One of the easiest and most fun ways to change your look is to color your hair. Many women color their hair, either at the salon or at home. Some women go for full hair color changes, while others just get a few highlights here and there.

Unfortunately, over time, hair color can start to lose its shine and become dull and one-dimensional. The hair color itself can also be damaging. After a coloring process, it is very important to take good care of your hair to keep it healthy.

If you find yourself in need of a hair color revival, here are some tips for getting color you love and keeping it that way.

At Home Treatments

Before making an appointment at the salon, there are some treatments that you can try at home to spruce up your hair color.

For dark hair, brew 2 cups of very strong coffee or tea. Allow the coffee or tea to cool and bring it into the shower with you. After shampooing as normal, pour the cooled coffee or tea over your hair. Condition as usual.

If you have blonde hair, brew 3 cups of chamomile tea and add one cup of lemon juice. Allow the mixture to cool and then pour it over dry hair. Apply heat, either with the low setting of a hair dryer or by sitting in the sun for an hour. When your hair begins to dry, shampoo and condition with a very mild product.

Another option for at home treatments is to purchase a tinted shampoo, conditioner or rinse. These products do not contain permanent color. The tint is usually enough to liven up a fading color job until you have time to get to the salon.

Highlights

Highlights are a great way to add dimension to your hair without going through an overall color change. If you feel like your color is looking dull and flat, make an appointment at the salon for a highlight. There are also do-it-yourself highlighting kits available at the store. Concentrate the bulk of the highlights around your face for the most dramatic impact.

At a salon, you can request a partial highlight that focuses on the hair that would be naturally highlighted by the sun, which is the hair around your face and the top of your head. A partial highlight will be less expensive and less damaging than a full highlight. A full highlight is exactly what it says: highlights applied all over the head. Go this direction only if you frequently wear your hair up or in different styles so that it is not obvious that only the top of your hair is highlighted.

Lowlights

Adding lowlights is a great idea for women who lighten their hair and find that it starts to look brassy and dried out. Darker hair colors are naturally more conditioning than lighter colors because of the absence of bleach. Adding low lights will give dimension and moisture to washed-out hair.

Highlights and Lowlights

Another way to revive your colored hair is to try a combination of highlights and lowlights. Using up to 3 different colors will make your hair appear thicker and more dimensional. Be careful of applying the colors in too regular of a pattern. This can cause a striped effect that will end up making your hair color look artificial.

Deep Conditioning Treatments

Coloring your hair can be damaging. Talk to your stylist about a deep conditioning treatment that you can do at home or in the salon. Keeping your hair conditioned will allow you to go for longer periods between color touch ups. Your hair will be healthier and won’t get that dry, processed look so quickly.

Don’t Shampoo Every Day

In addition to coloring your hair, shampooing every day will dry it out. When you shampoo your hair, you wash out essential oils that keep it moisturized and protected. Try going 2 or 3 days without a wash. If your hair starts to get a little oily, try wearing it in a ponytail to extend the time you go between washes.

When you do wash your hair, be sure to condition it. Look for a leave in conditioner that really penetrates and repairs hair.

Use Products for Color Treated Hair

Using products that are created especially for color treated hair will also help keep your hair looking healthy and fresh. Many brands make products for color treated hair. Some lines even make special formulas for your specific hair color. Ask your stylist to recommend a product that will protect your hair, keep your color looking fresh and won’t weigh your hair down.

Minimize Heat Styling

Heat styling is also very damaging to hair. When you have colored hair, your hair is especially sensitive to blow drying, ironing and other styling techniques. If possible, allow your hair to air dry after showering. Apply protective products before blow drying or heat styling. If you can go for a day or 2 without using heat to style your hair, that is even better

Hair color is a fantastic tool to spruce up your appearance or change your look entirely. It does take maintenance, as we all know. You can keep your hair color looking fresh and healthy by using color treated hair products, minimizing shampooing and heat styling and properly conditioning.

When you do color your hair, add dimension to the color with highlights, lowlights or a combination of the two. At home, you can try reviving your colored hair with coffee for darker colors, or with lemon juice and chamomile for lighter colors. You can also use tinted shampoos and rinses to keep color looking fresh and fun.