Why is My Hair Color Fading: 10 Things to Consider

When maintaining freshly colored hair, there are a few things to consider to ensure your money and color don’t go down the drain, literally. First, we must take a holistic approach to hair health and color. What goes on before and during your color service is just as important as what comes after.

Read on to find out how to prevent hair color from fading.

1) Determine Hair’s Porosity Level

Prior to coloring, it’s important to determine the hair’s health. You may be wondering how to determine what the hair needs. The easiest way to diagnose hair health is to conduct The Wet Stretch Test. This simple test will reveal if the hair is lacking protein, moisture or both. Both protein (keratin) and moisture are essential components of healthy hair –  if they’re missing your hair color could fade quickly.

If hair is in poor condition (we’re looking at you split ends), a protein or moisturizing treatment may be needed before you color. This will help “fill in” empty spaces in the hair and give the color molecules a better anchor point, resulting longer lasting color results.

 

2) Insufficient Color Processing Time

A common reason behind fast-fading hair color is insufficient processing time, meaning the hair color did not stay on long enough. This especially holds true if you or your client have grey hair.

Grey hair cuticles are tightly packed down, and take longer to open and absorb artificial hair color molecules.

3) Hard Water Effects on Hair Color

It’s estimated that nearly 65% of Americans have hard water in their homes. The elements present in hard water (specifically, calcium and magnesium) are extremely problematic when trying to ensure lasting hair color results. They tend to build up on the hair over time and can prevent color molecules from penetrating the cuticle. If you live in an area with hard water, we recommend removing minerals from the hair with Malibu-C Crystal Gels.

Learn how hard water effects hair color.

4) Inadequate Emulsification

Emulsifying the hair at the shampoo bowl is one of the most essential components of a successful and long lasting color service. For a proper emulsification process, add a small amount of water to the hair and begin to massage the hair and color together, creating a nice lather.

By properly emulsifying the hair, you’re breaking up the oil-based color and ensuring the hair has absorbed as much color as possible before closing the cuticle.

ORGANIC TIP: You should be emulsifying at the bowl for approximately 4-5 minutes.

5) Rinsing with Hot Water

When the time comes to rinse out the hair color, be sure that you’re rinsing with lukewarm water. Too hot of water can cause the cuticle to open further, allowing for some of the color to rinse out during your shampoo process.

ORGANIC TIP: When clients wash their hair at home, they should also only use lukewarm water. Scolding hot water will only cause their hair color to fade prematurely.

6) Shampooing Hair Too Soon After Coloring

Reminding your clients that waiting at least 24 hours to wash their hair after their color service will help prolong their fresh, new color. However, what may be more important than waiting to shampoo, is using the correct aftercare products.

7) Using Products That Strip Hair Color

The number one ingredient to avoid in your aftercare products is SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfates). However, using color care shampoo and conditioners that are also pH balanced and free of plastics will prove to enhance and extend the life of hair color.

Using products with too high of a pH can cause the cuticle to re-open. An open cuticle will ultimately cause your hair color to fade fast and off tone. In addition, styling products that are loaded with plastics and petrochemicals can build up on the hair, causing hair to appear dull and lifeless.

8) Improper UV Protection

Using products without proper UV protection is an open invite for the harsh, damaging UV rays of the sun to fade hair color. If clients do not have proper UV protection in the hair, advise them to wear a hat when they are outside to limit exposure.

ORGANIC TIP: Try sending your clients home with shampoo, conditioner, or leave-in product formulated with natural UV protectants.

9) Using Hot Styling Tools Without Heat Protection

Another hair color culprit are hot tools! If your client is adamant user of flat irons, curling wands, and blow dryers, be sure they are using thermal protection hair products. This will protect the delicate hair against extreme heat, and allow color to stay in the hair longer.

10) Color Hair Too Infrequently

Although there are semi-permanent and permanent hair color options, no color will look the same as the first day it was done. By addressing the previously stated causes of hair color fading, we also suggest making sure you are coloring your hair regularly enough to achieve your desired results.

Do you know any other causes of hair color fading? Feel free to share below!

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Use Publicity to Get People Talking About Your Business

It can be hard to cut through the noise to promote your business, and it’s just as hard to decide how to focus your efforts. Fresh content, social media, video, and email are standard marketing tools—but don’t forget the power of the publicity.

Publicity (aka media relations) is a traditional approach to helping your business look good. The way we share information has changed, and the media industry has changed along with it; many traditional publications have moved their operations and audiences online, while digital-first media have been added to their ranks.

That evolution has changed the way business owners things about publicity, but it’s potential to get your name in front of a new crowd—and fuel your other promotional efforts—make it well worth your consideration. These articles from Upwork’s Hiring Headquarters can help you get an overview of the basics and figure out how to find help.

Give your press release purpose

The press release has long been a standard tool for PR professionals: It’s an official statement that answers key questions about a topic—who, what, where, when, why, and how—in one concise document.

“Not only do [press releases] get your news out and increase your search engine optimization (SEO), they help you organize your thoughts and messages, which play into other marketing and communication initiatives.”

