A common issue among people who color their hair is fading of the color tone.  The list of tricks they try to prevent it from happening includes everything from wearing scarves to cold water washing and more. There are however better ways to keep your hair color from fading. The key lies in understanding the nature of hair and its color.

The structure of a hair can be described as a tube-like fiber that has a cuticle layer covering its surface much like scales on a fish.  The best way to keep color in your hair is to treat it correctly. Different pH levels can open or close the cuticle layer of the hair.  The higher the pH, the higher the cuticle lifts; the lower the pH, the tighter it closes the cuticle.  Your body’s natural acid mantle is 4.5 to 5.5; therefore anything below this level is considered a low pH, anything above – high pH.  In addition, tightly closed cuticle locks in your hair color thus keeping it from fading.

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