How to Keep Your Blonde Hair Color Intact This Summer
The sun causes fading, salt water causes damage, chlorine will turn it green—maintaining bottle blonde hair color is hard enough year-round, but there are a few more variables to contend with come the warmer seasons. Lest your hard-earned highlights lose their luster this summer, top Redken Artists Sean Godard and Veronica Vasilevsky shared their best tips for keeping your color fresh this summer and beyond.
First things first: Both Vasilevsky and Godard agree that the most important thing you can do to keep your blonde in its best shape this summer is to use a clarifying shampoo. “Blondes are like a white T-shirt,” Vasilevsky says. “They show stains more so than dark clothing, which is why it’s so easy for blondes to look dull.” A creamy, gentle clarifier like Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo will rid the scalp and hair of dulling buildup and debris without causing dryness or damage, so no matter how much time you spend by the beach or in the pool, your color will be no worse for the wear.
And if you want to get as much mileage as possible out of those highlights to avoid finding yourself back in the salon chair once a month, Godard recommends asking your stylist to blur the color in the area closest to the scalp. It gives “a softer and more natural-looking grow-out instead of a hard root line,” he advises, which makes for the perfect low-maintenance summer look. When your natural root color blends softly into your lightened locks rather than as a harsh demarcation, not only are you able to go longer between colorings, but your overall color will look more natural, too.
Above all, it’s important to defend the hair against the elements, particularly the high temperatures and overexposure to water. A heat protectant is key for daily use, even if you aren’t heat-styling—and always, always follow up a long day at the beach with a long soak in a deep conditioning treatment. Follow these simple tips, and you’ll require little more than a touch-up once fall inevitably rolls around.
Read more from Daily Makeover: The Easiest Expert Tips for Maintaining Your Hair Color
