If you’re someone who dyes your hair, summer can be a bittersweet season. The sun is shining, it’s hot, and people are in a better mood (well maybe not this year), but summer can also mean being at every whim of your colored hair. Whether it’s the sun, pool, or ocean, summer is not easy on hair. Everything effects it, and you + your stylist have spent a lot of time and money to perfect your locks.

That being said, we’re going to tell you exactly how you can maintain your hair color this summer without making multiple trips to the salon, which let’s be real, no one wants to do, regardless of COVID-19 or not.

If you’re addicted to coloring your hair, you know that every time you wash it, there’s potential for fading. To combat this, use our fadeblock pre-shampoo color seal. This product is a pre-shampoo treatment that seals the cuticle + balances hair's PH to protect color from wash-related fading. This pre-shampoo step also shields against hard water, saltwater, and chlorine, as well as contains UV filters.

To use, apply to dry hair prior to shampooing from roots to ends. Yes, this means you should apply this product before you even step into the shower! Leave in for 1-2 minutes, rinse, and follow for your wash routine as usual. You can also this apply this to dry hair before jumping into the pool or ocean for days when you’re soaking up the sun!

Like we mentioned, every time you expose your colored hair to water, you run the risk of loss of pigment. Especially when it comes to shampoo, which can be known to strip hair color, it’s important to always look for color-vibrancy benefits.

Give your shade super staying power with vault color-lock shampoo + conditioner. This color-preserving duo is filled with UV filters and antioxidants to help maintain color. Ingredients include:

Soybean Oil - an antioxidant that protects against color fading and keeps color vibrant for longer

Amino Acid Blend - smooths the cuticle and boosts hair elasticity and overall health

Betaine - rich in humectants, as well as increases moisture retention and shine

This duo is free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, mineral oil, sodium chloride, petrolatum and artificial colors, is vegan and cruelty-free, and safe for color-treated, Brazilian-treated and keratin-treated hair.

You may be thinking, “is amika really suggesting I color my hair at home?!” We are definitely not recommending that; however, we have come up with a solution on how to tone or enhance your shade at home without breaking out the box dye. Enter; mixtape color boosting drops.

These are shade enhancing pigments that you can mix with oils, creams, and serums, to tone or enhance your shade, and are made with amino acids to promote hair health. The boost of color from these drops promotes vibrancy so you can go longer between coloring. The easy-to-use and precise dispenser provides the ability to tailor your mixture based on hair color and level of toning or enhancing needs. These products are EXRTEMELY concentrated, so remember, just a few drops go a long way.

If you need some guidance on how exactly to use these drops and which one is right for you, read more here.

Any time after washing your hair, make sure you use something at the end of your routine that will seal the cuticle. The cuticle is the protective layer over the hair and determines the porosity of your hair. This looks like fish scales (we know, but bear with us), and anything that “seals” it allows those little scales to lay flat, and not let any water or environmental aggressors get to it.

To help seal the cuticle, try our flash instant shine mask. This flash-acting mask delivers brilliant moisture and shine in just 60 seconds. It instantly seals the cuticle while softening and hydrating the hair for a silky, smooth finish. Key ingredients within our color collection help to keep color vibrant; Amino acids and UV filters.

By Becca King, community manager