Thursday, May 8, 2014

How to: Enhance + extend your hair color

Going to get your color done can be a pain when the color just doesn't last as long as you'd want it to. Ever wonder how to extend your color so you can save money and schlep to the salon less? How about making color look shinier and more vibrant? There's a few things you can start or stop using or things you never thought of doing. Here are some tips I gathered from a few of the beauty mavens at GBS starting with when you color application to color maintenance:                            

1. Making a color concoction and application.

When mixing your color at home add a few drops of hair oil into the mix to boost your color's shine; which will ultimately prolong the color because it won't look so dull throughout the months. Tip: Make sure to not wash hair for 48 hours after intital application to extend color. 


2.What Shampoo and Conditioner you use is crucial.

Ingredients:

When choosing a shampoo and conditioner it's so important you pick those that don't have certain ingredients in it. The main ingredient to look for is: Sodium Laureth Sulfate or basically any ingredient that has the word sulfate in it. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a detergent found in shampoo that strips color from your locks, along with moisture and natural oil in order to clean out pollutants. 

Products:

There are few really cool color depositing shampoos and even fewer conditioners on the market that deposit color into hair with every wash. I LOVE the Davines Alchemic products. The line has both shampoos and conditioners. These products will extend the brilliance of color while keeping hair moisturized and healthy. I found that color depositing conditioners are hard to come by. I'll include some links to other Sulfate-free products at the end of the blog. 

3. Adding products to your regimen that'll maintain + protect color. 

Heat protector: Let’s start with wet hair. You get out of the shower and start blow drying your hair then you straighten or curl. Are you using a heat protector? Think about what heat can do to your hair at the average 450 degrees most irons or dryers are. They will totally damage your hair cuticle which then damages color molecules, thus fading said color. It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In is great because maintaining hair color and protecting hair is only 2 of the 10 things the product does and vital to color's vibrancy.

Dry Shampoo: So your hair is looking a little oily and you just HAVE to wash it, right? WRONG! Dry shampoo, perhaps the hero of all products, my personal favorite beauty product as I constantly state, will keep your color from fading much, much longer. Use a dry shampoo between washes that way that's one less wash and a little more extra time before you have to get back to the salon or go through the task of applying color.

SPF: Summer is coming up and for those of us who live in Florida; we need sun protection all year round. Just like you would apply sunscreen to your face and body your hair needs SPF, too! I've been using Rene Furterer’s sun protecting spray for years now and it seems to do the trick. The sun is damaging to hair just like skin, so protect your hair and those dear color molecules.

Root Cover: The latest and greatest of root covers is Color WOW! It'll give you an extra week or two before your next color by covering up grays or roots. Unlike other root touch ups, Color WOW! is waterproof so it's great for Summer and will withstand chlorine, salt water, etc. Color WOW! only comes out when you shampoo. 


Product Recommendations:

These are some of the products I found that work really well with my hair and color so they're just suggestions. There are a ton of other products available.  

1. L'anza Keratin Healing Oil (for color concoction)
3. Davines Alchemics  (color depositing shampoo + conditioner)
4. It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In (heat protector, color extender)
7. Color WOW! (root touch up)

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