If you've been here longer than five minutes, you'll know that I change my hair color a lot. I've achieved these colors both in salon and at-home and I've learned a lot along the way. In a "do as I say, not as I do" manner, I wouldn't ever recommend someone color their hair at home. There are a number of reasons, main ones being that if you screw up, it could result in permanent damage to your hair cuticles and really, that's not something anyone wants.

This post is not about how-to dye your hair. This is about maintenance -- ways that I keep my color-treated hair healthy and vibrant. I'm going to give a typical disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional but I am going to give what I personally do because I get asked questions every day on how I manage my hair. I've had just about every color of the rainbow at this point.

Leave the lightening to the professionals
Vibrant colors require light hair. If you do not have a nice base for the color, consult a professional. Lightening your hair at home can have really terrifying results if done incorrectly. It's also incredibly harsh. Let's put it this way: you are working with chemicals. Are you a chemist? No? Well, your hairstylist pretty much is. Your hair isn't the place for science experiments so don't do it!

Color depositing conditioners
It is important that when you wash your hair, you condition it as well. Shampoo opens the cuticles of the hair, conditioners seal them -- which keeps your hair healthy. If you like science, I would highly recommend this article. We all know that colorsafe hair treatments exist and have for a long time, but what some do not know is that there are now products that deposit color safely without using dye. This is less work for you -- you don't have to dye your hair every week to keep it vibrant.

I personally use Overtone. Overtone deposits color back into your hair while conditioning it. And the biggest benefit: no longer do you as a vibrant-haired person have to rinse in cool water! That's right, overtone allows you to keep your vibrant locks while washing and conditioning with warm water.

Wash your hair -- but don't overwash it.
Really, going 3ish days without washing your hair is one of the best thing that you can do for your color. And use a shampoo that is gentle on color: I like Unite Moisturizing Shampoo as it's both color safe and vegan :)

Use a silk or satin (or similar alternative fabric) pillowcase
They come with a high price but not only do these pillowcases prevent breakage, they also aid in taming bedhead between washes. Two of my favorite options are Slip (which is silk, so non-vegan) and Savvy (which is satin and vegan!)