Well this is me, with freshly cut bangs and I dyed my once black hair RED! You can’t tell to much about the color here but trust me it’s red or at least it use to be. Which is why I pose the question, how does one sustain the vibrant salon fresh red hue when you are not naturally a red head?
I was actually trying to refrain from showering my tresses for fear of the veritable blood bath that would appear on my towel after every shower. Shoot, the color would even leave slight smear stains on my pillows! Problem is I think the rich mahogany color does wonders for my pale skin. Brings out what little color I have in my cheeks! But lordy, the maintenance is proving impossible. It’s only week 2 and I already feel that the hair color has morphed into a reddish brown at the roots. 
Does any of this stuff work?
Anyone try the Redken Color Extend Hair Care line? Does it help?
Other tips people have told me are:
- Stay out of the SUN! Apparently the sun warps the color of any dye job and strips the color faster. Well I do this anyway because of my fair skin, but one of my favorite parts of dying my hair a different shade is seeing it glow in sunlight, so I find this news dis-heartening. Who wants to hide in the dark with freshly dyed hair?
- Upgrade your water! Additives (such as chlorine) that make tap water safe can also strip dye. Try new shower heads designed to remove color-dulling agents. Try iWater Shower Purification System ($50) or Jonathan Beauty Water Shower Purification System ($95, Sephora).
- Shampoo Less and Condition More! Apparently shampooing hair strips the color faster and leaves your cuticles open, thus making the strands rougher and less shiny. The conditioner locks in color by sealing the cuticles and making your locks shinier. Shiny hair reflects color better. The only probably I have with this advice is I have very fine hair and if I skip shampooing my hair gets greasy really fast. But I shall try my best to modify my showering regime to test out this theory.
Well wish me luck, and please if you have heard of a product or a method that helps maintain red hair color by all means SHARE!
About evette
Ah, the red hair dye dillema (hope I spelled that right). I’ve been a wanna-be red-head for years, every color from vibrant irish-setter red to the color I have now, which is a deep, deep mahogany. Unfortunately, as any good hair stylist will tell you, is that red is the hardest color to keep, and the hardest to get out (I know, it doesn’t make sense). Has something to do with the size of the molecules.
I , too, have fine, fragile hair and in my quest for the best shampoo’s, conditioners, etc, the best product I have come across, without a doubt is something that I picked up at Sally Beauty supply. It’s called Aquelle. Most shampoo’s and conditioners for color treated hair really coat the hair shaft, and can cause alot of build up (not good for color treated hair, either). Aquella doesn’t do that, Both the shampoo and conditioner leave your hair so shiny, it’s unbelieveable. Priced right, too. Less than $6 apiece.
One last note, if you rinse your hair in cool water after shampooing, it will help also, as the cool water helps close the hair shaft.
Hope this helps!
Love the hair. I heard clear / cellophane rinses were good for extending color and adding shine. Good luck!
The Beauty Brains tell us that SHAMPOO isn’t the culprit…it’s water of ANY KIND used too soon after coloring. They suggest waiting to wash your hair for 3 or 4 days after coloring.
Given that…red is the MOST difficult shade to maintain.
it sounds like semi-permanent color. you would be better off with permenent color- it doesn’t fade as much.
fine haired red head!!! Woman after my own heart. Try Nioxin system#3. Pricey but worth it! It’s the best color shampoo I have ever used; and it will proably make your hair look thicker!!! I am an ex hair model(hair of every color at one point) and current hair stylist.
The color molacules in red hair color are larger then in other colors so they will be eaiser to wash away. Use shampoos with labels that read for red colored hair and use cooler water then normal when washing and conditiong and yes sorry to say that the reds are the hardest colors to keep in.
Im a hair stylist-its just as frustrating for us as it is for you!!! Nothing more depressing than spending hours perfecting that red only to find its disappeared 2 wks later.
The actual haircolour used makes the biggest difference.Kadus Micro-Reds DO_NOT fade.Seriously. Search for a salon that uses Kadus.Ask for Kadus Micro Reds.Salons that normaly use another colour are smart enough to at least cary the reds.
Kadus also carries shampoo formulated to match your colour EXACTLY.This helps for extended shine and vibrancy.
Good luck
I too have really dark hair that i get highlighted red, and like everyone has said it always fades. My stylist reccomended Aveda Madder Root. I have been using it, and so far i like it. It hasnt been long enough to tell if it is really helping. You can look it up on amazon and see what others say about it.
Another tip for keeping your color longer…and this works….always wash your hair in cool water. Also, shampoo for red hair works. This is first hand experience.
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I wouldn’t use any shampoo that has sodium lauryl sulfate in it, because this supposedly strips hair color. Many of the shampoos on the market including Matrix Biolage, Redken, etc have this in them. I LOVE WEN Cleansing Conditioner. It doesn’t contain sodium lauryl sulfate and it’s actually a shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and detangler all in one. It doesn’t lather so some people have a problem with that and it is expensive -$28/16oz, but it lasts about 6 weeks for me and I use it every day when I have it.
