How long does Airtouch last?

Airtouch has two parts, and they last differently. The lightening stays in the hair for good, until you cut it off. The toner that gives the blonde its shade fades gradually, usually over a few weeks, and then a warmer base starts to show. So the honest answer to how long Airtouch lasts is this: the lightness stays with you for a long time, while the colour of the blonde needs refreshing now and then.

Lightening is permanent

During lightening the oxidiser penetrates the hair and breaks down melanin, the natural pigment. Oxidised melanin doesn't regenerate. So hair I've lightened won't go dark again on its own: it stays light as it grows and only disappears when you cut it.

That's why Airtouch doesn't "wear off". It moves down with the length, and your natural colour appears at the root. What differs between techniques is how that looks.

There's a practical consequence. If a year from now you want to go back to your own colour, the lightened lengths can't be "washed out". They're either cut off gradually as you grow your natural hair, or toned closer to your own shade. Airtouch makes this easier, because the root is already yours and you can grow it out without a harsh line.

The toner fades and the base shows through

Toner is semi-permanent. It sits fairly shallowly in the hair and gradually washes out. As there's less of it, the underlying warmth from lightening shows through: a yellow or yellow-orange tone left behind once the melanin has been broken down. A blonde that was beige or cool turns warmer.

How fast this happens depends on a few things. Porous hair holds toner less well, because pigment leaves as easily as it enters. Frequent washing, hot water, sun and sea water all speed up fading. As a rough guide, toner lasts a few weeks, but for some people the shade changes noticeably after three or four weeks, while for others it stays polished for longer.

How Airtouch grows out

Hair grows on average about a centimetre a month. With classic highlights a band of your own colour shows at the root within a few weeks, because the lightening started at the scalp in a straight line.

With Airtouch the light hairs near the root are sparse and finely mixed into your base. As the hair grows, the gradient simply shifts down and there's no visible line. So if up to half of your hair is blonde, I recommend a touch-up roughly every four months. Or you can skip it altogether: the hair will grow out smoothly, and over time the blonde will remain only on the lengths.

If there's a lot of blonde, almost full blonde with your own dark roots, the line is more defined and you'll need touch-ups more often. More on that in the Airtouch touch-up.

What speeds up brassiness

Most often it's minerals and metals from water. They settle on the hair with every wash and build up, and the blonde gradually dulls and yellows. If your water at home is hard, this is especially noticeable: the blonde turns yellow faster than the toner itself would fade. That's why I do chelation at every appointment. In the sea the same thing happens faster, and salt and sun dry the hair out as well.

UV light also breaks down the cosmetic pigment in toner, which is why the shade changes more noticeably in summer. Hot styling, especially straighteners or curling tongs on a high setting without protection, can turn hair brassy almost before your eyes. I go into the causes in more detail in yellow tones after lightening.

How to make the result last longer

Most of this happens at home, and it's simple:

• wash your hair in warm water rather than hot;
• use a gentle shampoo for lightened hair and don't wash more often than you need to;
• apply heat protection before blow-drying, straightening or curling, and don't use the highest setting;
• in summer keep your hair out of the sun, and rinse out salt and chlorine straight after the sea or a pool;
• every few weeks use a chelating product, if your colourist has recommended one.

In the salon, toning between touch-ups extends the result. It refreshes the shade, neutralises any brassiness that's come through and doesn't involve lightening again. Chelation at every appointment clears accumulated minerals, and reconstruction supports the condition of the lengths.

Between appointments you can maintain the shade with a toning shampoo or mask, but it's easy to overdo them: the hair turns greyish or dull. If you're not sure how often to use them, ask me.

Keeping Airtouch fresh with me

I'm a colourist in Odesa working with blonde and light hair. Airtouch or an Airtouch touch-up with me includes chelation, lightening, toning and reconstruction and costs from 3,200 UAH for all zones, with a partial service possible. If nothing needs lightening yet and you only want to refresh the shade, there's toning with reconstruction and chelation, from 700 UAH.

Message me on Telegram: t.me/le2chris. Send photos of your hair in daylight and tell me when it was last lightened and toned. I'll suggest what makes more sense right now: a touch-up or just toning.