Summer isn’t over quite yet! If you’re planning on soaking up as much sun as you can before we officially transition into fall (which begins on September 22), you won’t want to miss these hair color tips. Gregory Patterson, celebrity stylist and Global Educator/Brand Ambassador for Sally Beauty, shares his top tips to help you maintain your hair color through the last few weeks of summer:  

Gregory's Top 5 Tips on Color Maintenance and Heat Protection:

1. For color fade-out protection, use a leave-in conditioner or hair mask on damp hair before getting into any pool/salt/chlorine, etc. The leave-in acts as a blocking buffer from the chemical penetrating into the hair causing color oxidation. 

2. Wear braids or buns at the beach and use treatment while out in the sun. This allows for deeper penetration of the product and most of your hair is tucked away preserving most of it from the sun.  

3. Look for sun protection and fade-out ingredients like sunflower extract oil. It acts as a natural UV filter so the color fades less quickly.  

4. Embrace your beach hair. Now is the time to let your texture come out and play with texture-enhancing products like curl creams, beach wave sprays, etc. Use the humidity and beach water to your advantage and play with summer head scarves and accessories to glam up your beach texture hair.  

5.  Hate to say it, but your best hair color protection—we all already own: freezing cold water! I invested in a shower head that can be removed for this very purpose so that I can cleanse and condition my hair without having to endure the shock of chill on my skin!! 

Summer's Hottest Trends:

1. A melting money piece: The bold money piece is still strong with the addition of some subtle two-tone melting.  

2. A single-tone vibrant shade: Single tones are the easiest to refresh making them perfect for the summer, because if your color does fade quickly—it’s a one-stop shop for technique application color and refreshes.  

Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram: @zillizy