Stretching Hair Color To Last & Last & Last

I have never been shy about sharing my hair color and hair care history, tips and techniques. Ask me about my weight, dress size or age...not so much. But hair color? I will spill the beans on my entire history starting back with my angst in 7th and 8th grade as my baby blonde hair slowly turned to mud.

Even worse, my cousin Mary Jo who started with the same natural baby blonde as me, only seemed to go blonder, as did the cutest girl in class - Susie Stimac. My very conservative mom wouldn't let me even discuss chemical means to hold onto my blonde, so I did what most teen aged girls do - I snuck around behind her back and resorted to Sun In and a bunch of home grown recipes like lemon juice - which did nothing but dry out my tresses or turn them DayGlo orange.

By the time I was in college I had discovered the hair color aisles at the mass drug stores and became addicted to Nice N Easy from Clairol. Being very blonde was my dream and whether or not it helped me attract a lot of guys (I felt it did), I loved being uber blonde. I just felt better. Don't ask me why - I just did.

Of course all that home hair color really did a number to my hair which started to break off in chunks in mid-20s. Everyone from mom to my guy-of-the-moment would tell me to stop coloring my hair but my Irish/German heritage makes me tres stubborn.

By the time I was ready to get serious about growing my hair to my waist - I consulted a long hair expert. He told me I had to step away from the Nice N Easy before I went bald. Shocking words indeed but I went cold turkey and suffered through one year as a dirty blonde. It felt yucky but I knew it was for a higher cause.

When my hair had recovered I started going to professional haircolorists who foiled my hair with gentle blonding agents. No, I was never platinum again, but I was very happy with the soft, shiny natural looking blondes that were created for me. I started getting lots of compliments on my hair and it grew to many inches below my waist without breaking off.

The downside to using a pro for my hair color was the expense and the need to go back to the salon when the roots started to show. It was also important to take extra care to make sure the expensive color did not fade before its time - a true concern.

Imagine my glee when Hollywood deemed it cool to have rootage. I took full advantage of that trend which Jessica Simpson and her celeb hairdresser - Ken Paves - made popular. I also loaded up on color enhancing shampoos or related products that would protect all the expensive color that was slattered on my tresses.

To this day I still use a variety of color protective or color enhancing products to stretchhhhhh my hair color to the absolute longest time in between touch-ups.

Imagine my excitement when Ken Paves (a long time friend of mine) invented his latest hair color helper which is known as boost up color drops. They were formulated in six different shades and is a Hollywood secret to stretching the life of your hair color. Really? Yes indeed. In a phone/email conversation I had with Ken, he confided that not only does Jessica use the color drop but so does Eva Longoria. In addition, Ken uses the color drops on all of his celeb and non-celeb clients who visit him at his two salons.

Does the product work? Yes indeed.

While it will definitely hold off any potential fadage...regardless, the product will add depth and richness to your existing hair color - real or chemically enhanced - time after time. Also, it will make your hair feel soft and sexy (at least it does for me). It also makes my hair very shiny.

Although I have only tried the Platinum and the Honey version of the color drops, both work equally well for my hair. The Platinum gives my hair the hints of lighter highlights while the honey gives my hair a richer and deeper blonde tone.

Does it work for everyone? Probably not. But does anything?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I always warn people to do their homework before they buy and be prepared for results that may be different from everyone else. Which can either be a good or bad thing.

Bottom line - I believe that Ken has developed another winning product. Especially for the current financial climate where every penny counts. For those looking to extend the life of their hair color, this is a great option due to the fact that it only requires 2 little pumps of liquid to make a difference.

Even better, you can experiment using the color drops in your rinse out conditioner, your leave in (I mixed mine with Phyto 9) or you can play with adding it to styling products such as mousse, gel, wax or paste. I can't vouch for every styling product combo because I haven't tried all of them yet. But be assured, I will.

Meanwhile, I will continue to search high and low for tips, tricks and techniques to keep me out of my hair colorist's chair as long as possible without scaring the neighborhood kids.