The Scoop on Vivid Hair

Have you seen that gorgeous unicorn hair picture on instagram? I can't get enough! Gone are the days that you have to have boring hair. The beauty of being a hairstylist in this day and age is that you get to do things outside the normal spectrum all the time. I love playing with bright colors and creating custom colors for my clients.

The only problem with these colors are the maintenance. Most of us see these pinterest inspo pictures and don't realized the complications that come with them.

We need to remember that vivids aren't natural shades. That means that they will fade quickly. People don't naturaly walk around with pastel hair. That leaves us with the big question, How do we make these colors last longer?

Rules of Fashion/Vivid Hair Color

1) The darker the color, the longer the wear. If you have a dark purple or blue in your hair, it will last longer than lavender or light pink. This is probably the most important thing to remember because your pastel hair may only last 1-3 washes while some of your darker colors will last longer and fade to the more pastel color anywhere from 2 weeks to a month. If you like the pastel colors and want a bit more longevity I would suggest that you do the darker color and let it fade. Best of both worlds!

2) Do not wash your hair daily! Invest in a good dry shampoo and wash as little as possible. (once or twice a week is ideal)

3) Purchase a customized shade shampoo and conditioner to refresh your hair at home. Your stylist can often customize this in salon.

4) Remember that hair can only be taken so far. Vivid and pastel hair does best with light blonde hair, anything darker will not come out as bright or be true to tone. (Anything pastel has to be the lightest blonde) If you are coming in with black hair, you must go through the wonderful transitions that is the process of color correction. This also means that you need to take extra great care of your hair by using good products. Disclaimer: Getting to blonde from black is neither quick or inexpensive, so my suggestion is to find colors that you can live with during the transition and take your time.

5) Wash in cold water. (This is hardest for me. I take skin melting hot showers) If you can't bear the cold, take your hot shower and wash you hair in the sink with cold water. Along with this, turn down the temperature of you hot tools.

6) Enjoy your mermaid and unicorn hair! These colors are fun and can be changed almost as frequently as you change your nail polish. Get creative and go for it!