In honor of yesterday’s “Bring Dull Damaged Hair Back to Life” blog’s popularity, I’ve decided to give you another great little hair home remedy.

With summer quickly approaching, I’m sure we’re all dreading that inevitable sunshine hair fade! Sun, salt (for those of you lucky enough to be close to a beach), and chlorine (for those of us who aren’t) can really do a number on your colored hair! Remember when you were a kid and the sun would naturally lighten your hair? You looked so cute with your tan skin and your highlighted hair, but somehow, the 2 tones the sun creates now aren’t quite as flattering. That’s probably because the faded-out-ends-with-dark-roots look went out with Marilyn Manson.

Here’s a great home remedy to revive your colored hair.

Blondes:

A homemade Chamomile Tea will keep your color in check, and prevent that harsh, brassy, sun-lightened look

To Make the Tea:

- Boil a handful of chamomile flowers in a pot of water for 10 minutes

- Remove from heat and allow the flowers to steep in the water until it is cool

- Remove the flowers, and rinse freshly washed/conditioned hair with the tea.

- You will need about a cup for each shower, but you can save it for up to a week.

Brunettes (and redheads):

A rosemary/sage tea will keep your warm color rich, and avoid that rusty orange fade-out that comes with sun exposure.

To make the tea:

- Boil a handful of rosemary leaves and a handful of sage leaves in a pot of water for 10 minutes

- Remove from heat and allow the leaves to steep in the water until it is cool.

- Remove leaves and rinse freshly washed/conditioned hair with the tea.

- You will need about a cup for each shower, but you can save it for up to a week.

These treatments are much easier on your hair than chemical-filled store bought products, not to mention cheaper! Fresh chamomile flowers, sage leaves, and rosemary leaves can be purchased at any health food (whole foods) or specialty food (McGinnis Sisters) store. You can also find dried versions of these herbs in the spice section of any grocery store. (when using dried herbs, a shake or two from the bottle is equal to a handful, because the leaves shrink as they dry)

Another helpful hint for those of you who like to stretch your time between colorings… Clairol’s Root Touch Up works wonders! My mom has been using it for years, and it covers her stubborn grays, blends beautifully with her color, and buys her 3-4 extra weeks between salon trips! She swears by it, and even though my hair stylist friends are going to be mad at me for saying this, I highly recommend it!

While I do hope this helps you look great this summer, I’m more hopeful that it reduces the number of hair-color tragedies I have to encounter this year!

Send your beauty questions to [email protected] and I’ll answer them in my next blog!

Don’t forget to stop by next week for another dose of the Beauty Blog!

Thanks,

Bethany