How to Make Hair Color Last Longer: 3 Colorists’ Best Advice

Hair color can change a little with each wash and with repeated exposure to heat, sun, and pool water. The way the color was placed also affects how the grow-out looks over time.

Start with what happens most often. Joel Mowen emphasizes washing, Amy Huson focuses on protection from the sun, and Anthony Lillio looks at heat, overwashing, sun, and product choice together. If the root line is the real problem, bring that into your next salon appointment.

1. How should you wash color-treated hair?

Wash when your scalp needs cleansing. An extra wash out of habit can add more water and cleansing exposure, but waiting through an oily, sweaty, or uncomfortable scalp does not make sense either.

“Water alone contributes to fading, so washing less frequently generally keeps color richer for longer. However, don’t force your scalp to go longer than is comfortable.”

— Joel Mowen, Hair Colorist Marie Robinson Salon NYC, from the August 2026 RŌZ interview

A good wash day does not need to be elaborate. Wet your hair thoroughly, work shampoo into the scalp where oil and buildup collect, rinse well, then condition the mid-lengths and ends as they need it. Use enough shampoo for your actual oil and product load rather than trying to stretch a too-small amount through the whole head.

The American Academy of Dermatology advises washing based on how oily or dirty the scalp becomes. Mowen makes the same point from the chair: do not stretch the time between washes past scalp comfort.

If you have just had your color done, start with how long to wait before washing. Choosing a cleanser next? Our guide to sulfate-free shampoo for color-treated hair explains why the whole formula matters more than a single front-label claim.

2. What should you change about heat?

You do not need very hot water to wash your hair. Keep it comfortable, rinse well, and save high heat for the times your style truly needs it.

Lillio sees fading as the result of familiar habits adding up:

“Usually, heat, overwashing, sun, and the wrong products. Natural-looking color depends on subtle tones and hues. Protect those and your color stays dimensional longer.”

— Anthony Lillio, Hair Colorist Crane Los Angeles, from the August 2026 RŌZ interview

For hot tools, use the lowest setting that gets you where you want to go. Let hair partially air-dry when the style allows, and avoid going over the same section again and again. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends low or medium heat and less frequent hot-tool use to reduce hair damage.

3. What should you do before sun, chlorine, or salt water?

The most useful prep happens before you head outside or get in the water.

The American Academy of Dermatology says sun can leave dyed hair faded, dry, rough, weak, or brittle. If you will be in direct sun for a while, a wide-brimmed hat gives your hair actual shade.

Huson puts it plainly:

“Wearing a hat when in the sun and using a gentle and clean shampoo … is key to preserving your color.”

— Amy Huson, Hair Colorist and Owner Amy Huson on Rose, from the August 2026 RŌZ interview

For a pool day, the AAD advises applying oil or a leave-in conditioner before swimming, wearing a swim cap, and rinsing immediately afterward, followed by a swimmer’s shampoo and deep conditioner. Mowen and Huson also recommend saturating hair with fresh water before entering a pool; their practical reasoning is to reduce how much pool water dry hair takes up.

After salt water, both Mowen and Huson favor the same next move: rinse promptly with fresh water, then go back to your usual conditioning routine. Salt-water effects vary with exposure and hair condition, so this is professional care advice rather than a universal repair claim.

4. Could hard water be part of the problem?

Sometimes color starts looking dull, overly warm, brassy, or simply different after a move, travel, or a change in the shower. Mowen flags mineral-heavy water as worth discussing in that situation, and Huson separately recommends a shower filter. But hard water is not the only possible explanation. The original service, sun, heat, repeated washing, and prior porosity can all play a part.

Before you add a treatment, pause and look for a pattern:

• Did the change start after travel, a move, or a different shower?
• Is it most obvious on the lightened or more porous areas?
• Does your hair feel coated or unusually hard to cleanse?
• Has your colorist identified mineral buildup?

If you cannot tell, take a few photos in consistent light and bring them to your colorist. A filter or clarifying step makes more sense when it answers a real need, rather than becoming one more thing to buy and remember.

5. Can your color service make upkeep easier?

Yes, but the conversation belongs in the chair. At-home care cannot make a high-contrast root line grow out like diffused color. If you want fewer salon visits, say that before your colorist chooses the formula and placement.

Mowen often uses a gloss or demi-permanent color to blend early gray more softly rather than cover it opaquely. For highlights, he favors hand-painted balayage and diffused micro-highlights that preserve more of the natural base. Huson recommends asking for color that blends naturally from the root. Lillio’s guiding principle is to design color that grows with the natural base rather than fighting it.

These are techniques to discuss, not guarantees. Our guide to low-maintenance hair color can help you put that conversation into words and keeps timing examples attached to the colorist who supplied them.

What should you focus on first?

Start with the part of your routine that is happening most often.

Try one useful change before piling on several at once. That gives you a better chance of noticing what your hair actually responds to.

Sources and reporting note

This guide combines August 2026 RŌZ interviews with Joel Mowen, Amy Huson, and Anthony Lillio with visible dermatology guidance. Colorist recommendations are professional opinion. AAD guidance supports the general sun, pool, heat, and washing practices; it does not guarantee a fixed extension in color longevity.

• American Academy of Dermatology: Coloring and perming tips for healthier-looking hair
• American Academy of Dermatology: Summer hair-care tips
• American Academy of Dermatology: Tips for healthy hair
• American Academy of Dermatology: Habits that damage your hair
• Hair Cosmetics: An Overview — International Journal of Trichology