Every winter, somewhere between central heating, icy rain and a scarf rubbing your ends, a quiet salon habit turns from harmless shortcut into full-blown dye disaster. You book a “refresh”. You leave with hair that’s darker than you asked for, oddly flat, or with that murky greenish cast that looks fine in the chair and grim by Thursday. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: it’s not all on you, or your shampoo. There’s a common colour mistake many stylists won’t admit to making, and it compounds faster in cold months. Spot it, and you’ll save your hair.
Inside the salon, the mirrors were fogged at the edges, the kettle chattered, and someone’s foils crackled like snack packets. My colourist glanced at my roots, then the ends, and said, almost casually: “We’ll just run it through to refresh the lengths.” I nodded. Who argues with scissors and confidence?
At first it looked glossy. Streetlights made it inky and chic. By the weekend, though, the ends felt matte and heavy, with a shadow of khaki where the light hit. Friends said I was imagining it. Then a trichologist pointed at the real culprit. The thing no one tells you.
A tiny salon habit with big winter consequences.
The mistake: the root-to-tip permanent “refresh” that wrecks winter hair
Months of permanent colour stacked end to end is like piling coats on a chair: eventually, it topples. The quiet mistake many stylists make is dragging permanent dye from roots to ends at every appointment. Permanent colour is engineered to lift and deposit. Your virgin roots need that. Your older lengths don’t. In winter, those ends are already drier, more porous, and hungry. Pull permanent through, and they gulp pigment they don’t need, turning dull, too dark, or swampy.
Emma, 34, from Peckham, loved her cool brunette until December. After three “refreshes” across autumn, the tone slipped from espresso to olive-tinted cola. Her fringe grabbed blue undertones, the mid-lengths went smoky, and Christmas photos made her look tired. She thought it was the light or her moisturiser. By January, she booked colour correction. Anecdotally, UK salons say fix-up appointments jump right after the holidays, when central heating has battered cuticles and cumulative tinting has tipped over into banding. It’s a pattern, not bad luck.
Here’s the chemistry in plain words. Permanent dye swells the cuticle, shifts the natural pigment, then adds artificial colour. Once your lengths are already coloured, they don’t need the “lift” step again. What they need is gentle tone. Winter dries the fibre; scarves and radiators rough up the cuticle, which makes the hair drink dyes unevenly. Ash shades with blue and green bases pile up fastest on porous ends, leaving that tell-tale khaki sheen. Add the classic “five more minutes to be safe”, and you’ve got muddiness, snap-prone ends, and a colour that looks oddly inky under office LEDs.
How to avoid the winter colour spiral
The fix is not trendy. It’s method. Ask for zone application. That means permanent colour only at the roots where new growth lives, a demi or acidic gloss on mid-lengths and ends, and a lighter, sheer toner on the last few inches. **Never drag permanent dye through your ends.** Use a porosity equaliser or protein filler before toning, then seal with a low-pH glaze. Lower the developer at the root if your hair is fine, and skip heat unless your colourist is monitoring strand by strand. A strand test sounds fussy, but winter hair behaves differently. Treat it like a temperature check.
Speak up without drama. Try: “Can we do roots with permanent and glaze the lengths?” No good colourist bristles at that. At home, switch to a gentle, chelating wash once every two weeks to clear mineral build-up that causes weird undertones, then load moisture. We’ve all had that moment when a hat comes off and the static is audible. That’s your cue for masks rich in lipids, not just protein. Let’s be honest: nobody actually does that every day. Aim for once a week, warm towel over the mask, lukewarm rinse. Small, repeatable things beat heroic routines.
Your stylist might be lovely and skilled and still be in a time crunch. That’s how shortcuts creep in. A senior colourist told me their rule is simple: “Dye what’s new, tone what’s old.” It respects the fibre and the season.
“In winter, porosity is the hidden culprit. You don’t fight it with more dye, you buffer it with care and control,” says London colourist Priya K.
- Ask for zone toning: permanent at roots, demi/acidic on lengths, clear gloss on ends.
- Use a porosity filler before colour to even out uptake and stop over-toning.
- Keep water tepid, not hot; hot water lifts the cuticle and drains shine.
- Schedule glosses between big appointments to refresh tone without build-up.
- Your scarf is a stylist too. Line collars with silk to reduce friction and fade.
What this means for your winter routine
Think like a colourist before you book. What’s new growth, and what’s history? Ask your salon for a winter plan: six to eight weeks where roots get the chemistry, lengths get the whisper. If you love ash, protect against that swampy slip by layering moisture first, then toning cooler with a translucent hand. If you love warmth, remember copper and gold look brighter on hydrated fibre. One small tweak matters more than another product: **Porosity is the hidden culprit** you can manage. And the quiet salon mistake? You can spot it now, and politely steer clear. The payoff is big—colour that moves, ends that feel like hair, not string, and a tone that still looks expensive in January’s grey light.
| Key points | Detail | Reader Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Root-to-tip permanent is risky | Compounds pigment on porous ends, causing darkness, banding, and murky undertones in winter | Avoids that “why is it greener this week?” shock |
| Zone application wins | Permanent on roots, demi/acidic glaze on lengths, clear gloss on ends | Glossy, dimensional colour without damage |
| Porosity control is power | Use fillers, moisture masks, tepid water, and targeted chelating | Longer-lasting tone and softer texture under scarves and heating |
FAQ :
- What exactly is “zone application”?It’s colouring different parts of your hair with different formulas. Roots get permanent for lift and coverage; mid-lengths get a demi or acidic gloss for tone; ends often get a clear shine glaze or a very diluted toner. It respects how older hair soaks up pigment.
- Why does my hair turn greenish in winter?Two culprits: porosity and base tone. Dry, rough cuticles grab the blue/green base of cool dyes, especially when permanent is pulled through. Minerals from hard water can also oxidise on the hair, adding a swampy cast.
- Should I switch to demi-permanent all over?Not if you need grey coverage at the root. Use permanent where it’s needed—on new growth. For previously coloured lengths, demi or acidic toners keep tone fresh without the lift that causes over-deposit.
- How often can I glaze my hair?Every 4–6 weeks is common. A sheer gloss between big appointments boosts shine and tone with minimal stress. It’s a reset button for dulled winter hair.
- Do porosity fillers actually work?Yes, when used correctly. They even the surface so colour takes more predictably. Think of them as primer before paint. Apply before toning, not as a permanent habit every wash.
