Summer is fun to play in until her evil step sisters start messing with your irresistible hair color. UV rays, chlorine, and high temps—do you mind? If only protecting our hair pigment during summer was as easy as popping on a cute hat, but it’s not. Below, five things you can do to keep hair color fresh—whether it’s professionally colored or virgin.
(via iStock)
1. Lifeguard locks
Basking in the sun all day is like letting your hair color drown. Save your color with pre-beach prep. Apply a hydrating oil, like Phyto Phytoplage Protective Sun Oil or OUAI Rose Hair & Body Oil, from mid-shaft to ends.
(via theouai.com)
2. Post-pool protection
When you leave the pool, reverse the uncool effects chlorine has on your color by using a moisture mask. Brittle, knotty mane? Make your mane go mmm with a scoop of Qhemet Biologics’ Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee Leave-In. Let it marinade while you’re showering then step out to protected color and renewed shine.
(via Sephora)
3. Avoid sulfates
Sun rays do enough to sabotage your hair color—don’t let sulfates mess with your mane even further. Keep tabs on your shampoo ingredient list and throw out any containing sulfates to avoid stripping your strands of the moisture needed to lock in lovely shine. Sulfate-free and color-safe suds only. Our fave? Alterna Haircare Caviar Anti-Aging Shampoo, formulated with UVA/UVB protection.
(via Sephora)
4. Switch heads
ICYDK, your shower water wants nothing but the worst for your hair color. Rude‚ we know. We break down the difference between hard vs. soft water, here. To prevent your water pipelines from sneaking up on your hair color’s swag, swap out your shower head for a purifying one. We love Raindrops901, a shower head designed specifically for a 6-step filtration process that turns your shower water into rain-quality H2O.
(via Raindrops901)
5. Get glossy
The trick to salon-fresh color in between touch-ups? A good gloss. Get the most out of your color by enhancing it with an ammonia-free formula, like John Frieda’s Luminous Color Glaze. Bonus: Even girls who don’t color their hair can use this stuff.
