7 Tips to Make Your Semi-Permanent Hair Color Last Longer

What is Semi-Permanent Hair Color?

Semi-permanent hair Color is designed with innovative technology that sits on the outer shaft to color each hair strand. As there's no ammonia or hydrogen peroxide, it doesn’t enter the hair shaft or modify the structure to change your natural hair color and is gentle on your hair. You can use these no-bleach hair colors to temporarily change your hair look.

Typically, semi-permanent color can last for up to 12 washes. However, high-end semi-permanent hair dye like our Casting Crème Gloss range can last for up to 28 washes. Remember, the final hair color result depends on different factors like your natural shade and hair porosity, existing hair condition, previous hair color process, technique, and products, etc.

The ultimate choice is yours – either you can play safe with semi-permanent brown hair color shades like black or go for bold with hot neon pink.

(Now that you know what semi-permanent color is, let’s learn some effective tips on how to how to make it last longer.

7 Tips for Lasting Semi-Permanent Hair Dye

Here are some expert-approved tips on how to make semi-permanent hair color last longer:

Tip 1: Wait Before Your Post-Color Wash

Once you are done applying semi-permanent color, wait for at least 48 – 72 hours before washing your hair. This will allow the hair dye to settle on the outer shaft and hold the pigment for lasting performance. For best results, wait for 3 days color to make your hair dye last significantly longer.

Tip 2: Use Color Protect Shampoo and Conditioner

Looking for semi-permanent hair color tips? Make color protect shampoo and color protect conditioner your new BFF.  These products are specifically formulated to take the best care of color-treated hair by keeping the hair protected and extending the color performance and radiance.

Tip 3: Don’t Wash Your Hair Every Day

You want to keep your newly done hair dye last longer, right? Avoid washing your hair daily as it fades the pigment with every wash. You can consider using dry shampoo to reduce greasiness between washes.

Tip 4: Rinse with Cold Water

This is a crucial tip not only for hair color but for your overall hair health. Always try to use cold water to wash colored hair. You can even use lukewarm water sometimes. Super-hot water can damage the outer cuticle and make your hair more porous, allowing more pigment to escape through the wide-open pores.

Tip 5: Avoid Heat Styling

Avoid heat styling immediately after coloring your hair. If you do heat style your hair, don’t forget to apply a heat protectant product.

Tip 6: Protect Color from Sun Exposure

Intense sun exposure, including UVA and UVB rays, can fade your recently done semi-permanent hair dye. For best results, use a hat or scarf or try to stay in the shade as much as possible.

Tip 7: Refresh Color with Tinted Conditioners or Glosses

Now, it’s easier to keep your semi-permanent hair dye shiny and vibrant. Thanks to tinted conditioners or glosses, you can subtly refresh your existing dye between coloring sessions and add shine without further damaging your hair.

How to Use Semi-Permanent Hair Color? Step-by-Step

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to apply hair color at home;

Step 1: Start with clean, towel-dried hair (ideally shampooed, not conditioned). Wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.

Step 2: Now, divide your hair into sections for even distribution. Start applying evenly from the roots and to the tips using a brush.

Step 3: Leave the product as specified on the packaging (typically 20 - 40 minutes). Rinse well in cool water. Don’t apply shampoo.

Step 4: Apply conditioner to seal in color and moisture. Do not wash for 48 -72 hours for optimal color results.

With this, we have come to the end of our guide on semi-permanent hair color. Memorise these tips and application steps and be at the top of the hair color game. Not sure how the semi-permanent color shades would look on you? Utilise L’Oréal Paris Hair Color Virtual Try-On tool – an advanced platform that allows you try various hair color shades in real time, before finalising the right one for you.