Good Luck!
P.S. Now, that my economic stimulus check is in….I better get more WEN and I want to try this iShower water purification system. I saw another kind in a SPA magazine and it was way too expensive- $249.
The best way is to wash your hair with cool water and avoid using blowers. Try getting protein treatment twice in a month this helps keep your hair protected from sun and leaves your hair healthy too.
Regards
So I also just had red highlights put in my very dark brown hair. I loved at first and now I’m watching it fade 5 days later. They told me to buy red shampoo and conditioner so I bought Ulta Red shampoo & conditioner – maybe it’s helping but I have kind mixed copper reddish highlights now too – only less than a week later.
Very sad.
Well i had black Hair But Have Wanted Red Hair for a little while now! Sooo i bleached all my hairr 3 times!! And then got the red dye. and it fadded with in 3 weeks soo now i just use a semi-permanent color On it every other week or soo.. and i wash my hair every week! and if you go up sallys beasty shop they do a red spray that keeps the red in your hair very good! x
if you use a shampoo that is for colored hair and use REALLY cold water, you’ll get at least a good 3-6 weeks of awesome looking hair.
if you try johnson&johnson baby powder or bumble & bumble hair powder, that helps keep your hair looking clean and full.
if you use the powder(s), you should not have to wash your hair every 3-4 days.
=] hope this helps
i want red hair but i dont wan it to fade.
but i really wan it . i don really know what to do :/
I use henna dye to maintain my red hair. It doesn’t damage, and is fairly cheap. This way I can touch up my color whenever i want without the worry of damaging it. I also use bumble and bumble red hair shampoo and conditioner. Sun can fade red hair quickly, so I use redken uv rescue daily sun milk whenever i’m outside. It’s a spray on, leave in hair conditioner with an spf 12.
What if you have fine hair that you have to wash every day or it gets that greasy look? Red is my fav and yes it fades, I need something that will help so I can wash my hair everyday! I guess using shampoo with a tint in it would be best?? Sally here I come!
If you’re serious about keeping your hair red, you might want to try henna dye. I used to get mine from Lush (www.lush.com) and no red color, not even salon color, lasted as long as the Caca Rouge Henna bar.
The downside? Don’t even TRY to use chemical colors after henna for at least six months. If you’re one to change your hair color often, don’t bother with henna. You also cannot lighten your hair with henna. If you get the wrong bar (I once picked up the Caca Marron bar instead of the Caca Rouge) and it turns darker than you’d like, you can’t lighten it with henna. You have to wait a few months.
The upside? No roots. Henna just fades. Think of a lip stain, it just stains your hair and eventually fades after two months or so.
If you’re all about the salon color, try a color rinse. I go to Sally’s and get my hair color (I do my own – the brightest red they’ve got for my already red hair) and add just a tad to a hair mask (if you get the dye from Sally’s you’re supposed to mix it with the color solution – I don’t if I put it in conditioner or a hair mask, so it’s straight dye). I slather it on, leave it for about twenty minutes, and rinse it out. I do it about once a week. Word of caution – USE GLOVES. It’ll stain your hands a bit.
Red hair is the most high maintenance hair color, but it’s totally worth it. I’ve been coloring my hair religiously for about twelve years and with one exception (a blond moment) it’s always been shades of red. It’s the best!
I’ve been washing my hair with Radian Red Shampoo by John Frieda for a few months now and I’m really satisfied with the results! It’s really expensive here in Brazil but I found out that it costs about U$ 6 in the U.S. Very good choice!
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If you want to use henna, I would suggest avoiding any “compound” hennas (hennas that contain ANYTHING other than Lawsonis Inermis, the ground up henna leaf.) Secondly, I would opt for body-art quality henna (it’s no more expensive) because it wont contain any sticks, stones, or fiberous bits that make henna hard to apply and even harder to rinse out. Plus, BAQ (body art quality) henna will give you the most intense and reliable stain color. Stale and low quality henna = dull brownish orange.
Lush brand hennas contain lots of other ingredients and some of them contain metallic salts which make it dangerous to apply peroxide and ammonia later (metal salts + dye developers = smoking or melting hair, or at best, green color). Reviews of Lush hennas also indicate that the colors are “mushy” compared to 100% henna. In short, skip it!
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I use this red enhancing shampoo from Sally’s Beauty Supply (around $8) and it’s a true red color. I use it daily and leave it on for 2 minutes while I soap up the rest of my body. It really works well and fights fading. The trick is the shampoo has red pigments in it so it actually enhances the color rather than just keep it from fading. I can get 4-5 weeks out of my red by using that.
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Use cold water to wash your hair