Photographed by Mark Iantosca.Hair-color fads come and go, but it seems like rainbow-bright locks are settling in for quite a lengthy stay. But, unlike the insanely popular ombré trend that plenty of women (including yours truly) are still loyal to, hue-happy hair requires quite a bit of maintenance — and, since we're not Katy Perry, we don't exactly have the disposable income for those biweekly touch-up appointments. But, maybe we don't have to go running back to the salon every time we need a refresh. Style.com skipped the colorists and went straight to a group of real-life women who rock a huge range of hair shades to get the inside scoop on the best ways to maintain a colorful coiff.
One of our favorite ladies to see was Preetma Singh, market editor at WSJ. And, believe it or not, her DIY upkeep is super low-maintenance. "I basically wash it as little as possible," she says. Singh also relies on cold water — a running theme among all these ladies-who-dye — to rinse her hair. "It's the best — and cheapest — way to preserve color."
We've got to say, this is pretty good news for anyone who's a little gun-shy about going full color. These women seem to have thought of everything — one even mixes Manic Panic hair dye in with her conditioner to keep her shade vibrant. Talk about genius. And, while I had never truly thought lavender hair was for me (even though I'd definitely considered it), Style.com's post makes my dreams seem pretty tangible. Sorry, ombré — it looks like you've got some competition. (Style.com)