We know you're as wary of marketing ploys as we are, but Robinson says color-protecting products actually do prevent your shade from fading. "Color-protecting shampoos and conditioners... are specially formulated to protect your strands from heat styling and other damage that can cause hair color to fade," says Robinson. She recommends Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Shampoo, $7.99 and Conditioner, $11.49. "Its purple hues help cancel out brassiness [in blonde shades]," Robinson says.
Did your attempt to try the latest celebrity hair color trend end in tears and a shade that was more Bozo the Clown than Rihanna? Or did that just happen to us?
Unfortunately, box dye botch-ups this extreme can usually only be remedied by a costly trip to the salon. But, you can actually fix many smaller color disasters without a stylist's help. Which is great news for all of us trying to save a few bucks by fixing our hair at home.
We talked to Clairol's Color Director Marie Robinson to find out the industry's best tricks for slyly covering up unsightly roots, preventing color from fading, fixing a nasty green hue, and any other hair color disasters that could come your way. Not only that, she told us how to solve all these dilemmas quickly and on the cheap. With her ingenious tips, you don't have any excuse for sporting those blotchy, leopard-spotted "highlights." See how to fix them and the rest of the hair color emergencies now.
