A few months ago, I decided to go rose quartz! Since my major hair cut almost a year ago, I truly feel now that it’s important to reinvent your look every so often. I love my bright blonde hair but had long admired that pastel pink/rose quartz hair I’d been seeing on fashion girls and celebs. I decided to take the plunge – with the help of my hairstylists at Grettacole, of course! To be honest, I was a little nervous, but I’ve since learned a lot about the process and the maintenance. Here, I’m sharing what I learned and reasons why it’s really pretty low risk, after all!
5 Things To Know Before Coloring Your Hair Pink
- Starting color. The color you start with dictates the color you’ll end up with. It’s easiest for light blondes to achieve a pastel tone. I really wanted just a very light *kiss* of pink tone in my hair, so my already lightened hair worked well for this. If you are starting with dark hair, you will have to lighten your hair first. If you are looking for a bright jewel tone, the hair doesn’t have to be as light though. According to my colorist, Jillian, “a good option for dark hair is to foil or balayage out some pops of color, so it’s way less of a commitment as there is no root maintenance.”
- It’s temporary. Like, very temporary. I noticed my color start to fade as soon as the first wash, and it had faded completely within 3-4 weeks. How quickly it fades will depend on how bright your color is. Since I opted for a pastel tone, it faded more quickly than a deeper jewel tone would have. Of course, this also depends on the type of dye used. Jill used Pulp Riot original semi-permanent color on me. **See below for ways to prolong the color.
- Fade out. Think about what the color will look like as it fades out. My blush tone was perfect and exactly what I wanted, but as it started to fade it looked a little beige instead of cool blonde. In the future, I might opt for a cooler pink with some blue undertones mixed in. That way, it will fade out cooler and give me more of an ashy blonde. Alternatively, you can go back to the salon for a toner to get your hair back to a more natural color as it fades.
- Commitment/maintenance. Fun colors fade more quickly – there’s no getting around it. If you want to maintain the color over a period of time, you will have to make more visits to the salon or use an at-home color depositing mask. If you are starting from blonde hair, you can easily let the color fade, but if you are starting from darker hair, you’ll have more maintenance to keep up with. Since your hair will have been lightened before applying color, you’ll also have to keep up with root grow-out. Balayage is a great option to make the grow-out look natural and intentional.
- Daily care. Using the right products is so important. First and foremost, make sure you are using a color-safe shampoo. Secondly, my stylists also recommend finding a sulfate-free product. Sulfates are essentially detergents that help to create a lather to remove dirt, oil and product residue. The only problem is that sulfates can be too harsh, stripping too much away from the hair, even stripping color faster. I’m currently using Virtue Labs shampoo and conditioner, not only because it’s sulfate-free and color-safe, but also because it has a brand new technology called Alpha Keratin 60ku® that our bodies recognize as our own. Keratin is the protein that makes up our hair, skin, and nails, and the Virtue compound is recognized by the body as human keratin, meaning it can actually bind to and repair damaged hair. How cool is that?
**More on color-depositing masks:
While I have never tried any of these so I’m not speaking from personal experience, both Overtone and Moroccan Oil color depositing masks have been recommended to me by multiple hairstylists. These temporary color treatments are a great way to either try out a fun color on your own OR maintain your color in between salon visits. Both websites have great visuals for helping you choose the right product based on the hair color you are starting with.
I hope these insider tips were helpful if you are considering coloring your hair. I’m back to blonde again, but definitely open to going blush again! Maybe pale blue next time?
Xo – Leigha
