Since I am always on the road, my color can fade hard before I find time to visit a regular stylist. I’ve rounded up my top tips for keeping my hair color as bright and vibrant as possible between visits. I’ve also tested a couple products that hide outgrown roots (my beauty nemesis). Check them out below!

BFF a Dry Shampoo

If you’ve read my last post on dry shampoos, you know I am a massive fan. Dry shampoo is my ultimate go-to hair product, and for one good reason. Even using sulfate-free shampoos, I still find my hair color fades with consistent washing. I avoid consistently washing my hair, which is gross but very important. Much to my mom’s dismay, I can proudly go 4-6 days without washing my hair. There needs to be a Girl Scout badge for that achievement. Fortunately, there are tons of brands out there from drugstore to organic indie brands. I firmly believe all girls should keep a travel size buddy in their purse or gym bag at.all.times.

Go Blue!

I have become a big fan of blue shampoos over the past year. The blue pigments combat the yellow brassiness that can appear in blondes in between salon visits. Most brands also give hair really nice shimmery highlights that make color POP!  Some brands pack a lot of pigment, so you can actually turn your hair a blue/purple if you aren’t careful. Some brands are more low key, making them “safer” for those worried about the blue pigment. For instance, I once left Clairol Shimmer Lights in for a few minutes too long, and definitely had blue hair for a couple days. Whoops. Personally, I live for dpHUE’s cool blonde shampoo and conditioner. It leaves your hair feeling amazing and is a fab toner! However, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly version, Not Your Mother’s is fairly comparable. It isn’t as vibrant pigment-wise but still leaves hair looking super shiny!

Avoid Sulfates

Sulfate-free shampoos reportedly slow the stripping of color from hair, so it is best to avoid those with sulfates. Fortunately, most major beauty brands now offer sulfate-free “color safe” shampoo and conditioners at drug store prices. This isn’t a full proof method for avoiding color fade, and definitely depends on the amount of washes your hair goes through each week. I would still air on the side of “dirty hair, don’t care.”

Root Touch Ups

For the brave beauty lovers out there, you can also try at-home root touch up kits. To be completely candid, I have never tried the full on color systems with processor, dye, etc. But I have tried the convenient one-day powder palettes. These are super convenient for traveling since they are a powder (some look like a face powder compact, others come as a spray or stick), and you really can’t screw it up since it’s temporary. However, if you’re up to playing hair expert, take a stab at the home dye kit and let me know what you think!

A bonus pro tip for keeping your color safe for pools or hot tubs? Soak your hair with fresh water (i.e., tap, bottled) prior to jumping in the body of water! Keeps your tresses safe from turning green. How are you safeguarding your dyed locks this season?