Hair coloring is one of the easiest (and most cost-effective) ways to give your look an upgrade, but how can you ensure its lasting power until your next salon appointment? For advice from experienced colorists.

Before applying dye to your roots, make sure that you spritz your head with water and massage the dye into them for best results. Also be sure to apply conditioner to the ends as they’re more porous and could stain.

1. Protect Your Hair From the Sun

Just as sun damage to skin can be painful, exposure to prolonged UV radiation can also have serious repercussions for hair strands – causing dullness and lackluster shine over time. Prolonged exposure will damage their cuticle layer causing dullness and lackluster shine in their strands over time.

To keep your locks nourished and healthy, we suggest investing in products formulated especially for color-treated hair. Such products typically avoid two harsh sulfates while providing essential nourishing ingredients that extend custom colors as well as protect strands against environmental stressors.

Limit your sun exposure during peak UV hours – which are between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm – as these hours contain high UV levels. Wearing a hat or covering your head in a towel during these times will help.

2. Wash Your Hair Less Often

Keep your color vibrant by washing your hair less frequently. Too much shampoo can strip your locks of essential natural oils that help maintain healthy locks; to limit potential damage, try only washing twice or three times weekly.

When washing, always use lukewarm water. Hot water can damage your cuticle and allow dye molecules to escape more rapidly than expected causing faster fadeout of color.

Avoid chlorine and saltwater pools as these can dry out your hair and cause dull and lifeless strands to appear. Instead, aim for staying hydrated through diet, water consumption and deep conditioning treatments.

3. Take Care of Your Ends

Hair ends are more porous, and can absorb color molecules from shampoo used on them. To prevent this from occurring when coloring your roots and touching up lengths, condition before shampooing for optimal results.

Avoid taking hot showers when coloring your locks as the heat causes damage and fades the hue over time. Instead, wash your hair every other day using dry shampoo on off days to protect its hue and preserve its vibrancy.

Hair gloss can also help keep your color vibrant and maintain shine. Expert colorists suggest pulling out a gloss in a slightly lighter shade than your roots to blend both colors into each other for an un-done look. In addition, try massaging some sweet almond oil onto your ends after styling tools or sun damage has taken its toll and use this to treat dry ends with sweetness!

4. Apply a Color Protecting Conditioner

Conditioner designed specifically for colored hair can help keep its color vibrant by sealing the cuticle of each strand, which protects dye molecules from being washed out prematurely and fading prematurely.

Silk pillowcases can help reduce frizz and make your strands appear healthier, as well as promote shine by decreasing friction between strands and head. For an added shine boost, use cotton pillows instead for sleeping as silk ones reduce friction between hair strands and your head, helping them shine more.

Make sure to pick up a color-protectant conditioner at every beauty store you visit – from department stores to malls! There is even leave-in conditioner available that offers protection and shine simultaneously.

5. Apply a Color Protecting Spray

Heat damage to colored-treated hair is one of its greatest enemies and a heat protector is vital to protecting it and maintaining shine. Available as creams, gels and sprays, there are various products on the market designed to minimize this damage; find one which best matches your hair texture – some products might be too heavy for fine hair while vice versa.

Paul Mitchell’s CC Color Protect Locking Spray is an incredible product designed to preserve color-treated locks by locking in color and prolonging its life. Packed with sunflower extract to provide sun protection and fight fade while Awapuhi helps balance moisture levels for enhanced shine, this must-have item for all color treated locks!