A Definitive Ranking of Hair Colors, From Least to Most Difficult to Maintain

In the mood to dye your hair?

Before you set up an appointment or buy some boxed hair color, you should know what you're getting into.

Dyeing your locks is a process that's easier for some and incredibly painstaking for others. Not to mention, some hues are easier to maintain than others.

Obviously, part of that depends on your natural hair color; but for the most part, it's pretty standard that some shades require more upkeep.

To help make your hair transformation seamless as possible, we've ranked the hair colors from least to most difficult to maintain. See where the hue you're hoping to achieve falls below!

8. Brown

Brown is a fairly easy color to maintain for just about anyone, no matter what your natural locks look like. Granted, if you're already a brunette, staying in that family will offer a lot less maintenance for you. But even going from blonde to brunette isn't all that difficult. You will need to touch-up your roots every handful of months or so and you might need a better shampoo, but it's nothing you can't handle. Remember though, going dark to light is a bit more difficult. So if you know you'll want to get back to a lighter hue eventually, don't dye your hair something too dark.

 

7. Auburn

The perfect blend of red and brown, auburn looks great on just about anyone. If your hair is already some shade of brown or red, achieving the auburn color will be relatively seamless for you and it'll not require as much maintenance. But if you're a lighter color, such as blonde, getting the auburn you want will result in some major upkeep.

 

6. Black

You would think that black is pretty easy to maintain and achieve, and it sort of is, but only if your hair is already naturally dark. For those of you with lighter locks, getting to a jet black look will take some time and patience. It also will cost you a pretty penny. And even if you do have a darker shade of hair, black is intense and might require you to spend more time in the salon than you were prepared for.

 

5. Blonde

Blonde is a somewhat tough color to achieve, just because going from darker to lighter is always going to be tough on your locks. It's not impossible, so don't let that scare you, but do know you'll have to put in work to keep it looking fresh. Thankfully, much like brunette, there are many different shades of blonde you can dye your hair, making it easier to find one that works with your current color.

 

4. Red

Now we've arrived at the trickiest colors to maintain. Kicking it off is red. While having fiery hair seems all fun and games, keeping up with it isn't. It'll fade quickly, so you should opt for a little bit of a darker hue than you want and take colder, less frequent showers. Oh, and you'll need to get touch-ups at the salon (or home, if you can do it yourself) every couple of weeks or so. If the color really does look great on you and is something you've wanted all your life, you'll figure out a way to keep it pristine every single day.

 

3. Bleach Blonde

Bleaching your hair is rough on any type of tresses, no matter how light they already are. It'll definitely be easier to achieve this look the lighter your hair is, as going from black to bleach blonde might take a few lightening sessions with your stylist. And your roots will come through quicker than you'd expect, especially if your hair grows fast, so you'll either need to get used to them or get them touched up every few weeks or so. Once you bleach your hair, you'll virtually be able to dye it any color under the sun, including some fun and vibrant hues.
 

2. Grey

Grey and silver hair have become super trendy over the years, but they aren't easy to deal with. Not only will you have to bleach your hair to start, you'll add in a mixture of different colors to get the look. Adding all that dye to your hair, not to mention the whole bleaching process, isn't exactly the healthiest thing you can do to your locks. And it will fade faster than you'd like it to, so you'll have to re-dye it often or accept that you'll be a bleach blonde until your next salon visit.

 

1. Crazy Color

Be it dark purple or hot pink, any sort of crazy color you decide to dye your hair will be pretty difficult to maintain. You'll have to limit the amount of times you wash your hair and be sure you only clean it in cold water if you want the color to last. Plus, if you dye it a pastel hue, it'll fade into the bleach blonde beneath it rather quickly. For those of you with darker hair, you'll have to bleach your locks to strip it of its natural color and then dye it whatever whacky shade you decide on. That'll take quite a lot of energy and effort, and it won't be too kind on your tresses. But if you really want to go for it, just do it. It's only hair, after all.

 

After you decide on a color and follow through on getting it done, use one of THESE Instagram captions to showcase your hair transformation.