Hello I cut my hair about a year ago and kept a few locks; I put it up to my hair now and it is a lighter brown; my only conclusion for this is the sun must have lightened my hair. Eventually I definantly want to try wearing a hairpiece but I want the colour blend to be perfect. What steps do you have to take to ensure the hair piece stays the colour that you buy it in; I am worried about things such as sun and shampoos dulling and altering the colour.
I was also thinking of dying my hair black; my reasoning behind this is black is black; there are no shades of it like there are brown; is this a reasonable suggestion? Do you know of anyone who does this. Thanks for reading

Have you ever thought about buying virgin European hair?

It is uncolored, so you won't have to worry about it losing color like the textile dyed Indian hair.

It costs more, but I hear its great for highlighting and holding color since it is unprocessed human hair.

European hair is not the 'be all-end all' solution. It's human hair and it fades and it oxidizes on you just like your own hair does (or used to do). Think blonde haired beach bum---they're out in the sun and they're own hair fades and lightens up. The best solution is to use a shampoo for color treated hair and one that contains a UV inhibitor. There are lots of them out there on the shelf. Debbie sells 'Nearly Natural Sulfate free shampoo with Fade Control.' This is good stuff. It was formulated by a pharmacist. She also has 'Color Correcting Shampoo' that minimizes the brazzy tones. And of course there's the excellent 'Back 2 Natural' products that are sold by ADF Hair Products (adfhair.com). They control the fading and condition the hair at the same time. Our good friend Ian has developed these 'Back 2 Natural' products specifically for hair pieces and he has as much experience in hair products as anyone in the industry.
Regards,
John

I agree with John. Color change and oxidation is something that all of us hairwearers have to contend with. Make sure you use products that have a UV protectant to prevent the problem. I have personally used the ADF products and found them to be fantastic.

I really appreciate all of these replies guys. My point is though my own hair went a lighter brown in the sun; I am worried that it will do this again next summer if I decide to start wearing; these products you mentioned? Is there a high UV protector spray I could purchase and any ideas on my dying my hair black idea? Thanks again guys.

They have hair products with sunscreen in them. If your spending a day at the beach or something. I have used the product nexxuss differ gel i think it is called. They sell it at most walgreens, cvs etc. it keeps the hair steady in strong winds, and it has UV protection

The hair you kept for the past year has likely faded since you cut it off, so I think you may be over-reacting.

That being said-- as everyone else has mentioned, color maintenance is something you have to deal with as a wearer all year. But, with a little experience and perhaps guidance from a good stylist for awhile, it's not that hard to do and shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't get lazy.

John,
Do the lace releaser and the pure glue melter cause the hair color to fade as well?
Kind regards
Paco

Paco,
Properly applied those those two products should have only a negligible effect on the hair. Reason: those products are applied down at the base and only the knots and lower end of the hair shaft are affected. The knots are already bleached. Depending on how careful you are you're bound to get some product on the lower end of the hair shaft but again it's negligible.
Regards,
John

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The type of shampoo you use is very important. Probably even more important than avoiding UV rays.

Even if a shampoo says "sulfate free" or "all natural", or anything else that might lead you to believe that it is good for processed hair, at the end of the day it has to meet several criteria in order to retain color well. It has to be mild (sulfate free is a plus), slightly acidic ( low pH keeps the cuticle closed allowing the color to stay IN), and should contain additional ingredients for color retention. In other words, you should be using a shampoo that is formulated specifically for the specialized needs of processed hair.

Color fade isn't something you notice over the course of two weeks, so it's easy to overlook the association between shampoo and color retention, but rest assured, unless the shampoo is formulated properly, it will cause the color to fade prematurely.

A couple of other hints for helping retain color:

1. Always wash and condition hair with cool water

2. Avoid direct exposure to the sun

3. Use products that contain sunscreen

Good luck.