How Long Should You Wait To Dye Your Hair Again? (2 Week, 4 Week Or 6 Week)

Many of us need hair dye due to losing natural hair color, aging, or fashion. Once we dye our hair and if we love it we’ve to repeat the procedure again and again.


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Indeed changing your hair color boosts your confidence especially if your hair is losing its natural color. There are so many drawbacks of hair dyeing. It can damage your hair potentially or permanently if you overuse or misuse hair dye.

How long should you wait to dye your hair again?

It’s better to wait for 2 weeks, it’s safest to wait for 4 weeks and it’s ideal to wait for 6 weeks before the next dye. If your hair is already damaged after the first dye, wait until recovery. Never try recoloring before 20 days of the first application. If you do so it can burn your hair.

The composition of hair-dye products is too harmful. Such stuff includes acidic chemicals like ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and many other substances. The whole procedure of dyeing requires extreme care and measures.

Why You Should Wait Before Coloring Your Hair Again: Reasons

Coloring your hair involves chemical and complex procedures. When you dye your color once, it is essential to wait for the next dye. The reason is that your hair needs time to recover from the damage of the first dye. In this duration, hair recovers its moisture.

Not only this, even the healthiest hair is badly affected by dye. If you don’t wait and recolor it, it may lose its natural moisture and texture. To avoid undesired hair fall, it is advisable to take a break between coloring procedures.

Let’s see how coloring procedures affect your hair:

Step-1 Ammonia Application & Its Side Effect

To dye colors, ammonia is applied in the first step. The main purpose of using this chemical is to lift the cuticle. If cuticles are not lifted, color molecules may have no way to go.  In this attempt, tiny scales are raised that make up the outer layer of the hair strand(cuticle).

Side Effect

Though the main goal of applying ammonia is just to raise the tiny scale. But it can remove the layer of the cuticle from the hair strand entirely. Hair without cuticles is easily entangled, brittle and dull. Such hairs will soon turn into split ends.

Step-2 Hydrogen PerOxide Application & Its Side Effect

The next step of dyeing hair is to apply hydrogen peroxide. The main goal behind the application of this chemical is to turn existing pigment in hair strands colorless. If you want to change your hair color from dark to light. You’ll have to repeat this procedure again and again.

Side Effect

Continuous application of hydrogen peroxide removes Melanin which is a pigment molecule. It helps to keep hairs hydrated. When it’s removed, hair loses its natural color and turns brittle and deformed.

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Step-3 Dye Precursor Application & Its Side Effect

Dye precursors react with hydrogen peroxide and ammonium. After this reaction, they form large dye molecules. As hair cuticles are open, the large dye molecules are likely to fall out.

Side Effect

Application of this new product will damage your hair cuticle. This in turn makes your hair deformed, less shiny, and brittle.

Step-4 Application Of Conditioner & Its Side Effect

Finally, a conditioner is applied to smooth your hair. This conditioner is mainly acidic that can further damage your hair follicles. Instead of recovering moisture, it will disturb natural moisture oil production of the scalp (sebum).

Side Effect

Instead of closing the open hair cuticle, it will open it more with every dye. Gradually your hair loses all its moisture and shine. Its effect is just temporary and gives long-lasting damage

How Long You Should Wait Before Recolouring Your Hair

Hairstyling experts advise waiting 4 weeks before coloring your hair again. If you are scared of damaging your hair, you can wait for 6 weeks. For stronger and healthier hair, 5 weeks is enough between repeating the dye procedure.

2 Weeks Wait

Colouring twice a week is highly damaging. It’s a decent time to wait 2 weeks before repeating the procedure. Though waiting for 2 weeks is not safe and this time is too low to recover hairs from the previous dye. If your hair is thick and you think it can withstand recoloring, at least wait for 2 weeks. If you’re scared of damage that comes with hair dye, it’s better to wait a month or 4 weeks.

4 Week Wait

It’s the safest choice to take a break of 4 weeks between recoloring. In this way, your hair may get enough time to recover the damage from previous hair dye. For thin and light hair, 4 weeks is not advisable. You should wait more than 4 weeks. But for thick and dense hair with little worry about hair loss, you can go for 4-week breaks between recoloring.

