How I Get + Maintain My Hair Color

Every time I get my hair touched up I’m flooded with messages about what exactly I ask for at the salon, from the cut to the color. Surprisingly I only get my hair colored twice a year, yet the color holds so well you’d think otherwise! Needless to say, I’ve learned the importance of maintenance + how to make my color last as long as possible. After all, I have so much hair with extensions that my color / extension appointments consist of nearly 6 hours in the chair. SIX. HOURS. So yes, I’m all about maximizing my time and money here people!

Since not everyone follows me on the gram, I thought I’d share what I tell my stylist to achieve my go-to hair color, as well as how I maintain my color (so important) with Hair Food’s Nourishing Collection.

WHAT I TELL MY STYLIST

I always, always bring inspo pics to every appointment, even if the pic is my own. I personally like finding these on Pinterest, and have a hair board of colors and cuts I loooove. Don’t assume your stylist will know exactly what your envisioning in your head or with keywords like balayage or bronde. As soon as I sit down, I show her a pic or two of what I’m going for. I also communicate exactly what it is I see and like about the hair (crucial) so we’re on the same page. You may see one thing and your stylist may see something completely different. You need to be upfront about what exactly it is you like before it’s too late and you regret the whole thing.

My keywords of what I’m going for are always: cool tones, ashy tones, lots of dimension, and a bronde balayage. I have naturally auburn brown hair (warm tones) which I don’t find particularly flattering on me. But because I prefer to only color my hair 2x per year, I ask for a brunette to blonde (bronde) balayage so my hair can seamlessly grow out and not look janky. This is the easiest hair hack to avoid having to go in every month to touch up your roots!

I also ask for dimension! I don’t want my hair to all be the same color, as I’d get a little bored of that pretty quickly. To achieve this, we add in highlights of blonde throughout my hair, as well as taping brown and blonde extensions together. I have used these extensions for over 4 years, and currently wear a mix of this color and this color, with a few of these balayage tapes as well. We tone my extensions to make them even ashier before applying. They’re the only tapes I’ve ever worn because they hold up and last so long and look the most natural I’ve ever seen! I always get compliments on my hair from people thinking I grew it myself. Plot twist: it’s fake. But we LOVE the support ladies!!

Once my extensions are in, the only cut I get is my bangs. They’re not really bangs but more like the pieces that frame my face. My hair has been growing really fast lately, so I like to get my front pieces cut starting at my mouth’s height and gradually getting longer. It breaks up the length of the extensions a bit, and also looks so flattering when you style, especially hanging out of a ponytail!

MAINTAINING MY COLOR

Maintaining my color has been a vital component of my hair journey. I used to just use whatever was in the shower, and that pretty much stripped my color and tone in a few washes. Now I take care of my hair, and a healthy hair foundation starts with the right shampoo and conditioner for your needs.

You may remember I started using Hair Food products at the beginning of the year, and there’s a reason I’ve stuck with them. The biggest reason being their focus on simple ingredients and color protection. If you get your hair colored or toned at all, you NEED a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner! I cannot stress this enough. Sulfates strip your color-treated hair and natural oils. They’re also NOT your friend if you have dry or textured hair (which I happened to be blessed with both) so sulfates get a big fat no from me. Luckily, all Hair Food products ditch the sulfates, dyes, parabens and mineral oils.

Lately I’ve been reaching for Hair Food’s Nourishing Shampoo + Conditioner, which is Coconut Milk + Chai Spice scented. It smells as good as it sounds, but it also just leaves my hair feeling so incredibly moisturized without the weigh down or greasy look. They also launched a hair mask in this collection, which I’ll use occasionally when I need some extra TLC. You put in the time and money to get your hair looking amaze, so you wanna take care of it and make it last as long as possible. I feel like my hair has been looking so glossy and strong!

Hair products can get expensive real quick but this line is pretty dang affordable at under $8 a piece, which you can find at Walmart stores and online!

Hope this helps + answers your hair Q’s! If I missed anything, let me know + I’ll get back to you below!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hair Food. The opinions and text are all mine.

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