In “When It Comes to Press Releases, Are You Crying Wolf?” Michelle Messenger Garrett answers two critical questions. The first is how often an organization should send out a press release—after all, you don’t want people to forget about your business. The answer, she says, is when (and if) you have something newsworthy to say.

Second, she explains what “newsworthy” means—it might not be what you think! Too many organizations use press releases in ways that are more nuisance than informative, she says, which is counterproductive if you ever want reporters to pay attention to your efforts.

Give the media something good to work with

Michelle Messenger Garrett isn’t the only one who emphasizes the importance of newsworthiness. In “3 Tips to get Major Media Coverage,” TechDay says it’s the first thing you need to address when you want to start pitching the media—followed closely by establishing your online reputation.

“If your site and social media following need more work to appear robust and legitimate, take the time to build up your catalog of content.”

Also important to any publicity campaign? Being specific. Tailor each email to the publication you’re targeting and explain why it matters to their audience. If you can offer something exclusive, like an interview, all the better.

Get PR help if you need it

Sometimes, it’s easier to ask a pro to look after things on your behalf. “How Public Relations Gets People Talking About Your Business” explains what public relations and marketing are, then highlights three things you should consider before looking for help. You should understand:

• Your business goals
• Your expectations of what an expert might provide and accomplish
• Your budget and available resources

Ready to see how publicity can work for your business? Learn more about marketing in the Hiring Headquarters >>

The post Use Publicity to Get People Talking About Your Business appeared first on Upwork Blog.

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KUKUI BUTTER BENEFITS: The Ancient Hawaiian Secret to Healthy Hair & Scalp

Craft an Eye-catching Proposal Every Time

Join us today (Thursday Mar. 16) at 10:30 a.m. PT for a live Freelancing Success Week Twitter chat with six-figure freelancer Danny Margulies. We will be using the hashtag #UpworkChat.

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You’re confident you can grab attention with your knockout Upwork profile—it tells your target market why they should choose you. The next step is making contact: When there’s a project you know you’d be a great fit for, a proposal is your chance to get specific and tell them why you are the best choice.

If you are invited to submit a proposal by a client, chances are you’ve already made a good first impression. The proposal is your chance to take that good impression and solidify it. If you found a perfect project in the job feed, your proposal may be the client’s first impression of you; being clear and communicative while catching their attention is a priority.

These tips will help make that first impression less of a challenge and more of a practised skill. Top Rated and six-figure freelancer Danny Margulies notes, “Being able to write a great proposal is one of the most valuable skills you can have as a freelancer. So it’s worth investing the time and energy to get it right.”

Customize

Clients don’t like to see cookie-cutter proposals. When you customize your proposal to show your interest and expertise in their particular project, you show your interest in them—not just any contract you can find.

“Clients aren’t just looking at your technical skill. They’re wondering, ‘Will this person be excited to work on this project?’”
— Danny Margulies

Be both professional and personable. Show enthusiasm for the project, and let the client know you’ll be an asset to their company.

Pro tip: Many clients will put special instructions in the job post to qualify candidates. Be sure to keep your eyes open for these and address them in your proposal.

Determine and address the client’s problem

The client posted the job because they have a problem to be solved that they can’t or don’t want to solve themselves. Determine what this problem is and make that the focus of your proposal, letting the client know how you will fix it for them and the benefit they will receive from having you do the job.

Tell them exactly why they should work with you. Danny says you should “Focus on what they want to accomplish. You can even offer a helpful suggestion right in your proposal—clients love that because it shows them you’ve got their back and want them to succeed.”

Keep it short and simple

Clients are busy so keep your proposal short and get straight to the point.

Do something to get noticed in the first two lines. For example:

• Personalize your introduction. Don’t know who you’re dealing with? Troll the feedback section of their Upwork client profile to see whether anyone has mentioned them by name.
• Highlight your success. Throw them a relevant and incredible performance statistic you were recently responsible for, if you have one. This is a great way to grab attention and avoid being too generic.

Include samples

To demonstrate you have the know-how to complete the project successfully, attach a relevant sample to your proposal. Resist the urge to attach your entire portfolio; instead stick to one to three items that are highly relevant.

Danny finds that “Dropping your entire portfolio in their lap can feel overwhelming. On the other hand, curating a few carefully selected pieces for them makes their life easier and shows off your expertise—a win-win.”

Be approachable and professional

Use language that will help you come across as an approachable person throughout the whole correspondence—someone who will be easy and pleasant to work with. But you still need to keep it professional! This means using warm but more formal greetings and closings, such as “Dear” and “Kind Regards” instead of “Hi” and “Later!”

Create and save your proposals in a word editor instead of directly in Upwork

Creating your proposal in an editor, such as Microsoft Word or Google docs, will allow you to style, edit, and save your proposals for easy reference the next time you have a similar proposal to send. By referencing old proposals, you can determine what might have worked and what didn’t, and test which approaches work better for you.

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The following resources—from the Upwork Hiring Headquarters, the Upwork blog, and the Upwork Community—provide more tips on creating stellar proposals that will help you win more projects.

