Now its Spring, we like to get on the band wagon of a good old fashioned Spring Clean. So this one is for all our Colourer’s; it's time to Spring Clean your Hair, specifically your Colour Build Up. Don’t have Colour Build Up you say? I Colour my Hair and have nothing to worry about, you yell. This post is definitely for you. If you are Colouring your Hair, without the regular application of Colour Remover or intervention of Bleach, you absolutely have some Build Up. Luckily we know a little bit about Build Up and have put together a list of 4 ways you know you have Colour Build Up.
1. I am using the exact same Colour and Developer, but my Colour is getting darker.
Let’s say you have been using 9 Light Blonde with the same Developer for awhile, and now your Colour is getting darker.
Why is this happening?
Simple, Colour Build Up. Colour on top of Colour, without clearing out, will make your Colour darker and less intense.
Don't
Choose a Lighter Colour, it won’t drastically change anything. Instead, it will make your roots lighter and leave the rest of your Hair a different, darker Colour with more Build Up. It will develop into Colour banding.
Do
Start from the beginning and Colour Remove. Do it as many times as you need to clear out your Colour Build Up, giving your Hair a refresh. Once fully removed, proceed to your Colour. Try to regularly Colour Remove, to avoid Build Up and keep your Colour fresh.
2. I just re Coloured, but my Colour is still dull and lack lustre!
So you're a deliciously vibrant Colour like 8.44 Intense Copper Blonde, and of course, you want to keep your Colour as light and bright as possible. So with every regrowth application you pull the Colour through the rest of your Hair, to top up your full Colour. Instead, you have the Colour you want at your roots, and your ends just don’t have the same intensity.
Why is this happening?
Trying to refresh your Colour by constantly applying Colour over and over again, will only cause more Build Up. This stops any new Colour and its vibrancy, creating a darker Colour.
Don't
Continue Colouring. It will just add more Build Up and can even cause your Hair to become dry and brittle.
Do
Colour Remove until you have completely removed the Build Up. When re Colouring, wait at least 48 hours before Colouring, choosing a Colour 2 shades Lighter. In the future, follow the Colour Top Up Technique.
3. Lately my Colour isn’t staying as vibrant for as long as it used to.
You’re doing everything like you used to, but now your Colour doesn’t pack the same punch and looks washed out and just argh. Even though you Coloured it recently.
Why is this happening?
Continual Colouring, particularly when you drag the Colour through to your ends with every application, creates Build Up that takes the vibrancy out of your Colour. Giving your Hair a heavy look.
Don’t
Increase how regularly you Colour, to top up your vibrancy.
Do
Stop and put down the Tint Brush. Colour Remover is your only option to get you back on the road to a beautiful, vibrant Colour.
4. I already have Coloured Hair. I just Coloured my Hair again and have had no change.
Your looking for a change from your current Colour, so you choose another great Hair Colour and proceed ahead only to find no change to your Hair at all.
Why?
You can’t just put Colour on top of another Colour, expecting a change. If you had previously Coloured Dark Hair you cannot Colour over the top with a Lighter Colour to be Light. No matter what Developer you use, this cannot happen without Colour Remover or a Bleaching intervention.
Don’t
Be unrealistic or make rash decisions because you didn’t get what you wanted. You can still achieve the Colour you want, you just need to add a few more steps.
Do
You need to remove your old Colour to get to your new one. Step 1: Colour Remove. Once you have removed your previous Colour, then you can move on to your new Colour. If you are struggling to shrug that last bit of old Colour, try using the Bleach Bathing technique for a gentler bleaching process.
