What's the best way to maintain hair color?

Brilliance is in the eye of the beholder!

Trick is to be kind and gentle to your colored hair. Avoid such mistakes as sunning in St. Tropez without a hat or swimming in the Olympics without a gentle, chlorine-cleansing shampoo. After fresh color – skip a shampoo to help preserve and protect newly tinted locks.

Make sure to get a color-friendly shampoo with UV protectants and antioxidant ingredients to help fight environmental fading.

The best way to maintain your hair color is to start by following your colorist's advice. More than likely, your colorist has been well-educated by the manufacturer whose color they choose to use on your hair. What's good for a blonde may not necessarily be good for a red head or a brunette.

• ALWAYS start with a color-safe shampoo. If your shampoo doesn't say color-safe, then don’t assume that it is. And if you're spending large sums of money on your hair color services, please spend a little extra cash to get the proper shampoo.
• The wrong shampoo can cause fading, especially on red heads and brunettes. Also, if your colorist has chosen specific tones of pastel blondes for your hair, you'll want to minimize the fading that can cause the dreaded 'B,' brassiness.
• When it comes to conditioners, there is more room for leeway. The very nature of a conditioner is that it's designed to close the cuticle of the hair strand, by restoring the pH of the hair. However, some conditioners are also designed to add additional moisture, protein, and in some cases, even color.
• Did you know that if your shampoo or conditioner has too much protein, it can cause fading or dryness? Therefore, your colorist should be consulted to find out which products are best for your customized color.

Most colorists will ask you to wait up to 48 hours before shampooing after your color service, especially if you're choosing any shade of red for your hair. The red hair color molecule is larger in size, and may be one of the first things to wash out when you shampoo.

• By waiting to shampoo, the cuticle of the hair is given time to 'calm down' and close, which will help the hair strand to hold onto the color molecule longer.
• Also, if you're going to give yourself a 'deep conditioning' treatment with heat, wait at least 7 days after your color to do so. The long exposure to both heat and moisture can cause fading. Depending on your type of hair color, it may be best to do your deep moisturizing treatment about a week before your color service.
• And, if you're using shiny silicone styling products, give yourself a clarifying shampoo before you see your colorist. The build-up of silicone styling products can prevent the precious color that you're paying for, from even penetrating the hair.

A final thought: shampoos and conditioners are continuing to get more sophisticated, especially ones that are created by hair color companies. If the shampoo and conditioner that you're using hasn't changed its packaging in the last few years, then I doubt they've changed what's in the bottle.