How to Extend Your Haircut and Hair Color

Nowadays, who can afford high-maintenance hair? If you're having your hair highlighted constantly and running into the salon for a bang trim, keep reading. We got beauty pros to reveal the cuts that grow out the prettiest, color tweaks to hold you over between highlights and hair products that'll hide all kinds of hair horrors.

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Women with chin- to shoulder-length hair should ask their stylist to cut sublayers or pointy cuts (where the stylist holds his or her scissors vertically and snips into the ends of hair) all around the hair's perimeter. "It softens your ends so that even as your hair grows, it will continue to look like you just left the salon," says stylist Edward Tricomi, owner of the Warren-Tricomi Salon in New York City. "It prevents hair from appearing jagged and heavy."

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Fringe, while cute, can be a pain in the neck to maintain. So if you're trying to tighten your beauty belt, now may not be the time to experiment with the Katy Perry look. Still dying for some face-framing pieces? Have your stylist cut long bangs that hit at the bridge or the top of your nose or side-slashed bangs, which start at your brow and get a little longer as they go across your forehead. They'll blend in with your hair as they grow, requiring less upkeep. If you've already got full-on fringe, take advantage of free trims. "Never be afraid to ask your stylist if you can pop in for a bang trim every few weeks. I never charge for that," says Mark Townsend, celebrity hairstylist for Matrix.

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No budget-minded woman should permit a razor in the vicinity of her hair. Some stylists are partial to razor cutting because it provides an edgy, piecey look, but "razoring makes your ends very thin and prone to frizz and splitting," Tricomi says. Scissor-cutting gives you stronger, healthier ends that can stand the test of time.

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This is the triple crown of hairstyles: It's universally flattering, works with most hair types and requires little upkeep. In fact, "it keeps its shape better than any other cut, because it just looks like a longer version of the same style as it grows out," Tricomi says. Keep hair below shoulder length, and ask your stylist for layers around the face and in the back to add depth and volume.

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To extend the life of an old cut, blow-dry with a round brush that has natural bristles (it will help smooth your hair and hide split ends) and then apply a styling cream to tame flyaways, defrizz and hydrate dry ends (fried ends are a telltale sign that you're due for a salon visit). "Look for a great styling cream that you can apply to towel-dried hair that's not too thick or thin," Townsend says. Try Matrix Blow Down Extreme Creme or Blow Down Lite Lotion ($15 each, at drugstore.com)—the latter is especially great for blowing out fine hair.

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If your fringe is getting in your eyes, try sweeping them to the side and securing them with a bobby pin right above either of your temples (Jennifer Aniston has sported this look). "The bobby pin is key here—use anything else and you'll look like you're in elementary school," Townsend warns. Another pretty fix: "Try tightly twisting or braiding them, pulling them to the side, and pinning them right above or near your ears," Tricomi says.

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Add instant volume to flat, grown-out hair by wearing your hair center-parted one day, deep side-parted the next, and then zigzagged on another day. No one will realize that you haven't had a cut in a while, because you'll constantly be changing your look. Plus, switching your part boosts volume by moving the hair in new directions and lifting the roots.

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Straight hair shows more sins. So if you're looking to stretch out time between salon visits, use hot rollers to add volume and interest. "Setting your hair shrinks it up, making it shorter and easier to deal with, and loose waves disguise split ends and create body," Tricomi says.

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The last thing you want to do when your hair needs some clean-up is to inflict more damage with heating tools. Your salvation: products that protect strands from abuse. "I always use a heat-protective mist (try Nexxus Heat Protexx, $14, drugstore.com) because it adds shine and helps disperse heat so you don't have to go over the hair as many times with your iron," Townsend says.

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Hair glosses are an inexpensive way to help maintain your semi-permanent or permanent color-treated hair. Try a clear formula to pump up shine and moisture, or, to help seal in your salon color, go for a mild color-depositing formula. "Glosses help bridge the gap between your natural hue and your processed color, keeping the difference subtle," says celebrity colorist and salon owner Rita Hazan of the Rita Hazan Salon in New York City. "So you'll end up with a much smoother transition and your roots won't be as obvious." Try L'Oreal Paris Natural Match Color Creme Hair Gloss ($10, at drugstores).

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Instead of permanent hair color—which grows out quickly, revealing a distinct line of regrowth at your roots—consider a vegetable dye. "It's softer and washes out gradually so it's less noticeable," Hazan suggests. Or, if you've already spent your money on a single-process color treatment at a salon, supplement it with a vegetable dye at home to blend in new growth. Apply the dye to your roots, then gently smooth it down the hair shaft so the color looks seamless.

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Hydration is the secret to vivid color, and the best time to apply moisture is while you're asleep, to give your product time to set in and penetrate. Try Phytonectar Ultra Nourishing Oil Treatment ($30, nordstrom.com). "This is one of my favorite products," Hazan says. To use it: Smooth a quarter-size amount onto your hair (avoid your roots), then twist your hair up into a bun or ponytail. Put an old towel over your pillow, sleep with the oil in, and wash it out in the morning.

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"Look for hair-color pens that have temporary or semipermanent color," Hazan says. These markerlike tools let you literally color in your roots or color over grays. They work in a pinch, but they wash out with a shampoo. Try Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore Root Touch-Up and Highlighting Pen ($23, sephora.com).

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In addition to using a shampoo and conditioner for color-treated hair, apply a hair mask that contains a cocktail of B vitamins and UV protectors, such as Kiehl's Sunflower Color Preserving Deep Recovery Pak ($25, kiehls.com), once a week. It will restore moisture, replenish lost nutrients and shield against environmental stresses, which break down color.

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