Every great new hair color involves an investment of time and money -- and smart women know you've got to protect your investments. That's why any clued-in colorist will tell you how you care for your colored or bleached hair affects your results dramatically.

"Making sure you have a good, at-home hair-care system is vital in maintaining hair color," says Melissa Trujillo, stylist at West Hollywood's premier hair salon, Nine Zero One Salon. "Regardless of if someone's hair is lightened or colored darker, the proper, at-home hair-care system is very important."

Neglecting colored hair can lead to breakage, split ends, rough texture and brassy or faded tone. On the flip side, babying your colored hair promotes healthy growth, softness, shine and long-lasting, true color. Great after-care habits can even help you extend the time between color touch-ups.

Here are five, expert-approved tips for how to care for colored hair.

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Most hair dyes contain cuticle-lifting ingredients like ammonia and ethanolamine. Shampooing your hair also causes the cuticle to lift -- and that's the moment when hair is most vulnerable to damage. This is why it's so important to be gentle with your cleansing routine.

To start, try not to shampoo every day. "I recommend my clients try to only shampoo two to three times a week," says Trujillo. AJ Lordet, master colorist at Pierre Michel Salon in New York City, quips, "My philosophy is don't waste a wash and blow-dry if you're staying home with the dog." Between washes, you can keep your hair looking clean and fluffy with dry shampoo.

Your shampoo of choice is also important. Sulfate-free shampoos for color-treated hair are ideal because sulfates tend to dry hair and strip color. Most hair dyes -- even dark dyes! -- contain moisture-sucking hydrogen peroxide, so a hydrating, sulfate-free shampoo can rebuild your hair's water content.

A color-depositing or toning shampoo designed for your specific hair color is another genius addition to your routine. This is especially true for red hair, which is notoriously quick to fade, and blond hair, which can become greenish or brassy due to the minerals in tap water.

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Heat-styling devices like blow-dryers, curling irons and flat irons literally crack hair's cuticle, which is why heat-damaged hair often looks frizzy. So you can probably imagine how much your colored hair's compromised cuticle loves getting fried by 400-degree hot tools.

Women with colored or bleached hair should cut back on using heat-styling tools, says Trujillo. "I like to show [my clients] how to style their hair in a way that requires the least amount of heat styling, based on their normal hair care routine," she says. Shampooing less frequently should help you limit heat-styling. Getting more creative with your styling routine (think: braids, ponytails and buns) will also help.

If you heat-style your hair, use tools with ceramic, titanium or ion plates, which reduce damage to hair, and avoid using them on the highest heat setting. Also use a heat-protectant; studies show these products aren't just marketing gimmicks.

Keep in mind that styling products can also contribute to dryness, tangling and breakage in colored hair. Volumizing products should particularly be avoided, since they make hair look fuller by roughing up the cuticle.

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Conditioner doesn't just make color-treated hair look and feel smoother; it actually closes the cuticle, counteracting the cuticle-opening effect of shampoo. A great conditioner also infuses moisturizing ingredients beneath the cuticle, nourishing hair from the inside out.

"Use deep-conditioning treatments every two weeks to prevent breakage," advises Tym Wallace, a celebrity hairstylist. A great conditioning mask will "nourish the hair and scalp and alleviate dryness, which can lead to hair breakage," he says.

Trujillo recommends layering conditioning hair products on color-treated or bleached hair. "I make sure all my clients have a leave-in conditioner ... a good oil or serum, and a good hair mask," she says. Focus any leave-in hydrating products on the ends of hair, where you need moisture most.

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Crap news for outdoorsy types: UV light is a major softness- and color-sucker for hair. Sun exposure leeches proteins and pigment from hair, making a UV-protecting product essential for colored hair. Luckily, there are tons of sprays, serums, stylers and masks infused with sunscreen that make protecting your hair from UV damage incredibly easy. Another simple solution: Wear a hat when you're outside.

Chlorine and salt water are two other warm-weather culprits that hurt colored and bleached hair. Salt water, of course, dehydrates hair. But chlorine is even more nefarious than salt water: It swells your hair's cuticles, breaks its chemical bonds, deposits color-distorting minerals and saps it of melanin. When you go swimming, limit the amount of salt water or chlorinated water that your hair absorbs by pre-wetting it with tap water and slicking on some conditioner.

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