Why Is My Hair Colour Fading? (And What You Can Do About It)

You leave the salon feeling brilliant. Your colour is rich, glossy, exactly what you asked for. Then a few weeks later, something shifts. The tone loses its depth. The shine is not quite there. The colour that felt so fresh starts to look a little washed out.

You are not imagining it, and it is not your fault. We asked Yvonne, our resident colour specialist, to explain it properly.

What actually causes colour to fade?

When your hair is coloured, dye molecules are deposited deep inside the hair fibre. Over time, those molecules are gradually washed away every time you shampoo. The more dye that escapes from the fibre, the duller and flatter your colour begins to look.

Heat, UV exposure, hard water and the wrong haircare products all accelerate the process. But the biggest factor? What you wash your hair with at home.

The difference the right shampoo makes

Most standard shampoos are simply not designed with colour-treated hair in mind. They cleanse effectively, yes, but they can also strip away the very dye molecules you want to hold onto.

A colour-protective shampoo works differently. It cleanses gently while actively working to lock colour into the fibre, rather than washing it out. The best formulations also neutralise unwanted tones that develop as colour ages. Things like the brassiness that blondes will recognise, or the warm, muddy undertones that can creep into brown hair over time.

"The products clients use at home have a huge impact on how long their colour lasts. It is the single most important thing I recommend they get right." — Yvonne, Colour Specialist

Our recommendation: the L'Oréal Vitamino Color Spectrum range

Yvonne's current recommendation for colour-treated hair is the L'Oréal Professionnel Vitamino Color Spectrum range. It has been specifically developed to maintain day-one colour vibrancy for up to 100 days, working across five key dimensions of colour: shine, saturation, contrast, tone and brightness.

The range includes a core shampoo for all colour-treated hair, plus three targeted neutralising shampoos designed for specific hair tones. Knowing which one suits your hair makes all the difference, whether you have just had balayage, a full head of highlights or a permanent tint.

See here to find out which Vitamino Color Spectrum shampoo is right for you.