How Long to Wait Between Coloring Hair?

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Coloring hair can be really exciting and regardless if you’re doing it yourself or at a salon, one thing is for sure – you just can’t wait to see your new look. That’s why it’s so disappointing and annoying when it doesn’t turn out the way you wanted. Either it’s too dark or too light or maybe something else is wrong. Anyways, the frustration is so big that you want to re-do it immediately but can you? How long should you wait between coloring?

Another group of people who could be concerned about how long to wait between coloring hair are those who wear a hair tone that’s significantly different from their natural one. If you’re one of them then you know how important it is to closely monitor the re-growth process and re-color your hair before your head starts to look like a rainbow or something. Sometimes there may be a situation when only a few weeks have passed since the last coloring treatment and you already feel like the tone needs some refreshing. But is it OK? Will your hair be fine in the long run if you do that? Those are the questions that are most likely going through your mind right now and that’s exactly the topic that we’re going to touch upon today.

Why should you wait between coloring hair?

You probably understand that any chemical process takes its toll on your hair and coloring is certainly no exception. That is the number one reason why you shouldn’t re-dye your hair right away – exposing your hair to hard chemicals is not something you want to do too often.

Now, there is definitely a difference between people with strong hair and those with weak hair. People who are blessed with really strong and healthy hair can be a little more careless than others but their hair is still not immune to the negative effects of hair dye chemicals.

If your hair is not that strong and prone to damage then you should definitely wait before coloring it again.

Split ends and hair breakage are two of the most common and also most disturbing consequences of too frequent coloring. Everytime you dye hair you sort of rip off the outer layer of it and damage the hair shaft. As a result, your hair loses its shine and smoothness as well as becomes dry and brittle.

How long should you wait before re-coloring your hair?

It’s generally suggested to wait at least four weeks between coloring hair. That’s the minimum interval if you care about your hair but it would actually be better to wait somewhere around six or seven weeks if you’re really scared of doing any damage. For people with stronger hair, however, five weeks should be completely enough.

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A lot of depends on the condition that your hair is in after the coloring treatment. If it got damaged after the first time then don’t rush with dyeing it again and fix your hair first before doing any further damage to it.

Deep conditioning at least once every few days is one of the best ways to recover from the damage you’ve done to your hair by dyeing it.
Here is a favorite of mine that can really help in these kinds of situations. With the help of this Miracle Deep Conditioner for dyed hair you’ll be able to dye your hair again sooner.

It’s always easier and less damaging to go darker than to go lighter. If you have strong hair and you are going darker then in most cases you will be fine with waiting less than the aforementioned four weeks.

Always read the instructions that come together with the dye. Those who made the product are also the ones who know best about how often it should be used.

Do you really need to do a complete re-dye only because half an inch of your hair is in different color? Maybe you’re going to be OK with coloring only the roots that have re-grown since the last time? Then maybe you can do a complete re-dye only once every couple of months and be sparing towards your hair?

If you plan to change tones often then maybe just go for a semi-permanent dye. This way you will save yourself a lot of trouble and be able to just wash the color out whenever you want.

If you don’t want a completely different tone but just wish to lift it up a level or two then you might go for a mild 10 volume or 20 volume color and don’t wait as long.

Summary

The general rule is to wait four to eight weeks before coloring your hair again but as we just learned it’s not always necessary. If your hair is strong and you use a dye which is not too harsh then you can try to wait a little less than that and everything might still turn out fine. In most cases you can feel if your hair is OK and you can dye it sooner or if it’s damaged and needs to be fixed first.

Anyways, regardless of the hair type you have and all other things, there’s no guarantee that your hair will be severely damaged even if you color it, let’s say, twice in one week. It may or may not happen but the most important thing is for you to know what is considered to be a good interval between coloring hair and try to treat your hair right.

Discussion

Tell us about your experience with re-dyeing hair. How long do you usually wait before coloring your hair again?

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