Pure Pleasure Salon

Hair color often looks wonderful the day of the salon visit or the home treatment - glossy, beautifully finished and freshly washed. Most of us feel and look instantly younger with a color treatment. The problem is - how do you keep it looking salon fresh?

Natural re-growth and exposure to light and sun soon takes its toll on your beautiful head-turning color. Here are six practical tips to keep your hair color looking good between treatments:

01.Use a color enhancing conditioner to revive the original color. Go for a shade as near as possible to your colored hair - don't go darker as this may 'muddy' your highlights and flatten the overall look.

02.Touch up your roots. Don't apply color to your whole head as this will overload the ends and leave them brittle, dry and over-treated. You should apply the color at the roots only and work through to the ends of the hair for a few minutes only just before rinsing.

03.Buy a touch-up wand for the times when you need a quick root cover up but haven't had time to do it properly. Some of these products come in the form of mascara-like wands so you can easily color the emerging gray at your temples or wherever it is most noticeable.

04.Use a deep cleansing or 'clarifying shampoo' every few washes - especially if you live in an area where the water is hard. Hair color will be broken down more quickly by minerals in hard water.

05.Use color protecting shampoos and conditioner.

06.Don't go anywhere near a swimming pool - hair color and pool chemicals just don't mix. Swimming in the sea can be a problem too since salt dehydrates and washes out your color. So, if you do swim make sure you cover your hair in protective spray first. If you have long hair, sweep it up on top of your head or swim with your head out of the water.