Is it ok to get your roots re-colored every 6-8 wks? (shampoo, color)

[Autumn07]

Is it okay to get your roots re-colored every 6 weeks or every 6-8 weeks?
I'm going this week to get full light blonde highlights done on my hair. But after that I would like to start going every 6-8 weeks to just get my re-growth re-done again. That way my re-growth won't get to looking very bad.

Thanks.

[Pear Martini]

If your natural color is dark blonde or light brown you could probably get away with getting highlights done as little as 4 times a year since natural blonde hair isn't usually bright baby blonde up top.

[ElleTea]

It depends on how dark your natural color is. My hair is a level 2 (pretty much black) and I was light golden blonde for about a year. I redid my outgrowth about every 3 to 4 weeks to keep it fresh. Had my new growth been lighter I probably could have gone longer since it wouldn't be as noticeable. I kept up with it well; people I met as a blonde were shocked when I went back dark. They thought I was a blonde naturally.

Nothing wrong with going every 6 to 8 weeks if that is what you want to do. The main thing is to be sure your stylist isn't overlapping color and is only coloring the outgrowth. That will keep the color even and prevent breakage

[MsAnnThrope]

I do my own roots and have done for years. It costs $2 instead of....up to $200 in Australia!

I have very dark hair and do my roots once every three weeks, that's how grey I am.

My hair is fine. I have an all over even up at the hairdressers about once a year and I have the shiniest, healthiest long hair around.

[Ceece]

Yes, that's what I have to do. I'm pretty much all gray at this point but I've kept my pre-gray color of strawberry blond and after 6 weeks things start looking funny at the part line. I used to color at home but I ruined my hair and then went to a salon for color and had a few horrible allergic reactions. 2-3 years of nothing but a gentle henna mix then I tested at a salon with a less agressive color formula and didn't have a reaction. For the last few years my routine has been an all over permenant color once a year, root touchups every 6-8 weeks, and an occasional pull through of semigloss to the ends to keep things even or even a couple hi/lo lights for excitement..hah.. Doing the touchup only isn't horribly $$ but it is something I think about. I'm just so happy to have healthy and LONG hair for the first time in so long that I justify the cost.

[Bayarea4]

I have my gray roots touched up every five to six weeks. My color is dark blonde, a couple of shades lighter than my (formerly) natural medium brown. A lighter color blends with the roots better so it's not as obvious when I need a touch up. However I notice that the color tends to fade as the weeks go by. Maybe it's because I wash my hair a lot. I go to the gym four times a week and get pretty sweaty. By the time I'm ready for a touch up, my color has lost its richness. It looks washed out and is a bit too blonde for my taste.

The other day I read an article on line which said that, if you want to keep your color from fading, instead of washing with shampoo, wash your hair with conditioner instead. The article claims that conditioner alone will get out the excess oil and won't fade your hair the way shampoo will. The article also recommends that when you do shampoo, you should use a shampoo that is free of sulfates.

Last night I tried the conditioner-only shampoo method, and it really works! I thought my hair would feel greasy, but it doesn't. I just thought I'd pass this tip along for anyone who might want to try it. Of course it's too soon to tell if the color will keep better, but I've got my fingers crossed.