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.
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.
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.
Skip the Alcohol
Choose styling products that have low amounts of alcohol.
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.
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.
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.
Get Glossy
For an extra dose of shine, ask your stylist to apply a clear gloss treatment over your regular shade.
Recommended: