How to Keep Your Silver-Gray Hair Color Fresh

Step 1: Use Purple Shampoo

You can’t achieve silver-gray hair color without bleaching. The process strips your strands of pigments by lifting the hair cuticles. Black or dark brown hair needs at least two rounds of bleaching to get all the color out and avoid a brassy result. Brassiness also occurs over time as the silver or gray dye fades.

You can keep your dye job looking fresh in between salon touchups with purple shampoo, which has tiny molecules of purple dye that cancel out brassy, yellow tones. Try TRESemmé Pro-Color Series Blonde Brilliance Shampoo. It preserves blonde or silver shades in between salon visits.

Purple shampoo gets rid of warm, brassy tones on bleached and colored hair.

Step 2: Moisturize Your Hair

Dry hair in any color will not look fresh, but lighter shades will tend to look more frazzled. So, if you have silver-gray hair color, use nourishing shampoos to keep it moisturized. Look for ingredients like sodium hyaluronate, honey, and botanical oils to boost softness and shine. You can try TRESemmé Pro-Color Series Blonde Brilliance Conditioner, which revives the hair and prevents brassiness, all while moisturizing the hair with Micro Conditioning Technology and jojoba oil.

Drinking plenty of water and eating water-rich food can also help increase your body’s hydration levels overall, although this will take time. If you need a quick fix, try applying a hair serum on the ends of your locks to camouflage any split ends and dryness.

Use conditioner or hair oil to add moisture to your chemically-treated locks.

Step 3: Air-Dry Your Hair

Using hot tools like hair dryers, curling irons, and straighteners damages hair by stripping it of moisture. This can lead to breakage, split ends, and frizz. Because chemically-treated hair is already fragile, you want to avoid heat-styling as often as possible. You could also let your locks air-dry halfway (maybe sit in front of an electric fan, '80s style) before blasting it with hot air. If you have curly hair, check out these heatless curling alternatives for damage-free styling.

Air-dry your hair occasionally to minimize heat damage.

Step 4: Add Sun Protection

Did you know that your hair and scalp need UV protection, too? The scalp is skin, so it’s just as susceptible to sun damage as the rest of your body. Meanwhile, overexposing the hair to the sun can also make it dry and cause your silver-gray hair color to fade. Make sure to wear a hat or headwrap during outdoor activities or use an umbrella when out in the sun to prevent brassiness and, of course, sunburn!

Whatever your hair color, make sure to shield your locks from the sun to avoid damage.

Step 5: Get it Retouched!

Your silver-gray hair color will fade and eventually grow out. The tips above merely delay the inevitable, but they will save you some time and money in the long run. They’ll also keep your hair healthy enough for a retouch. When the time comes, try this step! Visit your go-to hairstylist and ask for a color refresh or a trendy balayage touch-up if you don’t want to mess with your roots. Just stick to the routine above and you and your hair will be just fine.

Consult your hairstylist on the best way to refresh your hair color.