6 Week Wait

The ideal time duration between recoloring activities is 6 weeks. If you wait 6 weeks or more your hair will least damage. It’s the safest time to wait for all hair types and all hair dyes. Waiting too long is ideal for better recovery. In this time, the natural moisture-producing gland( sebaceous glands) rehabilitates its function. To normalize the natural moisture and nourishment cycle it’s important to wait for 6 weeks.

Important Points To Consider Before Recoloring Your Hair

Dying is a serious procedure that requires a lot of consideration. If you are intended to re-color your hair, read the points below and then decide when to dye:

  1. It’s important to consider your hair condition after the first dye. If hairs are damaged then do something to fix your hair before recoloring
  2. If you are scared of damage, apply a deep conditioner for dyed hair. It will help to recover the natural moisture lost in the first dye.
  3. Never choose lighter color dye as you’ll have to apply hydrogen peroxide again and again. It’s safe to go for darker hair dye.
  4. Don’t forget to read and follow the instructions written on the user manual of hair-dye. Do proper research and know your hair type before getting one for you.
  5. Dye needs of every individual are different. Some want to color half-inch hair as they don’t like double shading. Some want complete dye. Buy the dye according to your needs.
  6. If you just want to change the tone of your hair, go for semi-permanent dye. It is less damaging and you can wash color whenever you want.
  7. For a completely different hair tone,  go for mild volume 10 or volume 20 colors. Don’t wait more than 4 weeks for recoloring in this case.
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How To Know Your Dyed Hair Ready To Dye Again

There is not much science involved in judging your hair ready for re-dying. All you need to know is the general health of your hair after the first dye. Read the points below to know if its the right decision to recolor or not:

  • Hairs should not be much dry
  • Hair must not be brittle or deformed
  • The hair strand is healthier without a split end
  • Hair color is changing
  • Hair should be strong at the end
  • Hair should not be too weak to break easily

If your hair fits the criteria, you can go for redying. It’s safe to use natural hair dye. The best solution to all this misery is to go for a temporary hair dye. You can wash the temporary color easily and it’s less damaging.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you wait to dye your hair again with box dye

It’s safe to wait for 3-4 weeks to dye your hair again with box dye. This break between recoloring will help your hair to recover its natural moisture and shape. Box dye includes chemicals like ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. The frequent application of such chemicals to hair is highly damaging to hair cuticles.

Can I dye my hair immediately after dying it once

No, it’s strictly prohibited to dye your hair just after dying it once. It is so damaging that it can even burn your hair. The acidic products of hair dye can leave a burning effect if used too much. You may do this to change your previous color. But the new color will never change the previous shade. Either new color will deposit on the previous shade. So, it’s better to wait for one dye to settle.

Can I dye my hair two days in a row or twice in one week?

No, you can’t. It’s better and safest for your hair to wait for 2 to 3 weeks before the next dye. If you dye your hair too frequently, it will damage your hair. Hair dye products contain chemicals and are acidic in composition. Excessive use of such stuff may leave your hair cuticle open. This can further damage your hair texture and shape.

How often can you dye your hair from a box?

Box dye includes chemicals such as ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. It is not recommended to frequently apply these chemicals to hair. They leave the cuticles of hair open and damage hair shape and texture. It’s better to take a break of 3 to 4 weeks or 20 days before recoloring your hair from the box.

Can I dye my hair every 2 weeks?

No, you can’t as frequent dying every 2 or 3 weeks is damaging to hair. If your hair is light in color, frequent dyeing will make the dark roots visible. Moreover, hair dyeing is a chemical procedure involving chemical applications like ammonia and oxygen peroxide. If you dye after every 2 weeks, your hair loses its moisture and cuticle layer. This in turn leads to dull and brittle hair texture.

Wrapping Up

To conclude, dyeing hair is not a healthy practice. If you need it anyway, it’s better to go for natural hair dye or temporary hair. To make your hair recover faster after dye, use deep hair conditioners for dyed hair. Moreover, don’t try this procedure at home if you feel you can’t follow the instructions on the user’s manual.

It’s better to ask a professional hair expert at the salon to help you with this procedure.