terry1•5d ago

Just learned why some haircolors fade faster than others - blew my mind

I was at a workshop in Portland last weekend and the instructor dropped a stat that really got me. She said red pigment molecules are actually the biggest ones out of all the color groups. So they can't penetrate the hair shaft as deep as brown or black tones do. That explains why my redheads always come back looking washed out after just 3 weeks. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in staying power between different color lines?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.victor5d agoMost Upvoted

My stylist switched me to a color brand called Joico back in February and the red has been way more solid than anything I used before. She said their red molecules are smaller so they actually get inside the cuticle instead of just sitting on top. I'm usually needing a touch-up around week 5 now instead of the usual 3-week struggle. Also washing with cold water made a bigger difference than I expected.

noahpark5d ago

That explains a lot actually, my friend's been chasing that perfect red for years and it just gives up halfway through every time (kind of like my gym membership).