Highlights, lowlights, all-over color – dying your hair can become a virtual addiction. If you love being a bottle blonde or a faux brunette, you know that there are a few very annoying things that come along with having man-made hair color, like fading, roots and damage. So what can you do to keep your color treated hair healthy, vibrant and shiny all the way until your next salon appointment?

Although there’s little you can do to make your root growth slower, swapping all-over color for highlights can definitely lengthen the time between visits to the hairdresser. Instead of going all-over blonde, add blonde highlights to your locks that can grow out for a few months without looking unnatural. Plus, every time you go back to the salon, you’ll be able to go gradually blonder. If you’re not ready to give up your all-over color, try fixing up your own roots with at-home color in between salon visits – although if you’re going lighter, it may be best to let the professionals handle it so you don’t wind up with a weird orange hue.

Of course, good color maintenance starts in the shower. You’ll need to use a color-protecting shampoo and conditioner to really get the most out of your locks, and if you want to make sure your hue stays vibrant, you can even pick up color-depositing products that’ll help tone and strengthen your color.

With these tricks, you can have beautiful color all year long – no matter how long you have to wait until your next hairdresser appointment.