SEPTEMBER 2019 28 SHAPE.COM
Robbie Fimmano/Trunk ArchiveVIBRANT HAIR
E
ven if you don’t color your
hair, your strands are at
their lightest right now,
after a few months of out-
door runs, boot camps in
the park, and weekends at the pool or
beach. “Most of my clients love the way
their hair looks at this time of year. The
highlights brighten their face and add
a lot of interesting dimension,” says
Amy Mrkulic, a colorist in New York
City. What often happens, however, is
that the color begins to look too brassy
over time. “ We all have warm, reddish
undertones in our natural hair color,”
Mrkulic says. “They are like a den of
hibernating bears. You don’t want to
wake them up, because once you do,
they’re hard to control.” Luckily, these
key maintenance tricks ensure that
your streaks—whether you got them at
the salon or in the great outdoors—stay
bright, shiny, healthy, and gorgeous.Wash less—a lot less
“ You want to treat your hair like a dark,
expensive, delicate shirt. That means
washing it sparingly, gently, and in
superlow heat so it won’t fade,” says
Devin Rahal, a hair colorist in New York
City. Ideally, you’ll clean your hair only
once a week with a shampoo that’s for-
mulated for color-treated hair, like Color
Wow Color Security Shampoo ($23,
colorwowhair.com). But if you are active
or have fine hair or an oily scalp, then you
probably need to shampoo more often.
Rahal suggests alternating with a gen-
tle sulfate-free cleansing conditioner
like Nexxus Color Assure Cleansing
Conditioner ($12, drugstores), which
is both a shampoo and a conditioner.
“Also, I can’t stress it enough: Keep your
shower temperature tepid to help pre-
vent fading,” Rahal says.Tone it up
To prevent red or orange undertones
and hydrate strands, Rahal suggestsapplying a blue- or purple-tinted mois-
turizing mask evenly over your hair and
then letting it sit for five to 10 minutes.
A blue mask, like Matrix Total Results
Brass Off ($24, ulta.com), neutralizes
the orange tones in brown hair. A pur-
ple mask, like Kérastase Blond Absolu
Masque Ultra-Violet purple hair mask
($59, kerastase-usa.com) counteracts
the yellow tones in blonde or gray hair.
“Start the treatment eight washes after
a color appointment, then continue to
do it once every other week,” Rahal says.Boost shine
Mrkulic recommends a cider vinegar
rinse for more glossiness. After sham-
poo, pour a mixture of half vinegar, half
water through your hair, and let it sit for
five minutes. Then rinse.