9 Ways to Keep Your Colour-Treated Hair Looking Fresh

Megan KirkwoodUpdated: Jul. 26, 2016

Don’t let the harsh summer elements hurt your hair’s new hue.

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How To Keep Your Colour-Treated Hair From Fading

Prolonged exposure to the summer elements will drain your colour and natural shine in a hurry. Keep your hair looking fresh all summer long with these 9 tips from some of the industry’s top stylists.

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Tweak Your Colour In The Shower

New innovative hair formulas can lighten blondes or lighten and deepen brunettes using at-home shower treatments. For blondes, the formula is peroxide-based, so it will lift melanin. “You’ll see a one shade lift, resulting in shinier, softer, brighter-looking hair,”says Harry Josh, a celebrity stylist and an international creative consultant for John Frieda.

Brunettes have two options: Go one shade darker using a semi-permanent treatment that bonds to damaged areas to produce all-over colour or go one shade lighter using a unique formula that removes a specific type of melanin from brunette hair.

Try: John Frieda’s Sheer Blonde Go Blonder In-Shower Lightening Treatment ($13) and John Frida’s Brilliant Brunette Visibly Deeper Colour Deepening Treatment ($13), available at mass merchandisers.

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Don’t Towel Dry

When you dry your hair, make sure to squeeze the water out as gently as possible because roughing it up with a towel can cause your hair cuticle to lift, preventing it from looking as shiny as possible.

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Skip the Alcohol

Choose styling products that have low amounts of alcohol.

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Try Out the Dark Side

If your colour is looking particularly flat, consider going a couple of shades darker for the summer. “Darker hair colours generally reflect more light, and they can actually condition your hair and show shine,” says Kristjan Hayden, a pro hairstylist and creative director for Aveda Canada.

Not interested in a different hair colour? Ask your hairstylist to mix a colour shampoo specific to your shade, says celebrity stylist Richard Collins.

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Use Moisturizing Hair Masks

Salt water can be drying and take its toll on your hair’s natural lustre. “Get as much water out as you can post-swim and always wash your hair the same night to remove residue, then follow up with a hair mask,” says Collins.

Try: Aveda Sun Care After-Sun Masque, $40 at aveda.ca and select stores.

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Protect Aging Hair

To keep grey and white tones from looking brassy and dull, use a purple-pigmented conditioning treatment a few times a week to neutralize gold and orange undertones, which will give your hair a brighter and shinier appearance.

Try: Schwarzkopf Professional Bc Excellium Q10+ Pearl Beautifying Silver Spray, $16 at Shwarzkopf Professional salons nationwide.

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