5 ways to stretch out your blonde hair colour between salon visits

Jennifer Lawrence 2018 Oscars

Who has time to get their hair coloured every eight weeks anyway?

Beauty Crew Beauty Writer / May 17 2018

Theres no two ways about it, having blonde hair is a commitment. Whether its maintaining the colour, treating your dry and damaged ends, neutralising the inevitable brassiness, or simply remembering to book your (far too regular) colour appointments, blonde hair comes with serious baggage.

If youre looking to tackle the first three issues and avoid the fourth for as long as possible – who really wants to spend their Saturday morning in a salon chair when they could be out brunching with friends? – then read on to discover our five top tips for stretching out your blonde hair colour between salon visits.

1

Use a toning shampoo and conditioner

Bottle blondes take note: Every time you wash your hair, several colour molecules slip out of your hair shaft, causing your shade to look a little more lacklustre as time passes. 

In order to stop this colour fade in its tracks, reach for a purple toning shampoo and conditioner like TONI&GUY Purple Shampoo and Purple Conditioner once or twice a week. Infused with violet dye, this cleansing and nourishing duo works to neutralise yellow hues and brassy tones, leaving your blonde looking fresh and vibrant. The purple formula also helps fight against colour fade, and brightens your blonde hair. Read: Less need to visit your hairdresser.

Try: TONI&GUY Purple Shampoo and Purple Conditioner

Toni and guy purple shampoo and conditioner

2

Apply a treatment

As a general rule, healthy hair holds colour for longer, which is why youll notice your once-glossy locks starting to look very dull, very quickly if you reach for heat-styling tools every morning. A nourishing hair treatment is a must for keeping your strands looking and feeling salon-fresh. Opt for a cuticle-enriching mask (which focuses on treating the coloured portion of your hair) to enhance your hairs gloss, colour and shine.

Try: Oribe Masque For Beautiful Colour

Oribe Masque For Beautiful Colour

3

Opt for more textured hairstyles

Heres something you may not have thought of: straight hair can actually make your grown-out roots appear more obvious. The flat surface tends to accentuate the harsh line of where your blonde starts. So, get a bit creative and opt for more textured hairstyles (think: voluminous curls or beachy waves) that can tactfully hide exactly where your highlights start. How, you ask? Curls and waves add depth and dimension, giving the optical illusion that your highlights start at different points, giving you a more balayaged, intentionally-grown-out effect.

4

Stagger your highlights

The next time you visit your hairdresser, ask them to be tactful with your highlight placement. For example, if your hairdresser usually places all of your blonde highlights at the roots, ask them to mix up where they start, with some foils close to the root and some lower down your hair length so that when your hair grows out, there isnt one solid regrowth line. This technique will help your blonde look more natural and gives you the luxury of stretching out your salon visits.

5

Touch up your roots

If its been a while between your salon visits and youre on the home stretch to your next appointment, but just need a little something to get you through, reach for a root touch-up product. They work by depositing a film of colour over your roots, immediately concealing any greys or unwanted regrowth. Opt for a formula that is both sweat and water-resistant so you dont need to worry about it budging throughout the day. While only a temporary solution (the colour will last until you next wash your hair), its a quick fix that will get you through those final days before your next colour session.

Try: LOréal Professionnel Hair Touch-Up

L’Oréal Professionnel Hair Touch-Up

Haven’t mastered the art of braiding yet? Then make sure to read our definitive guide for nailing four of the most popular braid hairstyles.

Main image credit: Getty

Kate started working for BEAUTYcrew in early 2016, first as a contributor, and was then named Beauty Writer in 2017. She loves picking the brains of the industry's top experts to get to the bottom of beauty's toughest questions. Bronze eyeshadow palettes are her weakness and she's forever on the hunt for the perfect nude nail polish to suit her fair skin. Her words can also be found in Men's Health magazine, and she now works in PR.