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Extra care for coloured hair: Dark tresses

Darkening your hair adds colour and while it may feel less dry at first, the process still weakens your hair, so you need to protect it with the right regime to keep your colour looking fresh and glossy

• The most flattering look on brunettes is to have softer lowlights of copper, chestnut or hazel around the hairline. While the sun can end up giving you similar tones, it's best to let an expert put them in exactly the right places for the most professional effect
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• Choose a shampoo for colour-treated hair that contains moisturisers and special polymers to help smooth down the cuticles to keep colour in and make your hair shine. Concentrate on washing your scalp to remove excess grease without ruffling up your hair, letting the shampoo work its way down to the ends with a final rinse of cool water
• Darkening usually involves colouring all of your hair so it's important to condition well all over. Using one that will also protect against breakage without weighing down your hair, is vital. Work it through gently with your fingers and give yourself a mini scalp massage too, if you have time
• From Torquay to Tenerife, even casual sun exposure, when you're not even sunbathing, can damage, dry and fade your hair. Just as you should apply something with sunfilters every day to your skin, your hair needs the same. After all, you don't want the sun to undo what you're trying to achieve. It's a good excuse to buy a new hat!
• It's amazing how often you see girls on the beach brushing their wet hair, particularly when it's below shoulder length. While it may look sexy, that's when hair is at its weakest and tugging bristles will just stretch and damage fragile, coloured strands, especially if your hair's prone to frizzing. Best to use a wide-toothed comb instead
• If you're going to go for a dip, remember chlorine can leave your hair looking dull and salt roughens up the strands which will make it easier for colour molecules to escape. Coating your hair with a leave-in conditioner or a hair wax will go some way to act as a physical barrier for extra protection. Always wash hair well afterwards and rinse thoroughly with clean water
• A mass of tumbling, chocolate curls looks fantastic, but if your hair is frizz-prone, it's likely to be dry. Instead of using tongs, try a leave-in conditioner and set almost dry hair onto heated velcro rollers. When you take them out, run your fingers through and work in a little serum to separate the curls and add shine
• Split ends show up more on darkened hair as they look almost white, so for the best protection you can get, apply conditioner to them and wrap them up in some fabric or anything flexible and waterproof. Or twist your hair into a pleat or chignon and secure after tucking the ends in
• Every hairdresser will tell you that you should always point your hairdryer downwards when blow drying. This will help the cuticles to lie flat so that they reflect the light so that your hair ends up with that salon shine finish. Use a round brush to give your hair some lift at the roots and keep your dryer moving
• With the best will in the world, it is inevitable that the surface layers will dry out and fade first, so use a leave-in conditioner with strengthening and nourishing amino acids and essential fatty acids on the areas that need it.

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