How long does highlights last? How can you make them last longer?

 

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As you can see, the duration of highlights depends on many factors, and they vary from person to person.

Once they leave the hairdresser’s after getting their highlights done, not everyone invests time and money to make them last longer.

 

 If you make a change in your hair that’s as important as your highlights, you need to make a commitment to care.  The stylist may work on your hair for three hours, but if you expect this change to last for long, it is necessary that you do your part about it.

It’s like when you’re on a diet. If you lose weight, then you have to follow a maintenance routine so that you don’t gain the pounds you’ve lost. The same happens with hair with highlights.

Highlights are one of the most requested coloring techniques in salons around the world.

From Buenos Aires to Sydney, through the most remote salons on the planet, all hairdressers offer this type of coloring technique. But, why?

 

 Because it’s an easy, economical technique that doesn’t require as much maintenance as other techniques. 

That’s why clients’ insistent questions, such as how often to touch up the highlights or how long they will last on their hair, are never absent.

 

The first thing to differentiate is whether the highlights are permanent or temporary.

Do you know the answer?

 

Don’t worry, I’ll answer it for you. Highlights are permanent.

You opened your eyes like plates, didn’t you? Right, because you figure if they’re permanent, then why do they need to be touched up?

 

The answer is simple, highlights are permanent, because hair was bleached in order to do them. It means that the bleached hair will not return to its previous color. Therefore, bleached hair will always be bleached.

But, what will happen, is that the color will fade and lose its original shine, and you may even notice a big difference between the roots and the rest of the hair.

That’s why highlights need to be touched up. And for that touch-up to last, it’s important that you know how to take care of your highlights so that they last longer.

 

Even if you haven’t bleached your hair because it’s quite blonde, you’ll need to touch it up because the roots will have grown back after three or four months.

So, do you want to keep your highlights longer?

 

Keep reading, because I’ll tell you:

 

 

How to make highlights last longer

As I mentioned earlier, highlights last two to three months.

After that time, you will have to retouch your highlights to make them look neater and renew the color.  If you don’t do this, the mids and ends will become opaque and the tone will oxidize, taking on a very different tone from the growth or roots tone. 

Now, what can you do about your highlights to extend the lively, vibrant tone?

 

There is a lot you can do, and what’s more, it’s not very difficult. Let’s start with the basics. Do you wash your hair every day?

Get a lock on the shampoo!

 

If you wash your hair every day, the color of the highlights will fade faster. Also, because bleaching makes your hair more porous, it needs more hydration.

How do you get your hair to stay moisturized?

 

You should only wash your hair three times a week and apply a moisturizing mask or ampoule once a week.

Also, the water you use to wash your hair should always be warm. The closer to cold, the better.

 

Before keeping the shampoo under seven locks, check the label. Does it contain sulfates?

This type of shampoo will make your highlights last longer, because, while it washes your hair, it deposits pigments to revitalize the color of your highlights

If your highlighted hair is too dry, the ends may become broken and start to split.

To avoid split ends, a haircut every 8-10 weeks does wonders for keeping your style fresh and your hair healthy.

 

If you straighten or blow dry your hair very often, hopefully no more than two or three times a week, it is vital to protect your hair from excessive temperatures to maintain your healthy highlights.

 

Apply a thermal protector, if possible, one enriched with essential oils and antioxidants, to protect the hair structure from high temperatures.

You can also reduce the time you use your hairdryer, allowing your highlighted hair to air dry as much as possible.

 

 If you follow all these tips your highlights will last longer, and you may even need to touch them up after four or five months, depending on the tone you've chosen. 

Now, what if you don't like the highlights and you want them to fade away as soon as possible? There is room for everyone in the Vineyard of the Lord, as the saying goes. And, luckily, I have the answer for you too.

 

How to make your highlights last less if you don't like the way they look

Colorimetry is an almost exact science. That's why dyes and tones are based on numbers for their identification. However, in some cases, the tone of your highlights may not be what you expected.

Perhaps, because your expectations were different, and you got a poorly done job or a poor choice of color.

Is there anything you can do to make them disappear?

 

 My first piece of advice is that if you have had your highlights done in a salon, go back and talk to the stylist for a solution.  If the solution doesn't convince you, or you've lost confidence in the stylist, you can try fixing the highlights at home.

But I warn you, it won't be an easy task, and you'll have to be careful and patient, as you'll have to pre-pigment first, and then re-dye your hair, so that the highlights don't come back with every hair wash.

 

Conclusions

Highlights will always last between 3 to 4 months, depending on your hair care routine.

What you should do to extend your highlights is to reduce the washing frequency, use sulfate-free products and a toning shampoo, moisturize your hair weekly and don't abuse of heating tools.

 

If you strictly follow these rules, your highlights will last longer and you will be able to touch them up less often.

And now, between you and me, tell me, were you following all these instructions to extend the lifetime of your highlights?