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When you color your hair, 2-inch roots are a dreaded enemy you try to avoid if possible. But hair dyes can naturally strip your hair of moisture and health, so if your hair grows super-fast (or you dye your hair a dramatic color), it’s tough to decide how often you can dye your hair without really damaging it. The answer depends upon a couple of factors, namely the type of dye you are using.
General Recommendations
If you color your hair fairly close to your natural hair color -- about three to four shades close to your color -- you can typically wait between six and eight weeks between coloring sessions. This gives you enough time between treatments to minimize damage, yet keeps the roots at bay.
More Dramatic Hair Color Differences
If you color your hair about three to four shades lighter than your natural hair color -- like you would if you color your hair from brunette to blond -- then you may need to dye your hair more frequently. If you have a little premature gray, you may need to dye at this rate too. This is because your roots will have more contrast against the color you dye your hair. To achieve a safe amount of time between treatments, color your hair every four to six weeks. However, you still must personally evaluate the health of your hair with more frequent treatments. If your hair is dry and straw-like between treatments, you may need to wait longer.
Everybody’s Different
Some women’s hair can grow so fast, they need treatments every three weeks. How often you can safely dye your hair depends upon your hair’s health and how fast it grows. Remember, too, that you don’t have to color all of your hair every time. By applying highlights during one color process, then switching to an all-over color the next, you can minimize hair-coloring damage.
Keep Your Hair Healthy
If you’re one of those girls who needs her hair colored every four to six weeks, you can take some steps to keep you hair healthy in between color treatments. This includes using a weekly deep-conditioning treatment to infuse moisture into your hair to keep it soft and shiny. You also can use a shampoo and conditioner intended for color-treated hair, which uses fewer harsh chemicals that clean but sometimes strip your hair. By taking a little extra care, you can keep up your color and have healthy-looking hair.
