 6 weeks before dyeing your hair again because this type of dye lasts longer than other types.
• Semi-permanent hair dyes only last about 4 weeks so people using them don’t need to worry as much about waiting too long between colors.

To Dye or Not To Dye: Two-Week Checkpoint

Two weeks post-dyeing is a sweet spot for many. It’s a general guideline, but some brands may suggest waiting up to 4-6 weeks.

Remember, the longer the interval between dye jobs, the healthier your hair will be.

This means that if you have dyed hair and then decide to go lighter again in a few weeks after having let it rest for a while, there will be little noticeable damage from lightening it because you waited.

Watch and learn: How Often Can I Color My Hair?

Here’s a great guide from L’Oreal with advice on how often you can color your hair, and why, plus top tips to keep your hair in good health while looking fabulous.

Coloring Previously Dyed Hair.

Yes! Of course, you can. In fact, you’ll need to to keep your roots hidden and your color looking fresh.

• If you have light blonde or silver hair, then waiting at least 4 weeks between dyes is recommended. This will give your locks enough time to recover from any damage caused by bleaching out those pesky yellow tones in your natural hair color.
• On the other hand, if you have dark brown or black hair with no previous history of damage, then 2-3 weeks between appointments should do just fine!
• And finally, if you’re like most people and fall somewhere in between these two extremes (light browns and reds), then 3-4 weeks is probably best for keeping up healthy locks while still getting that fresh new look every few months!
  

Monthly Coloring Limits.

To limit the damage done to your hair, do no more than two dyes per month (ideally one).

If you want to change your color regularly but don’t want the damage, consider coloring over an existing color instead of re-dyeing all of your strands at once. The fewer times you do this in a month, the better- for instance, doing it every other month is ideal!

It’s also good to try to extend the time between each dyeing, to give your hair a much-needed break.

If you are using permanent hair color, your hair can be colored every month. If you are using semi-permanent hair color, you should ideally avoid doing that more than once a fortnight (the length of time it takes for it to fade out).

Following the above rules will make sure that your hair doesn’t start to show signs of damage like breakage and dryness. Another tip is to make sure you are using a color-protecting shampoo and a heat protecting spray to stop your hair being exposed to too much heat, which can lead to brittleness.

What happens if my hair has been lightened?

If you have recently had any kind of “blonde” or lightening done on your hair that involves bleaching then wait at least two weeks before you apply any form of dark brown/black permanent dye.

This is because the developer will react with whatever is in your hair and turn it an unpleasant shade of muddy green rather than black.

To avoid this happening simply let what is in there wear off completely before bleaching or recoloring again. Your hair may also just need toning to freshen up the color.

Or leave it to the professionals! They’ll make an assessment on what’s best for your hair depending on length, color and condition.

Unhappy with Your Hair Color?

If you’ve made a mistake (it happens!) and you don’t like your new hair color – don’t panic! You have two options to get rid of it. Hair color remover, or bleach.

• Hair color remover is a little tricky to apply yourself, but it does work. It works by removing all color pigments from your hair, but it will leave your hair feeling a little rough and straw-like.
• Bleach is more potent and works best on stubborn color that’s been redyed a lot. If you want to try a bleach bath first then mix 10 vol peroxide with shampoo in a bowl and apply it all over your head. Leave on for no more than 10 minutes (the longer you leave it on, the lighter your hair will get). As always when bleaching – be careful!!! Then wash/tone as usual.

With both these methods, your hair will probably appear orange! Especially if you natural draw warm tones or you’ve tried putting blonde dye on red hair.

You will need to tone or re-dye it again to correct the color and neutralize brassy tones.

Parting words

If you want healthy-looking hair for years to come, then make sure not to over-process with harsh chemicals like bleach or permanent dyes too often.

The best way to keep up the color vibrancy and health of dyed tresses is by using gentle products designed specifically for colored hair.