You finally found your perfect shade. Maybe it’s that buttery blonde you’ve been dreaming of, a deep, rich brunette, or a fiery red that turns heads. You leave the salon feeling amazing… but within weeks, the shine fades, the tones shift, and your hair just doesn’t have the same wow-factor.
Before you blame your stylist or your products, there’s another suspect: the water coming out of your shower.
How Hard Water Sneaks Up on Coloured Hair
Most of the UK has hard water. That’s water that’s loaded with minerals like calcium, magnesium, and sometimes copper and iron. These minerals are invisible to the eye but powerful enough to undo your colour before its time.
Here’s what they do:
- Dull the shine - mineral residue coats each strand, making hair look flat instead of glossy.
- Speed up fading - minerals can react with your hair dye, breaking down the pigments that give your colour life.
- Change your tone - copper and iron can add a brassy, orange or even green undertones (a blonde's worst nightmare!).
- Dry it out - hard water strips natural oils, leaving hair more porous... and porous hair lets colour slip away faster.
The Science Bit (Made Simple)
When you colour your hair, the cuticle layer opens up so the dye can sink into the inner structure. But hard water turns this process against you:
- Minerals settle in
- They react with colour molecules
- Cuticles stay rough making it easier for colour to wash out.
Imagine baking a cake and then leaving it uncovered in a windy kitchen - it dries out and loses its freshness way faster. That’s what hard water is doing to your hair colour.
How a Shower Filter Can Save Your Shade
An ULA Shower Head Filter can work like a bodyguard for your hair colour. It removes chlorine, heavy metals, and those stubborn minerals before the water even touches your hair.
That means:
- Longer-lasting colour - less pigment breakdown.
- True-to-tone shades - no unexpected brassiness or green tints.
- Smoother strands - without build-up, the cuticle lies flat, keeping moisture and colour inside.
- Shinier results - light bounces off your hair the way it should.
Add in a ULA nourishing capsule, like #03 Healthy Hair, and you’re giving your hair a little spa treatment every time you shower.
Colour-Protecting Tips You Can Start Today
Even with a filter, these small habits make a big difference:
- Wash less often - every wash takes a little colour with it.
- Choose colour-safe shampoos - sulphate-free formulas are gentler.
- Cool down your rinse - hot water lifts the cuticle and lets colour out.
- Deep condition weekly - hydrated hair locks in pigment better.
- Shield it from chlorine - wear a swim cap in the pool.
- Clarify before colouring - removing build-up helps dye grab evenly.
The Payoff for Your Hair (and Your Wallet)
Keeping your colour vibrant isn’t just about looking good, it’s about making your salon visits count. A filter helps you get more weeks of glossy, fresh-looking hair without booking touch-ups as often.
When you protect your colour, you protect your investment and your confidence.
The takeaway: Hard water is the sneaky culprit behind fast-fading hair colour. But with the right protection and a few smart habits, you can keep your colour looking as rich, glossy, and full of life as the day you walked out of the salon.