Hiring Headquarters

• 5 Questions Your Web Development Proposal Should Answer
• Submitting a Winning Proposal on Upwork
• How to Create a Proposal That Wins Jobs
• 10 Ways to Be More Professional on Upwork

Upwork Blog

• Power Proposal Tips to Help You Get Noticed
• Winning Proposals: Best Practices, Customized Templates, and Questions You Need to Answer
• How to Turn a Job Invitation into an Interview

Upwork Community

• Tips for Writing a Winning Proposal
• Power Proposal Tips from a Six-figure Upworker (Danny Margulies)

The post Craft an Eye-catching Proposal Every Time appeared first on Upwork Blog.

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Inside Upwork: Profile and Proposal Tips from Upwork Freelancers

Mark your calendar for a live Freelancing Success Week Twitter chat with six-figure freelancer Danny Margulies, Thursday, Mar. 16, at 10:30 a.m. PT. We will be using the hashtag #UpworkChat.

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To attract the attention of the best clients, your profile and proposals have to be stellar. Some clients judge freelancers based on their proposals before even looking at a profile. Others review profiles first. Many clients list their projects privately and handpick freelancers based on profile alone.

You never know what a potential client will look at first, so both your profile and your proposal have to make a great first impression and tell the client why they should trust you with their project.

Freelancers market their businesses to potential clients through Upwork—and the freelancers Upwork itself engages for its projects know how to pitch their talents to the best clients. We recently asked four of Upwork’s freelancers from different specialties to share their best tips for freelance profiles and proposals. Here’s what they had to say.

 

Fernando Vaz
Product Manager

“When you can’t meet people face to face, building trust and empathy is particularly important. For your profile, focus on the value you can bring and problems you can solve rather than focusing too much on specific skills—though those are important too.

“When submitting a proposal, try to get past what’s in the job posting and figure out what the client is looking for, and answer to that. Put yourself in the client’s shoes and address those needs in your first response.”

 

Radhika Basuthakur
Online Marketing Communications Specialist

“Your profile title is your first opportunity to capture the client’s attention. Put some thought into writing this. Don’t be ambiguous, let the client know what you have to offer from the start. Remember that Upwork has a character limit of 70 for the headline so keep it short and get straight to the point.

“When writing your profile overview, don’t lose the client by wasting time on pleasantries or describing yourself. Go straight to showing the value you will add. Simply answer the question ‘Why are you the best candidate?’ Put yourself in the client’s shoes and ask yourself what would convince you to hire you?

“Good communication makes a huge difference when it comes to working online. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a writer—a well-written and thoughtful proposal is the first sign of your professionalism as a freelancer.

“Write professional and to-the-point proposals that actually address the project description and any questions the client has asked. Sell yourself…but do it by showing the client how your skills are the perfect match for job and explain how you can help them achieve their goals.

“Don’t be afraid to inject a bit of humour into your proposals. It’s important to keep it professional—always—but a bit of humour and friendliness shows the client you’re not just a drone but actually a real person with personality.”

 

Shennaver Canasa
Talent Specialist

“Treating your profile as an open proposal can entice a client to collaborate with you. I think an effective profile should reflect not only your experience, but also your commitment and passion for what you do.

“I believe that both your profile and proposal should speak to who you are and why you would be beneficial to work with–think of it as showing that client how profitable your skills are. Like any other business, clients are looking for an asset to add to their team so they would want assurance that you care about how the project would impact their business.”

 

Amber Merideth
Upwork Professionals Lifecycle Management, Enterprise

“Perfecting your profile is not a one-time initiative—you should be revisiting it regularly to add new portfolio items, update your overview statement, adjust your availability, renew your skills listings, and just generally keep it fresh and appealing.

“For the love of all things entrepreneurial get a professional headshot and use it! This inexpensive investment goes a long way with clients. It shows that you are serious, and that you are committed to your business.

“Ask a former client or trusted friend to review your profile for another perspective. And if you want really constructive feedback, ask the Upwork freelancing community in the forums—that will certainly generate suggestions for improvement! You want to know if you are you coming across the way you intend when clients visit your page.

“You absolutely HAVE to make writing winning proposals part of your freelance success strategy! Your proposal is your first impression with a client—I can’t stress that enough. Read the project description a couple of times. Does the client allude to a pain point? Your proposal will stand out if you draft your proposal around how you can alleviate the friction that the client is experiencing.

“Write and save your submitted proposals in a document on your computer or in the cloud first. Note which ones were successful and use those insights to improve your proposal writing over time. Include the client’s name, their company name, or whatever you have at your disposal to make it personal.

“Be authentic! Let your personality shine through in your proposal language. There’s no point in using a voice that isn’t your own—when you advance to an interview or win the project your client is going to have an expectation of your communication style based off of your proposal, and you want that expectation to be one that you can meet and sustain.

For more resources to help you build a stellar profile, see “Get Noticed by Clients with a Knockout Profile.”

The post Inside Upwork: Profile and Proposal Tips from Upwork Freelancers appeared first on Upwork Blog.

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