Dyed red hair can look brilliant, but the rapid rate at which it fades isn’t so great! The colour seems to disappear in no time at all, and this is mainly due to the size of the red pigment’s molecules – they’re particularly small, so are hard for your hair to hold onto. There are, though, some simple tips that you can use to keep your red hair looking fresher for longer.
It sounds obvious, but every time you wash and shampoo your hair you’re going to be washing away that dark red hair dye. Only wash your dyed hair when you actually need to and you’ll find that you can really fight the fading. This is especially true if you’ve just used a tint or all natural hair dye that has coated the outside of the hair with colour rather than penetrating it, as these dyes can fade particularly quickly.
Using cool or warm water when you shampoo can also help to keep your red hair looking vibrant – heat opens up the hair’s cuticle and this can allow more of the red molecules to escape during the wash.
Strong sunlight can also lighten and fade your hair, so if you know you’re going to be out in bright sunlight for extended periods of time, it’s worth keeping your hair under cover if you want to keep your rich red hair colour.
There are now various hair colour sealers that you can buy that claim to coat the hair shaft and prevent excess dye being washed out, as well as locking moisture in. Give one a go to see if can help to combat fading. Another great product is a pigmented shampoo. These shampoos are simple to use and deposit colour gradually, so can be brilliant to liven up your hair colour until the next time you dye. Just make sure you match the red tone of the shampoo to your hair dye, whether you’ve chosen a blue or yellow based red, for the best results.
Red hair dye is a nightmare for fading, making it a high maintenance hair colour. It looks fantastic though, and by following these simple tips you really can extend the life of your red hair colour.