6 Ways to Lock In Your Fresh Hair Color

Chlorine, salt water, sun and sand...Four things we love about summer but do not necessarily love for the sake of our hair colors.  Summer is also a time that we all tend to change up our color a bit to freshen things up.  If you want to make sure that your fresh color job lasts as long as possible, then here are a few tips on keeping it nice and fabulous.

1) Deep Conditioning Treatments- Give yourself a nice deep conditioning treatment or mask once a month.  This will help to restore and repair your hair.  The healthier and happier your hair is from the beginning, the better it will take to color.  Color itself also can be drying to the hair so the conditioners can prevent your hair from becoming too color damaged.

2) Wash your hair with luke warm water-   Now, no one wants to take a cooler shower, so try washing your hair in the sink or bath tub before showering.  Then throw a shower cap on and shower at whatever temperature your little heart desires.  The luke warm water isn't as stripping to the hair and doesn't open the cuticle as much which helps to keep your color locked in to the strands more securely.  

3) Use a color protectant shampoo and conditioner-  This seems pretty self explanatory but you would be surprised at how many people ignore this simple rule.  You wouldn't wash your face with any old face wash would you??  So treat your hair with the same courtesy.  It doesn't have to be every wash, but switch out your normal shampoo for a color protecting shampoo every other wash.  

4) SPF- This isn't just for your skin, use SPF creams in your hair as well to protect against the sun.  UV rays can penetrate the cuticle oxidizing and bleaching out hair color.  

5) Add a glaze-  Using an at home glaze every other week will instantly brighten and add shine to your hair, giving your hair color the illusion of being freshly done.  This is something you can do in between color appointments to boost your hair and buy you some time.  

6) Dirty it up- Shampooing too much will wash all your money spent on hair color down the drain that much faster.  Try to give your self a day or two in between washes and switch dry shampoo for regular shampoo on off days.