Keep Your Color Sparkling Throughout the New Year

These may be the darkest and coldest months of the year, but they’re also booked end to end with exciting get-togethers and romantic adventures under sparkling lights. Throughout this busy season, you want your hair to look as fresh, brilliant and glowing on the outside as you feel on the inside. It’s time for your new color to take center stage and help you shine.

But how can you maintain these bold hues as the days go by? How can you keep your shimmering new color from going flat or brassy before its time? Try these tips to make sure you get the most out of your professional color treatment this season.

1. First, don’t wash your hair as soon as you step out of the salon. Wait at least two days before you pick up the shampoo bottle. This will allow your natural oils to build up, protecting both your color and your scalp. And it can keep your color from flowing down the drain before it fully sets and takes hold.
2. When you do wash your hair, try to use cold water. Not excited about cold showers in December? Protect your hair as you soap up and then give it a cold, gentle bath using the sink or shower head extension later on.
3. Steer clear of oxidizing heat and sunlight. Blow driers, flat irons and the sun can all take the glow out of your color. Adopt a minimal-heat style when you can, and consider hair sunscreen or a protective leave-in conditioner before stepping outside.
4. Don’t neglect touch-ups and trims. Regular attention to your ends can keep color from looking flat, dull and scruffy.
5. Start at the beginning. Color treatments can vary widely from one salon and stylist to another. Skill and products will both make a difference. Try glossing, a new technique that offers a deposit-only color wash, and choose color-stabilizing hair care products like Intelligent Nutrients by Horst Rechelbacher. Most important, put your treatment in the hands of a salon you trust. Your stylist should use specially formulated, color-safe conditioners, and if you like certain products, don’t be shy. Ask for tips and recommendations.

Image By: ~ggvic~