How Do I Stop Chlorine Affecting My Coloured Hair? ^ top

Colouring hair is a costly and time consuming exercise, so it's vital that you take care of it properly to maintain it for longer. Chlorine is a bleach and will strip your hair of colour and cause it to fade. It also roughens the hair cuticle and this can result in dull looking hair.

To prevent chlorine from damaging your hair, always wet it before you go swimming, and add a conditioner. This means that the hair becomes saturated with water before entering the pool and will stop it from soaking up as much chlorine as it would have done when dry. If possible, try to wear a swimming cap, as this will offer you even greater protection.

Some people, especially those with blonde hair who expose their hair to chlorine regularly also complain of suffering from a greenish tinge. This is caused by the presence of heavy metals such as copper in the chlorine. Coloured hair is more porous and therefore ends up soaking up more of these metals. If this happens to you then seek advice from your hairdresser.

Make sure that you wash chlorine out of the hair as soon as you have finished swimming. You will need a specialised shampoo that will remove the chemicals and nourish the hair. Try using Aveda Hair Detoxifier, recommended for daily use for swimmers. This shampoo helps to remove the build up of chlorine and maintain hair's natural moisture. Alternatively, try Paul Mitchell's Shampoo 3 to cleanse the hair after swimming. In between visits to the pool, wash hair with a colour protect shampoo and conditioner such as Paul Mitchell's Colour Protect range.

How Can I Return my Blonde Hair to It's Natural Dark Colour? ^ top

If you want to make the transition from blonde hair back to your natural roots in one go then try dying it back to its original colour. It's advisable that, for something as dramatic as this, you visit a salon to have your hair professionally coloured.

At the salon make sure that you have a thorough consultation with a colour technician and explain to them what it is that you're trying to achieve. Prior to visiting the salon, try to let your hair grow as much as possible so that you have some regrowth at the root of the hair and your colourist is able to see what your natural colour is.

During your appointment the colour technician will firstly put a pure tone on your hair to add more warmth to it. Don't be alarmed when you see the results, as this will turn your hair orange or red. This isn't the finished result - so try not to panic! Next, your technician will put a brown semi-permanent colour on to the hair and this will be the end result colour. It's impossible to put a brown colour straight on to blonde, as it will turn khaki green!

If you're brave enough, one of the best ways to return to you natural dark colour is to go for the chop! Getting a good hair cut will help to cut away some of the old colour, making the colour transition process quicker and also, as you'll be cutting away all of the over processed, coloured hair, give you great-looking healthy hair.

If you don't want to change your colour overnight then try working a natural brown colour into your highlights. Every time you get your hair highlighted try to have less and less blonde colour put in and then your natural colour will come through more. This is a slower and longer process, but gives you the option to change your mind at any point if you don't like your new colour!

Red, Blonde or Brown - What's Right for Me? ^ top

When considering what hair colour you want to opt for it's always vital that you take into account your other features. Your skin tone, eye colouring, brow colour and condition and texture of your hair will all contribute to what hair colours will and won't work for you.

The first thing to work out is whether you have a 'warm' or 'cool' complexion. A 'warm' complexion generally covers golden, olive skin and dark eyes. If you have a 'cool' complexion then it's likely that you have fair skin and blue or grey eyes.

Cool, pale pink or ruddy toned complexions look great with ash tones as these help to neutralise any pinkiness in the skin. Red tones should be avoided, as they will clash fiercely against the skin.

Cool skin tones can also look fabulous with brown hair, as it helps to make blue eyes look even more striking and intense. It's important to get the right shade of brown though.

Pale creamy skin looks great with almost any hair colour! Think of the supermodel, Linda Evangelista. She has creamy skin and changes her hair colour regularly - she's been blonde, brunette and a red head!

Warm skin tones often have yellow undertones or olive colouring - think of Mediterranean, Asian or black skin types. People who have warm skin tones tend to have brown, hazel or green eyes. These features are complemented by rich chocolate and mocha shades. Deep reds and Burgundies can also look fabulous! Warm tones rarely work well with blonde hair.

If you're trying to create a natural looking effect then it's best that you stay within a couple of shades lighter or darker than your natural colour. It's always worth considering that as you get older lighter hair tones are more flattering and can be easily mixed with grey hair to blend the colour transition. Dark hair is often too harsh against older skin tones, which also change through the aging process.

Once you've decided on a colour, and you're happy with it, make sure that you invest in a colour care shampoo and conditioner. Specifically formulated colour care products help to extend the life of your colour by guarding against fade. Try using Kerastase's Reflection range or TIGI S-Factor's Color Savvy shampoo and conditioner.