Wow.
Your new lilac hair looks pretty and unique.
You’ve never fallen in love with a color before and you don’t want anything to change that.
However, no hair color lasts forever, and sooner or later, it is going to fade, or worse… get a yellow tinge.
Because it’s a known fact that purple hair dyes fade really fast compared to most shades.
However, in this post, we are going to look at how to keep lilac hair from fading fast so that you can keep the purple dye in your hair for longer and make it look more pigmented.
Lilac is not purple, it’s a beautiful lighter shade of purple and pink – almost a pale violet tone.
Let’s begin.
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Does lilac hair dye fade fast?
Unfortunately, yes.
This is because purple (or lilac) hair dye molecules are naturally bigger than other colors.
This means that the lilac hair dye doesn’t penetrate the hair cortex (the inner layer of the hair) as deeply as other color hair dyes.
So, it washes out more easily and it is difficult to maintain.
But the vibrancy of the pigment and the amount of time it lasts in your hair also varies due to other factors like:
- How light your hair was before coloring
- What brand you used
- How much time you left the dye in your hair
- Whether your hair was very porous or damaged while dying it – high porosity hair actually holds on to color better.
How to keep lilac hair from fading? 7 Tips you need to follow
1. Do not shampoo your hair for 3 days after dying it lilac
For the first 72 hours after coloring your hair with a semi-permanent dye (direct dye), your hair cuticles will be open.
This means, if you shampoo your hair in that time, you will lose a lot of hair color because the color will leak from your hair strands.
So do not shampoo your hair for 72 hours, that will give your hair enough time for the cuticles to close and seal in most of the color.
2. Minimize actual hair washes
This is key to keeping the color and making the lilac shade last longer.
The more frequently you wash your hair, the more color will bleed out and your lilac hair dye will fade.
So, minimize the hair washes – wash only if necessary.
If your hair tends to get greasy or oily, then use a dry shampoo like this instead.
I only recommend this one because this particular dry shampoo absorbs all the oil from your scalp and doesn’t leave any white residue in your hair.
It also brushes out very easily and smells amazing!
3. Use cold water or room-temperature water
When you are shampooing your hair, do not use hot water or warm water.
This will raise the hair cuticle and allow the lilac hair dye to seep out faster.
Using cold water will ensure that the hair cuticles are sealed and this will make the color last longer.
Okay, if you’re like me and hate cold water showers – then do what I do.
I cover my hair with a plastic cap to avoid it getting wet and shower focusing the water only on my body.
After washing my body, I then turn the water to cold and bend over and rinse or wash my hair.
It’s a good way to make sure your hair is only being washed in cold water.
4. Use a good purple shampoo (sulfate-free)
You cannot think of using a shampoo with sulfates. It will not only dry your hair further, but it will also cause the color to fade really fast!
A sulfate-free shampoo will work for richer tones of purple.
But since you have a lilac shade – it is more prone to becoming yellow and getting that weird brassy tinge. So, you will need to use purple shampoo.
A purple shampoo has purple pigments in it to help neutralize the yellow, brassy tones that your hair is prone to become.
Your hair will be very dry after dying it lilac.
So, when choosing a purple shampoo, look for a moisturizing shampoo that has vitamin E or oils that will moisturize your hair.
This will leave your hair looking healthy and glossy.
I suggest using the L’Oreal purple shampoo and conditioner as it is used by so many people who claim that their hair looks so vibrant and rich after using it.
5. Use a color-depositing shampoo or conditioner 2 times a week
I swear by this color depositing shampoo in this shade for people with lilac hair.
You have to use it 2 times a week but oh gosh… it’s really, really good. Use the shampoo on dry hair like a hair dye and leave it in for 15 minutes.
Use gloves and just rinse in the shower or sink with cold water.
You won’t get much staining and make sure you follow up with a normal conditioner preferably for colored hair.
I’m not kidding when I say it’s one of the best out there – I don’t know how it doesn’t get talked about a lot.
This is a Godsend product for people with colored hair.
6. Protect your hair from the sun
The sun robs all colors from hair.
Even if your hair is naturally brown, it will become more coppery if you spend too much time in the sun.
So, with hair dye, it’s even worse.
If you spend a lot of time in the sun, your lilac hair dye could fade very, very fast.
I highly recommend limiting sun exposure when you have colored hair, especially if your hair is as light as teal or lilac.
UV rays can also damage your hair and make it drier.
If at all you need to step out during the day, please wear hair sunscreens like this one or a big hat.
