Why hair colour fades faster in Ho Chi Minh City
Colour that lasted two months back home starts shifting within three weeks here. This is one of the most common surprises for people who have just moved to Ho Chi Minh City.
It’s not the salon, and it’s not your shampoo. Several things stack up.
Where your colour actually goes
Dye sits inside the hair shaft, and it’s not permanently bonded there. A little washes out every time you shampoo. That’s why colour fades gradually rather than disappearing at once.
How fast that happens depends on the condition of the outer layer of the hair. The more chemical work the hair has had — bleaching, straightening, perming — the harder that layer is to close, and the faster it washes out.
What’s different about this city
- Sun. UV breaks pigment down, and here it’s a year-round factor rather than a summer one.
- Washing more often. Heat and humidity mean many people wash daily, sometimes twice. How often you wash is about as direct a factor as there is.
- Hot water. The hotter the water, the more readily the colour washes out.
Which colours hold, which don’t
| Colour family | Holds | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warm browns, chestnut | Better | Close to the warm pigment most dark hair already has (if you’re starting from lighter European hair, the picture changes — ask us) |
| Ash, cool beige, smoky | Fade quickly | They rely on cancelling underlying red and yellow; as they fade, that base returns |
| Platinum, silver | Fade very quickly | Require lifting, which leaves the outer layer more open |
| Reds, pinks | Fade fairly quickly | Large pigment molecules sit closer to the surface, so they wash out sooner |
If you want an ash or smoky tone but can only come in every few months, you’re asking for two things that pull in opposite directions. It’s worth deciding which matters more before starting, rather than discovering it in week three.
Four things that help
- Lower the water temperature. Warm rather than hot. This is the easiest change and the most noticeable one.
- Don’t wash for the first 24 hours. Colour needs time to settle.
- Dry your hair rather than leaving it damp. Damp hair keeps releasing colour long after you leave the shower.
- Cover up in strong sun. A hat or an umbrella, particularly in the middle of the day.
For cool tones that needed lifting, a purple shampoo helps hold the tone — but overusing it dulls the hair, and the right frequency depends on the colour and the hair. Ask your stylist what’s right for your hair.
Three questions before you colour
- Does this colour need lifting on my hair as it is now? How many sessions?
- Roughly how long before it starts to shift visibly?
- What does it turn into as it fades?
The third one gets skipped most often and matters most. The faded version is the colour you live with for the longest.
At emo.
We ask how often you can realistically come in before suggesting a colour. If a shade would look good but you don’t have the time to maintain it, we’ll say so beforehand so you can weigh it up.
We speak English, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean. Both Japanese and Vietnamese stylists work here, and you’re welcome to request either.
Our online booking page is currently in Japanese only. If that’s a pain, please call or message us on Zalo. We can help you in English or Vietnamese.
- Phone: 0707 177 290
- Zalo: message us on Zalo
- Book online (Japanese page)
emo. Hair Salon
14 Raymondienne, khu Starhill, phường Tân Mỹ, Quận 7, Ho Chi Minh City (near Crescent Mall, in Phú Mỹ Hưng)
Tue–Fri 9:00–19:00 (last cut 18:00) / Sat–Sun 9:00–18:30 (last cut 17:30) / Closed Mondays
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