If your color is lackluster or your highlights have dimmed, you need to hydrate hair with products that are formulated especially for color-treated hair. Avoid using products for any other hair type; as the chemical makeup of your hair has been altered by the coloring process, you need gentle treatments that are specifically designed to prevent your color from fading or worse, changing. Try these products to soften your hair while maintaining your shiny, vibrant color:

Shampoo with Kerastase’s Bain Miroir #1 (or, if your hair is extremely brittle, Bain Miroir #2) ($30 each), or Redken’s Color Extend Shampoo ($10), then condition with Redken’s Color Extend Conditioner ($12) or Fresh’s Meadowfoam Cream Treatment Conditioner ($32).

When styling, try Pantene’s new Pro-V Expressions line of products created especially to keep color looking true. If you have blonde hair, apply the Blonde Expressions Detangling Foam ($5) to wet hair before styling. If you have red hair, spritz the Red Expressions Fortifying Spray ($5) on wet hair prior to styling, and if you’re a brunette, rub a few drops of the Brunette Expressions Glossing Serum ($6) into hair before styling. Once hair is dry, smooth ends by applying a pea-sized amount of Philip B.’s Creme of the Crop ($27).

To maintain hair’s softness and color, once a week, apply a hydrating hair mask like Phyto’s Phytocitrus Vital Radiance Mask ($22) or Frederic Fekkai’s Technician Color Care Mask ($34).

If you feel you need a quick color boost, try one of John Freida’s new Luminous Color Glazes in the shade that best matches your hair color ($8).

– Chelsea Kaplan