7. Protect your hair from chlorine
If you like to swim, then you need to be careful.
Most swimming pools have chlorine in them and chlorine fades color fairly quickly.
To ensure that your hair is dry and water doesn’t seep into your hair, please wear a waterproof cap like this one.
This cap is specifically made for people who don’t want to get their hair wet – if you have long hair or dreadlocks or curly hair, it will definitely work for you.
8. Use a protectant spray before styling
It is advised to not blow dry or use styling tools when you have colored hair because the heat fades the color fast.
Heat opens up the hair cuticles allowing the color to escape much more quickly.
But if you have to blow dry or use any heating tools, use a heat-protectant spray like this to avoid the color from fading quickly.
How often do I need to keep reapplying the lilac dye?
If you want to retain the lilac shade for as long as possible, and you have used a semi-permanent dye, you will need to touch up or reapply the dye 2 times a week.
I highly suggest a color-depositing shampoo like this.
This will prevent the lilac shade from fading and also make the lilac shade more prominent.
What does purple shampoo do to lilac hair?
A purple shampoo will simply keep your lilac hair from getting yellow tones or becoming more brassy.
The crushed violet pigments in the purple shampoo will neutralize any brassiness and yellow tones.
It won’t make your hair more purple or lilac.
Will purple shampoo maintain purple hair?
It’s a common misconception but a purple shampoo will not make the lilac last longer.
Purple shampoos do have crushed violet pigments but it works more towards neutralizing the brassy tones.
For instance, if you have blue hair, and you want to avoid it becoming green and brassy, you’ll use a purple shampoo.
Similarly, if you have lilac hair, then a purple shampoo will help tone it and not make it appear too yellow – this will prevent the lilac from becoming a weird yellowish-purple.
To make the lilac shade more prominent and prevent it from dying, you need to use a co-wash with purple pigment that will deposit more purple/lilac color into your hair.
I only suggest this co-wash because it’s the best. It will make your lilac hair more vibrant without making it violet or purple.
This is the best way to keep lilac hair from fading.
Which skin tone suits lilac hair?
Honestly, if you are very light-skinned or very dark-skinned, then lilac hair is right up your alley because it’s very contrasting and complementing at the same time.
If you are medium-toned and have mid-brown skin or wheatish skin, then you need to have a cool undertone.
A cool undertone is when you have a blue undertone or blue veins.
A warm undertone is when your skin is more olive-toned and your veins look green.
For instance, my partner is light-skinned and has a cool undertone whereas I have brown skin and a warm undertone.
You can tell because my skin is darker but it is also more olive or has more yellow in it.
So, he could probably pull off a lilac hair dye but I’d look better in a more plum or violet shade.
How do you get the perfect lilac hair?
Honestly, any light hair color (including lilac hair dye) will show the best on extremely light hair.
Meaning you will need to lighten your hair properly with bleach.
If you have very dark hair and you are a brunette, then you will have to use a lightening kit before trying any pastel shade like:
- Candy pink
- Baby pink
- Ash Blue
- Lavender or lilac
Once your hair is light enough, it will showcase any pastel hair dye perfectly and you’ll be able to get results like on the box.
If you have any hint of yellow in your hair, then you should nullify it using a toner before coloring your hair.
If you are using a box dye and doing it by yourself at home, please do a strand test first to see if the color takes and looks like the shade you desire.
This will help you test your color theory before diving in and dying your whole hair.
What color is complementary to lilac?
Yellow.
If you look at the color wheel, you’ll notice that the closest shade to lilac is purple. And the opposite color of purple is yellow.
Yellow is the complementary color.
That is why we use a purple shampoo to remove any yellow tones or brassiness from lilac hair – it’s the perfect solution!
Is lilac hair high maintenance?
A big fat yes!
Purple hair itself is very high maintenance.
And lilac is a much lighter version of purple.
So, you not only have to focus on maintaining its color by making sure it doesn’t fade easily but you also have to watch out for brassiness and constantly use a purple shampoo to neutralize any yellow tones.
However, the most common problem with lilac hair isn’t fading – it’s the roots.
Your roots will grow quite fast and will be prominently visible when you choose any pastel shade.
Do you have to bleach your hair to do a lilac color?
Yes!
If you are choosing a shade that is lighter than your natural hair color, you have to bleach your hair – no questions asked.
Otherwise, the color will not take and you’ll get a weird dark purple shade.
Pastel shades require your hair to be extremely light!
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