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Good questions! Thanks for the compliment!
My virgin color hair is a level 6.5 warm (red) lightest golden brown.
I keep it in "good condition" by taking care of it. One really important tip is to keep your hair about the same color, meaning, don't go black and blonde, or dark and light. I've always stayed with a level 8 base dye and gold to pale yellow highlights.
I have never colored my entire head more than once. I only touch up my roots and rebleach highlights on the regrowth. Just rinsing the color out of my roots when I touch them up seems to be enough to brighten and refresh my ends and midsection.
I only wash my hair twice a week. I don't use a curling iron very often, I don't blow dry with heat, just air dry, or use the cool setting. I get conditioner that is for my hair type, and leave it in for 1/2 hour each time I use it. I got information about my hair type and the best shampoo and conditioners in Paula Begoun's book, "Don't Go Shopping For Hair Care Products Without Me."
I have very straight, fine hair, that lifts quite easily. The only bleach I use is L'Oreal Excellence Creme Lights, non-ammonia, gentle, and no heat necessary. (Heat + Bleach = More Damage)
The products I currently use are L'Oreal Nature's Therapy Unfrizz Smoothing Shampoo, once a week, I use Suave Daily Clarifying the other day--to remove buildup. I alternate the following conditioners and sometimes mix them together:
Infusium 23 PoverPac 3 Minute Intensive Treatment
Ion Volumizing Solution Vitalizing THickening Conditioner
Pantene Pro-V Blonde Expressions Daily Color Enhancing Conditioner (Platinum to sand dune).
Once every two weeks to refresh my color in between touch ups I use Schwarzkopf Igora Color Gloss Cashmere 9-5.
After shampooing my hair I use John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum Extra-Strength on my ends. On the days I don't shampoo my hair I add a little John Frieda Sheer Blonde Spun Gold Shaping and Highlighting Balm to the ends to keep my hair from getting too dry.
My hair is pretty dry from single color process and from bleaching highlights, but the products I use seem to really help protect the hair from becoming more damaged. I don't really get it cut that often, just when the ends start looking ratty. Maybe once every six months.
Finally, I am not a professional colorist. I just color my hair at home, myself. But I have done a lot of research about color theory and have done quite a bit of experimenting with strand tests of different colors and volumes of peroxide on my own hair. A lot of what I know I actually learned from reading the Going Blonde Message Board.
Hope this helps!
Rebekah
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