While a trip to the salon can improve your confidence and leave your locks looking fab, it’s not the only step you should take when it comes to caring for your hair color. Whether you’re new to coloring your strands or you can’t remember your natural shade, the number one rule to take away is that hair color isn’t worth it if you’re not using the right products.

Think of it like this: if you invest your time, energy and finances into salon-quality color, why not complement that with professional, color-safe products that protect and even enhance your hair color? In addition to normal shampooing and conditioning, color-treated hair can lose its vibrancy when styled with hot tools (we’re looking at you, curling irons!), exposed to UV rays or washed with hard water.

Worry not, however, because we’re here with our top products for color-treated hair, plus our favorite advice for maintaining color vibrancy after leaving the salon! We’ll be covering:

• The best shampoo for color-treated hair
• The best conditioner for color-treated hair
• Our favorite clarifying shampoo for color-treated hair
• The best shampoo for blonde hair
• Handpicked color-safe products for thinning hair
• The best styling products for color-treated hair

Best shampoo for color-treated hair

We’re sure you’ve heard of sulfates, but what do they have to do with your shampoo? Turns out, “sulfate-free” is more than just a beauty buzzword. Sulfates, which give your favorite soaps and cleansers their suds, are most often used in shampoos as a cleansing agent. For color-treated hair, this can be a problem, as sulfates sometimes cleanse a little too well, causing the color molecules to release from the hair strand, resulting in color fade.

To keep your locks looking like you’ve just left the salon, try L’ANZA Healing ColorCare Color Preserving Shampoo. Formulated without sulfates to keep color at its best, this daily shampoo washes away color-dulling impurities while leaving hair rich and vibrant.

Best conditioner for color-treated hair

While you might think color care starts and ends at your shampoo, that couldn’t be more untrue. To maintain your color’s vibrancy long past your salon appointment, ensure your products protect your color from your shampoo all the way to your styling products.

The best conditioner for color-treated hair is one that will strengthen, hydrate and protect your color. Ideal for strengthening strands damaged by over-processing, Pureology Strength Cure Conditioner improves elasticity and repairs damage. Formulated with an exclusive complex featuring keravis (a strengthening protein), ceramides and arginine, this powerful conditioner protects color while infusing hair with new life.

Clarifying shampoo for color-treated hair

Sometimes, thoroughly cleaning your hair can be a challenge. Hard water can leave a film on hair, not to mention the natural buildup of oils, products and pollution. This is even more of a problem when you have colored hair because you have the added concern of protecting your color!

To get hair squeaky clean without compromising color, try VIRTUE Refresh Purifying Shampoo. Designed to wash away excess oil, residue, pollution and more, this detoxifying shampoo brings hair back to its healthiest state. Featuring Alpha Keratin 60ku®, a human protein identical to the keratin in our hair, skin and nails, it refreshes and renews the hair and scalp while repairing damage.

The best shampoo for blonde hair

Blonde hair faces its own unique set of challenges. In addition to being mindful about damage, those sporting blonde locks also need to maintain their preferred shade of blonde. Oftentimes, this means using a shampoo with toning properties to counteract the brassiness that comes to light after a few weeks post-color.

To combat brassiness and add shine, try Surface Pure Blonde Violet Shampoo. Formulated with deep purple maqui berry and moringa oil to blast away yellow tones, this color-depositing shampoo for blondes adds radiance to your existing color. As an added bonus, babassu oil, amaranth protein and vitamins A, C and E improve shine, deeply nourish and brighten strands while washing away impurities.

Pro Tip: Toning shampoos aren’t just for blondes. If your brunette color is looking a little on the dull side, try Redken Color Extend Brownlights Blue Toning Shampoo. It features a specialized blue pigment to counteract brassiness, as well as wheat proteins to improve shine and strength. Read more about this pick for brown hair on the Redken Color Extend Brownlights Reviews page.

Color-safe products for thinning hair

Thinning hair can come with hormonal changes, age, genetics, certain medications and more. If you’re still coloring your hair and have the secondary concern of thinning, worry not. If your hair’s body isn’t what it used to be, you can still maintain your salon color.

To stimulate healthy hair growth and balance the scalp, try ColorProof BioRepair-8 Anti-Aging Scalp & Hair Therapy Kit. The three-step system features a shampoo, conditioner, exfoliating brush and scalp serum that utilize plant bio-cellular technology to target the main causes of hair loss. It not only helps strengthen and thicken the hair follicle, but it also features an Advanced ColorLast System™ to offer color and heat protection up to 450°.

Styling products for color-treated hair

Once you’ve chosen the right shampoo and conditioner for you, the rest comes easy. To protect your color through heat styling and beyond, look for products that defend against heat, pollution and UV rays.

To add shine and tame frizz after you’ve created the perfect look, try PHYTO Phytomillesime Color Protecting Mist. It contains Red Love Apple Extract to preserve hair color and improve shine, as well as sunflower extract to protect strands from the sun.

Are you still rocking colored locks, or have you decided to embrace your natural hair color? We’ll help you make the most of your tresses whether you’re accepting or concealing gray hair.