This ‘Beautiful Color’ Shampoo Keeps My Mature Hair Looking Salon-Fresh for 2 Full Months

Sashaying out of the salon with expertly-colored hair feels like a million bucks, but if you don’t take care to maintain the investment, that feeling can fade pretty fast. Everyday activities like sun exposure and heat styling can make hair look dingy—which explains why my chestnut-tinted hair tends to turn brassy within a few weeks of being colored (despite my skipping shampoos as much as possible in a futile attempt to preserve it). To combat this color shift, I found myself frequently running back to the salon for touch-ups—which taxed my budget, damaged my hair, and created a vicious cycle.

Fortunately, I finally found a color-preserving shampoo that my strands actually approve of. Switching to Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color ($49), which actively preserves that fresh-from-the-salon shade, was key to breaking the revolving door at the salon.

Oribe, Shampoo for Beautiful Color — $49.00

Pros:

• Extends color Improves hair strength and moisture Suitable for any hair color Replaces purple shampoo for blondes

Cons:

• Expensive

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Why dye fades

According to Adam Livermore, a celebrity stylist and Oribe educator, the biggest color-leaching culprits are things we encounter every day—including exposure to sun, hot water, and salt water.

“This type of contact slowly removes the color we’ve put in the hair, which exposes the often brassy raw color of the ‘canvas’ underneath,” he explains. In addition to stripping away color, “sometimes things are being deposited onto the hair that alters the color, like minerals or metals dissolved in tap water or pool water.”

Certain lifestyle practices can help mitigate the effects of these environmental factors. Washing as infrequently as possible (and, if you can, with cold water) can prevent dullness, and protecting strands with a hat or products with high-level UV filters will minimize sun damage.

What the experts have to say about Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color

Not only is Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color chock-full of these high-level UV filters, but it also has the added benefit of maintaining “a healed, sealed cuticle, which will keep the color in your hair a lot longer,” says Adam.

“[Shampoo for Beautiful Color] creates a barrier between heat, sunlight, and minerals. It has thought-out ingredients to help dive deep into the color to ensure long-lasting shine and richness,” adds Natalia Rojas, a senior colorist with NYC’s The Team salon. The (vegan!) formula employs ginger root and bioflavonoids to up its protective prowess. “They all act like a barrier for moisture loss, help defend from UV weakening, and add moisture on the hair shaft,” says Rojas.

It also contains hydrolyzed vegetable protein, AKA “amino acids that are readily absorbed into the hair, improving elasticity, strengthening, enhancing hydration, and preventing dryness,” says Adam.

What happened when I tried it

Oribe’s Shampoo for Beautiful Color is creamy and pearlescent with a light floral-citrus scent. A dime-size dollop suds up to the most glorious bubbles, leaving hair and scalp clean and freshened instead of stripped and squeaky. What really sealed the deal (and my split ends): It’s so hydrating that I can skip conditioner without making my fine hair greasy or flat.

I’ve been using it for several months now, and can confirm that it keeps my fresh-from-the-salon color intact for nearly eight weeks while also making my hair feel softer and appear healthier. Over time, I’ve noticed significantly less breakage and increased shine. It is pricey, but a bottle lasts for months, so in the long run, it’s a perfect spend to protect that “who’s that lady?!” salon-exit feeling.