Keeping your dyed hair bright

Probably once a day I get asked about how I keep my rainbow locks so bright and brilliant. There are some simple steps/ways you can do this. I can get most shades to stay in my hair without fading for 3 months. Reds and purples tend to fade a lot faster than blues and greens, as a rule of thumb.

Bleach the hell out of it (a blue bleach with 30 or 40 developer. I go 40 cause I'm hardcore) then you will inevitably have yellow or orange in there so get a toner. Wella has the best toner, t18 which makes the hair white by only pulling out warm tones. You need a white, clean palette for the Colors to be bright. This is where most people eff it up.

Theb your hair MAY be damaged. It's usually hit or miss, really... Depending on the condition of your hair before hand.... More on repairing it later...

• The NUMBER ONE way to not fade or damage your hair is to not wash it every day. Washing your hair every day is actually very very bad for it and strips your hair (and body) of natural oils. When you DO wash use sulfate and parabin free products. I acutally only wash my hair about once a week and when I do I use Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking soda. (check out this post for more on that: http://consumerimnot.blogspot.com/2012/10/faze-out-shampoo.html)

• You can also Invest in a dry shampoo. If your roots get greasy and you can't bear not washing your strands every day, a dry shampoo is a great alternative. It will hold you off on stripping your hair color.

• After dying RINSE with Apple Cidar vinegar and cold water. These lock the color in your hair and reduce bleeding. Vinegar also helps maintain a healthy PH balance of the skin on your head. When washing your hair after the dye try not to keep it too hot, this will bleed it.
• If you bleached your hair before make sure after you dye it you soak it in olive oil or coconut oil or something of the like to help your skin and hair heal from the damage you just inflicted on it. I do different things with the oil - sometimes egg, or avocado. Look up natural hair masks that you can make just from things in your fridge. Deep conditioning is KEY to keeping hair healthy and not frying it - even if you do accidentally fry it this will fix it! I promise!

• Blow dry it right after dying. The heat will help lock it in as well - remember that this is only good right after dying - try to keep off of the heated hair tools to maintain the color after this first go around. Healthy hair holds color better!

• Don't use hairsprays of gels that contain Alcohol - You shouldn't be using unnatural products that put chemicals in your body and strip nutrients out anyways - but if you do than alcohol will strip your hair faster than anything (as well as killing it)

• When dying - I know the instructions say to leave it in for 15-20 minutes... I dont know why though - leave it in as long as you can stand it, preferably until it is completely dry. The longer your hair soaks it up the better. Also, putting a bag or cap over your head and then using heat like a blow dryer (or the Arizona sun) will help it penetrate the vortex of the hair better.

• Use better brands of dye. Manic Panic sucks and it will be hard to get these colors to last - especially red.. Special Effects is the best in my experience. There are a lot of brands that are very close though. I use a lot of  Ion (in tubes that I recently found as a new product at Sally's Beauty Supply) and Rave (which is pretty much a special effects knock off, and their colors smell like fruit and candy!) My new favorite is One n' Only new brights collection. It's amazing!

• Keep in mind that being out in the sun uncovered will fade your hair FAST. I dont have too much of a problem and I live in Arizona, but I make sure on especially sunny days to wear a hat or stay inside!
• Dont swim for at least a week. Everyone knows what salt and chlorine do to your luxurious locks!

that's honestly all I can think of - I even did some Googling on the subject and put only on here things that work for me. Good luck! Feel free to post questions!

After extreme bleachong you'll need to repair it. There are a lot of ways to do this but the key to healthy hair is to balance moisture and protein! More on this later...