It’s a sad fact that most of the good things in life come with a downside and sorry to say it, but colouring our hair is most definitely one of them. While we love how great freshly lifted hair makes us feel, what we’re not such huge fans of is how fast it can fade. When exposed to everyday wear and tear (that’s sunlight, pollution, heck, even showering) coloured hair, specifically blonde hair, can suffer. As well as resulting an unwanted change in shade, it also affects the feel of your hair, which means drier, more brittle strands. Happily for you (and your bank balance) the answer to extending your colour doesn’t lie in spending your life in the salon chair, but rather, adding a colour-enhancing conditioner to your daily routine instead. The fastest and most affordable route to preserving your colour between salon trips, these little gems add softness, lock in colour and inject vibrancy back into your blonde, for a luminous and, dare we say it, just-stepped-out-of-the-salon feel. What’s not to love?
By Georgia Day
-
1 Josh Wood Colour Precious Blonde Conditioning Treatment, £18
Best for: A bespoke solution
It’s a fact that frequent washing can cause blonde hair to go yellow or brassy. Not only does the wrong kind of water affect its tone, shampoo can strip the lighter, more flattering pigments out of hair too, leaving it brittle and discoloured. Which is where this deeply nourishing treatment from the King of Colour, Josh Wood, steps in. Simply use the dial up system to play around with the violet-toner-to-concentrated-conditioner-ratio (purple counteracts the yellow), depending on the state of your colour. Have we mentioned that the Quinoa Protein, Shea Butter and Inca Inchi Oil will boost your hair’s softness and shine too?
-
2 Pureology Perfect 4 Platinum Conditioner, £12.80
Best for: Salon-fresh hair
Aside from the spring in our step that fresh new colour gives us, the thing we love most about a professional dye job (be it highlights, lowlights or spotlights) is the renewed softness we get as soon we step out of the salon. What we don’t love though, is how fast that seems to disappear after a few washes. Luckily, this daily treatment adds that right back in thanks to the addition of Keravis, a natural plant protein that swells the hair fibres making even very bleached hair, stronger and softer. There’s also Coriander Oil and Lemon to enhance suppleness and extend the look of your coloured hair between salon visits.
-
3 Charles Worthington Colour Enhancing Conditioner For Blondes, £5.99
Best for: Sparkling colour
When it comes to preventing colour fade, continuous maintenance is the name of the (hair) game. That might sound like a chore but believe us when we say that bagging yourself this little beauty, means you’re half way there. Formulated with those all-important UV filters to protect the outer layers of your hair strands and seal in colour, this contains blonde-loving brightening boosters like Lemon, Chamomile and Honey to add shine-inducing, softening oomph to all kinds of blonde, from gentle sombréd colour to fully bleached ‘dos.
-
4 Aveda Camomile Colour Conditioner, £21
Best for: Gentle brightening
If your balyage is starting to look lacklustre or you need a boost to enhance dull or ashy tones, then this nourishing yet gentle daily treatment that’s loaded with organic plant-based goodies could be just the ticket. With Camomile and Beta Carotene helping to illuminate blonde tones and restore them back to their golden best, it’s a must-have for dull days when your next colour appointment is still weeks away. Even better, it contains ultra-calming Calendula, known for its ability to soothe any dye-induced irritation.
-
5 Strivectin Color Care Vibrancy Booster, £22
Best for: Healthy-looking hair
If you love the look of freshly done colour but worry about the damage it wreaks on your hair, then this elixir from the cult US brand is the post-wash product for you. A weekly TLC treatment, this is packed full of botanical extracts such as Camellia Leaf and Sunflower Seed extract, which help protect hair from UV and environmental damage (aka what strips your colour of its vibrancy). As if revitalising your highlights weren’t enough, this improves the health of your hair and scalp (thanks to the Tamarind Seed extract) so your hair feels stronger and less prone to breakage.