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Blonde Ambition! A Q+A with a Celebrity Hair Colorist!

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Let's be honest, so many women on the East End harbor blonde ambitions. Something about the surf and the sunshine just makes us crave golden locks. We sat down with celebrity hair colorist Nicole Tresch, who will be taking appointments at the 27 Hampton Salon in Southampton on Monday June 9th, July 21st and August 18th, for a q+a about how to maintain and achieve gorgeous highlights. She opened up about her must-have products, which include Rita Hazan's Ultimate Shine Color Gloss in Breaking Brass (translation: no more orange-y roots!) and Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray (the ideal day-to-night miracle worker). Tresch even spilled on her favorite hair trends of the season. Our thoughts? If she can give country songstress Faith Hill sun-kissed color, then we definitely want this guru of blonde bombshells making us look party-perfect!

Lots of us want to go blonde. What's the biggest mistake that most women make when lightening their hair color?
The biggest issue is when women want to change their hair color too drastically. Some people insist on lifting their base too much. This shouldn't be about taking a picture of Jennifer Aniston into your salon and saying, I want to look like her. Everybody is different, and you need to work with what you already have. This is about creating the best version of yourself.

That's good advice. So, what are your favorite hair trends of the season?
Right now, I'm really liking highlights through the hair with the brilliance falling toward the end. It's more of a surfer girl look, and it grows out looking quite natural. You should be going a few levels lighter with your color, but, as I said, the brightness is at the end.
Is jumping in the ocean really that terrible for colored hair?
You can spray in a leave-in conditioner through your hair to help, but you don't want to use anything too heavy that might feel slimy. You can also use a SPF to help shield your hair or just wear a hat. But, the real issue with swimming in saltwater is that your hair gets knotty. I suggest putting your hair in a long braid so that it doesn't get jumbled up.

What about swimming in chlorine? That's a big no-no, right?
Public pools are heavily chlorinated, and that's where you run into trouble. When you swim at a resort, you might be having fun, but it's rough on your hair, especially hair that's been colored. I always tell people, you're not going to destroy your highlights by swimming in your backyard pool.

Any other tricks for swimming in a pool?
Yes, always wet your hair down with regular water before jumping in a pool.

Really? Why?
It just creates another barrier. It really helps.

What's the best way to keep blonde highlights from looking brassy?
Sometimes the base isn't lifted enough- it hasn't quite passed the brassy point. If this is the case, using Rita Hazan's Ultimate Shine Color Gloss in Breaking Brass really helps tone down those orange-y hues. It takes away the dullness and adds shine to blonde hair by neutralizing warm tones. It's really great stuff!

What's your favorite product to help transition a hairstyle from day to night? Perhaps you spent the day surfing at Ditch Plains, and now you want to hit the Surf Lodge.
Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray is amazing for taming your hair, especially if you've been at the beach. You can create those awesome beach waves that everybody wants. The back of the bottle references St. Tropez, and it's the perfect description. It gives you glamorous hair!