If you color your hair, chances are you contend with fading color. Color that looks great when it goes on, doesn’t look so fabulous a couple of weeks down the line. However, there are ways you can help your hair color to last longer.

Firstly, use a clarifying shampoo before you color your hair – whether at a salon or at home. Product build up can cause color to not penetrate as well, which will mean a faster fade.

Another good idea is to make sure that your hair is in great condition before you color it. Damaged hair will not hold color as well as hair that’s in good shape, so try a strengthening mask before you color. Lastly, use a shampoo that is specifically formulated for colored hair. This will keep your color fresh for longer.

If you’ve got thin, limp hair, then you probably dream of full, thick, voluminous hair, which shines and seems to move all on its own. Don’t we all.

Then again, even if you’re not blessed with masses of gorgeous hair, you can fake it! Volumising shampoos and conditioners work wonders on thin hair, if you find the right product.

Using a hair dryer with a diffuser, and not weighing hair down with products can also do wonders for your do, as can adding a curl, with heated rollers or a curling iron. Then again, hair with multi tones looks fuller than flat color, so adding highlights or streaks of color can give the appearance of fuller hair.

Changing your hair color can really lift your look, and can be a great way to give yourself a makeover. With so many great home color kits today too, it’s easier than ever to get professional looking results. If you bear a few golden rules in mind.

Firstly, if you’re planning a dramatic change, try it out with a semi-permanent or temporary color first. If you go permanent right off, and you hate it, you’ll be stuck with it for a long time!

Next, make sure that you read and follow the instructions carefully – horror stories abound about orange, green or other odd colored hair! Avoid extremes – very light, or very dark, is best left to the professionals! Also, try to find a product that gives a natural, multi toned finish – flat, monotone color is a dead giveaway!

Lastly, if you’re a nervous first timer, recruit a friend to help out – especially for the back, or if you have long hair – patchy hair color is a very, very bad look, unless you’re a punk!