“Why is my hair color fading so fast?” This is a constant question stylists get from clients, often followed by complaints about weak, dull-looking hair.
Courtesy of amika
Celebrity stylist Laura Rugetti shares a professional perspective on The Protector Collection and gives insight into amika’s commitment to serving all hair types and textures.
For Rugetti, a big part of being a colorist is helping clients understand how to maintain the color they’ve invested in. Clients want their color to look fresh for as long as possible, but there’s often a lot of conflicting information about what they should and shouldn’t be doing at home. Rugetti explains how educating your client about products and simplifying a seemingly overwhelming conversation goes a long way during an appointment.
“When a client understands the purpose behind their routine, like knowing the Protector can help extend their color for up to 40 washes, they’re much more likely to stay consistent with it,” says Rugetti.
“Having a product that’s specifically focused on protecting color gives us a much clearer conversation to have. It allows me to explain not just what to use, but why it matters — from washing and heat styling to UV and chlorine. It also gives clients something tangible to take home that continues the work we started in the salon,” Rugetti adds.
As hair color evolves, it’s important to stay ahead of trends and remain aware of clients' wants and needs for their color. Rugetti explains that clients aren't just asking about color itself; now they are interested in how to keep their color looking fresh and healthy between appointments. This interest alone has shifted the discourse around protection.
“Clients want to understand what can cause color to fade — from washing and heat styling to UV and chlorine— and what they can do at home to protect it. Having a weightless product designed for all color-treated hair types and textures gives us a simple way to help maintain salon results between appointments, while also supporting the health of the hair,” says Rugetti.
Whether it's breakage concerns, product buildup, or brittle hair, we have seen amika address many client issues through their product lines. Chief Marketing Officer Nilofer Vahora speaks to how products in The Protector Collection are making a true difference.
“What makes a difference now is specificity and proof. We built our claims around the real-world things that actually fade color: washing, heat styling, UV, chlorine and copper and the damage from the color service itself. Every claim maps to a specific clinical study. The system prevents color fade for up to 40 washes and leaves hair 14.7 times stronger with 93% less breakage and the treatment is clinically proven to reduce fade and shift from UV exposure, reduce discoloration from copper and chlorine, protect color from pool water and provide 450-degree heat protection,” says Vahora.
The development process is just one layer for the campaign; the amika persona is the driving force behind it all.
“At the heart of amika is something very simple. amika means friend. Most prestige hair brands are built on authority and distance. We're built on expertise and closeness,” says Vahora.
“Our Protector character is calm, controlled and always in charge with just enough attitude to keep everyone in line. It's big sister energy. She's the guardian of her friend group, the defender of the vibe. She's not gonna let anyone bring her girls down,” she adds.
A key element of The Protector Collection's development is that it was developed alongside amika's stylists. The brand's program, amika: backrooms, gave stylists a chance to test and document the use of the product on real clients with lab samples. Through this program, three hundred stylists received product organically, 35 stylist creators came into early-access testing and the final reveal connected their testing journey back to the launch.
The use of this program further illustrates amika's role for the stylist. Stylists are already educating their clients every day in the chair. amika serves to scale the stylist's voice.
