This is sponsored post for Nexxus through Condé Nast. All opinions and amazingly vibrant hair are my own.

For those of us who color our hair, there is one thing we can all agree on - watching the perfect hair color fade away is a sad, sad experience. I've tried a variety of hair care tricks to make my hair color last longer; from washing with cool water to washing my hair less in general to using sulfate-free products. Now Nexxus has developed a color-safe hair care system to take the guess work out of the fading hair color mystery and retain hair's vibrancy. The Nexxus Color Assure system includes a Pre-Wash Primer, Shampoo, Conditioner and Glossing Tonic. There are a few things about this system that make it different from the typical sulfate-free and color-safe hair care lines. For one, the key to this entire line lives within the Pre-Wash Primer. While yes, it does add an extra step into your hair routine, and yes, there is a learning curve, it does seem to make a lot of difference. The shampoo and conditioner, while sulfate-free, are also oil-based like the Pre-Wash Primer and Glossing Tonic. The Glossing Tonic is like the icing on the cake, providing a healthy and weightless shine to your hair. The Nexxus Color Assure Pre-Wash Primer is a pre-treatment to shield hair in the shower. It helps to repel water, so color stays longer and more vibrant. The Pre-Wash Primer is sulfate-free and infused with a blend of clear oils, including almond, coconut and argan oil. • Almond oil is known to lock in moisture, nourish hair and reduce breakage. • Coconut oil is known to provide softness and elasticity. • Argan oil is known to improve shine and vibrancy. • White Orchid Extract is known to provide moisture and works to seal and protect hair by repelling water from humidity and keep it from entering the core. To use the Pre-Wash Primer the directions say to use 5-7 pumps and work through hair starting at your ends and working up to your roots. You shouldn't saturate your hair or else you'll be overdoing it. Think of it more like a serum that you would use for styling or to prevent frizz - you only lightly apply it to your hair and sparingly. Now that I've chopped most of my hair off into a bob, 5-7 pumps is way too much. In fact, the most I could use was 1 pump or else my hair would be really greasy. In addition to my hair being short, it is also very fine. If you have fine hair, you'd probably want to use a half pump. However, the Pre-Wash Primer is the most important step, so don't skip it! Once you've worked the Pre-Wash Primer into your hair, you then apply the Color Assure Vibrancy Retention Shampoo and Conditioner followed by the Glossing Tonic (once hair is towel-dried.) All of the products are fragrance free, which has been interesting since I'm used to having some sort of fragrance in my hair. The proof is in the before and after! I used this hair care line exclusively for a month and snapped a picture on the first day I colored my hair and 4 weeks after. As you can see, my hair is so vibrant, shiny and my hair even looks darker! It is kind of amazing. Not only do you reap the benefits of retaining your hair color longer using Color Assure, but shiny hair also gives the impression of healthy hair (even when you heat style it as much as I do.) Look for the Nexxus Color Assure Pre-Wash Primer, Color Assure Vibrancy Retention Shampoo, Color Assure Vibrancy Retention Conditioner and Color Assure Glossing Tonic in mass retailers, select drugstores and supermarkets nationwide. Nexxus is also cruelty free. Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! Shannon on G+