Why I Switched My Blonde Clients to Biolage Colorlast Shampoo

The Client Whose Color Faded in Two Weeks

Novalee came back to The Warehouse Salon three weeks after I'd given her the most beautiful dimensional blonde. When she sat down, I could already see the problem. Her color had faded to a dull, brassy yellow.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm using the same drugstore shampoo I always use."

There it was. She'd just spent $200 on custom color, and she was washing it down the drain with a $6 shampoo that stripped everything out.

I'm Adi Wooley, one of the stylists here at The Warehouse Salon in DeLand. I see this constantly. Clients invest in beautiful color, then sabotage it at home with the wrong products. Let me tell you about the shampoo that actually protects your investment without weighing your hair down.

The Heavy Shampoo Mistake I Made

For years, I recommended L'Oréal's Vitamino color shampoo to every color client who walked out my door. It's a good product. Strong color protection, decent shine.

Then I had a client named Thessaly with fine hair and fresh balayage. She came back after two weeks complaining that her hair felt flat and greasy.

"Are you using the Vitamino I recommended?" I asked.

"Every day, exactly like you said."

I realized the problem immediately, and I felt awful. I'd confidently recommended a product that was making her hair worse. The Vitamino formula is heavy with silicones (great for coarse hair, terrible for her fine texture).

"I'm so sorry," I told Thessaly. "This is my fault. I should have thought about your hair type before defaulting to my go-to recommendation."

We had to clarify her hair to remove the buildup, then start fresh with something lighter.

That's when I started really paying attention to how different color shampoos work on different hair types.

I switched Thessaly to Biolage Colorlast Shampoo. Two weeks later, she came back for a trim. Her hair looked completely different (lifted at the roots, smooth through the ends, color still vibrant).

"This is what I wanted," she said. "Why didn't we start with this one?"

"Because I learned from you," I told her honestly.

Biolage Colorlast Shampoo became my go-to for clients who needed color protection without the weight, especially after that lesson.

Why Most Color Shampoos Feel Heavy

Most color-protecting shampoos rely on heavy silicones (especially dimethicone) to seal the hair cuticle and lock in color. It works, but it comes with trade-offs.

Your hair gets that slippery, coated feeling. It looks shiny at first, but after a few washes, buildup starts. Your roots get flat. Your hair feels like it needs to be washed more often, which defeats the whole purpose.

Biolage Colorlast Shampoo takes a different approach. It's significantly lighter than most color shampoos I've used. You get the color protection without feeling like you've shellacked your hair.

I tested this side by side with the Vitamino shampoo. The Vitamino leaves visible silicone residue on the cap. The Biolage doesn't. That tells you everything about how they'll feel on your hair.

Who This Actually Works For

After using Biolage Colorlast Shampoo on clients for the past year at The Warehouse Salon, I've figured out exactly who it's perfect for.

If you have slightly frizzy hair that needs smoothing, this is your shampoo. It contains orchid extract that smooths the cuticle without weighing things down. I have a client named Octavia with naturally wavy hair and fresh caramel highlights. She switched to this shampoo and her frizz disappeared while her color stayed vibrant for eight weeks.

If you have curly hair and color, this works beautifully. The lightweight formula doesn't interfere with your curl pattern the way heavier color shampoos can.

If you just got vibrant fashion color (vivid reds, purples, jewel tones), you need this level of protection. Those bright colors fade faster than anything. We recommend washing no more than twice a week with these colors, and using Biolage Colorlast Shampoo when you do.

Who Should Skip It

If your hair is severely damaged from years of bleaching and coloring, this won't fix it. Biolage Colorlast Shampoo is designed to protect color, not repair major damage. You need a strengthening or bonding treatment first.

If you have fine, straight hair (especially Asian hair texture), the smoothing effect might be too much. I've had a few clients whose hair went completely flat with this shampoo. For those clients, I usually recommend alternating with a volumizing shampoo.

If you're just covering gray with dark brown every six weeks, you don't need a specialized color shampoo. Save your money and use a regular moisturizing shampoo.

How It Performs in Florida Humidity

Living in DeLand means dealing with Florida humidity year-round. That changes how products work.

The smoothing effect of Biolage Colorlast Shampoo is actually perfect for our climate. The orchid extract helps keep your scalp moisturized, and the way it seals the cuticle helps prevent humidity from making your hair frizz.

I had a client named Leonie last summer whose blonde highlights looked great in the salon but turned into a frizzy mess within two days. She was frustrated and ready to give up on color entirely.

We switched her to Biolage Colorlast Shampoo, and the difference was immediate. Her color lasted longer and her hair stayed smoother despite the humidity.

She texted me a week later: "My hair still looks like I just left the salon. What is this magic?"

The lightweight formula also matters here. In Florida, heavy products feel gross. They sit on your hair, attract humidity, make everything sticky. Biolage is light enough that you don't feel coated, even when it's 95 degrees outside.

What I Tell Clients About Using It

Don't apply conditioner to your roots. This is true for most conditioners, but especially important with color-protecting ones. They're designed to work on your mid-lengths and ends where color fades fastest. Put it on your roots and you'll look greasy.

Wash less often. If you just got fresh, vibrant color, try to limit washing to two or three times per week maximum. The less you wash, the longer your color lasts.

Use lukewarm or cool water to rinse. Hot water opens the cuticle and lets color escape. Cool water seals everything in.

That's why many of our DeLand clients book color services with us at The Warehouse Salon and then pick up their Biolage Colorlast Shampoo shampoo before they leave. It's easier to maintain your color when you have the right products from day one.

The Sustainability Angle

Biolage makes a point of advertising that this shampoo is vegan, cruelty-free, and packaged in 95% recycled bottles. If that matters to you, great. If it doesn't, the product still works regardless.

I appreciate that they don't use mica in this formula. Mica is that glittery shimmer you see in some hair products. It looks pretty in the bottle but it's unnecessary and makes hair look weirdly sparkly in certain light.

When to Upgrade to Something Stronger

If you've been using Biolage Colorlast Shampoo for a few months and your color is still fading faster than you'd like, the issue might not be the shampoo.

Sometimes it's how often you're washing, or the water temperature you're using, or heat styling without protection. Before you blame the product, look at your whole routine.

But if your hair is genuinely damaged and breaking, you need a repair treatment. Come see us at The Warehouse Salon and we'll assess what's actually going on. Sometimes you need a bond-building treatment or a protein mask before color protection will even work properly.

What Happened to Novalee

Remember Novalee from the beginning? After I explained all of this, she switched to Biolage Colorlast Shampoo and started washing only three times a week instead of daily.

Two months later, her color still looked fresh. Not perfect (nothing lasts forever), but way better than the two-week fade she'd been dealing with.

"I can't believe the shampoo made this much difference," she said.

It's not magic. It's just using the right product for what you're trying to accomplish.

If you're spending money on color services and watching them fade in a few weeks, we should talk about your home care routine. Come see me at The Warehouse Salon in DeLand, and I'll help you figure out what products actually make sense for your hair type and color.

You can grab Biolage Colorlast Shampoo directly from our salon, or book your next color appointment at (386) 279-0626. Let's make sure your color investment actually lasts.