Red is THE most difficult color to maintain. In order to better preserve the intensity of my red, I use sulfate-free shampoo along with Aveda's Madder Root shampoo and conditioner. I used to use Artec's color depositing line but they got bought out by L'Oreal Professional and now the entire collection has been discontinued. I especially loved the Cherry Bark and Red Clover! These two color depositing shampoos did wonders for maintaining shades of intense red. I recently tried to google for online stores that carry the Artec line and I found a few but they were charging up to 49.00 USD for an 8 ounce bottle! I used to pay 11.00 USD when it was available in mass. Talk about crazy! I hate it when products that actually work get discontinued!
The Aveda color line is okay. I know that without it, my red would be less vibrant. However, unlike the Artec that slowly intensified/ripened color, the Aveda seems to wash out each time I shower. I feel like I need to use it daily. The Aveda shampoo is a bit drying and I cannot use the color conditioner every day because it can cause build-up. Basically, my hair feels coated and looks dull.
I use color-safe and color shampoo but my hair is still fading. I know that washing (i.e. water) is *the* main culprit of color fade. Color loss is going to happen and "thems the breaks" when it comes to having dyed hair. I also try to cut back on weekly washings. I use dry shampoos and hair scarves on days I do not shampoo in the shower.
So, for those gals out there that color their hair, what methods and/or products do you rely on for maintaining brightness and intensity?
Fabulous hair Betty. Well worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Glamour Daze! I think I may ask my stylist. There has to be something I can find that will reduce the impact of color fade.
ReplyDeleteI have not dyed my hair in about 3 years. Although before than I did constantly since I was about 13. I always just used Tresemme for colored hair shampoo & some kind of spray in color protector.
ReplyDeleteMy hair still always faded noticeably after about a month. =(
Mine is colored with Special Effects Blood Red/Devilish mix. I wash as little as possible (one a week max). I noticed using Lottabody strips my hair fast and switched to Motions Foam for my wet sets, so I tend to use hot sticks more often (with Layrite Grooming Spray). I have my hair done every 6 to 8 weeks and between time I sometimes will put a dollop of either blood red or devilish into the conditioner and leave it on as long as possible in the shower to refresh the color (basically making my own home-made color conditioner). It helps but nothing really keeps reds from fading (and i've been a redhead longer than i've had my own natural color, lol).
ReplyDeleteThe first day my hair is bright vibrant red and then the next day it's brown. I have no tricks other than to use the wash out non ammonia kind of top just to keep it red. But that washes out also.
ReplyDeleteYour red still looks pretty red to me :)
ReplyDeleteEven though I'm a mainly all over red, I cant use the enhancement/keeper products as I have blonde chunks - and they will go pink! Boo!
Washing is the main problem!
I only wash my hair every third day (I wash & curl my bettie bangs every day though. This helps massively, but there is no cure for the fading red! :(
Melzaelf,
ReplyDeleteI can relate about hair fading noticeably for sure! Every time I visit my stylist, he always says, "wow, your color really faded!" lol
Like I said, having color hair comes with a price!
Shrinky,
ReplyDeleteAdding Special effects in some conditioner sounds like a great idea. When my hair was atomic pink, I added a drop or two of atomic pink into a dollop of Artec Red Clover shampoo. It really did amazing things for color longevity! I miss that Artec stuff!
Trixie,
ReplyDeleteI can relate! My hair is just under two weeks and I can already see my former blond highlight chunk trying to emerge. It is still red but on the first day of color, I couldn't even tell where the blond was previously. I think I am going to order some special effects blood red and add it to my conditioner.
Clare,
ReplyDeleteThanks! Even though my hair is quite red, I can see my formerly blond piece trying to pop out!
Before my hair was all pink, I was blond with black underneath. Then I added a section of bright neon pink and it was a pain trying to keep the colors separated! The main reason I went all pink was due to all the time I was wasting the shower trying to keep the pink from bleeding onto the blond part!
I think we all agree that red just fades quickly and that is the "nature of the beast!" I just need to find a proper color depositing shampoo!
It's so true that red is the hardest colour to maintain. I was a redhead for about 10 years and not only does it fade, I found it was very difficult to find a hairdresser who could do a decent red. I actually found the box colours were the best. Whenever I went to hairdressers to have my regrowth touched up, it would seem to be a different colour each time! I do miss it though :( I always found the colour depositing shampoos were the best. I am actually using one now to try and deposit some red tones in my brown hair and I find it is pretty good. It is Wella Biotouch Color Reflex Shampoo for red hair.
ReplyDeleteI have red hair too, and I used to have to have it coloured every 3 weeks. I started using a red shampoo and I can now go up to 6 weeks. It's the best shampoo I've found, it's be De Lorenzo, which is an Australian brand (but it might be found online). It's called Novafusion and I use Fire Red which is a really bright red but there is also Cherry Red which is a bit darker.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps :)
I just wash it as little as possible. I've also heard that using cooler water over warm/hot water can help, but I've never seen a huge difference with that personally
ReplyDeleteoh wow it's nice to know you all have the same problem at least! My red fades, my only advantage is that I only need to wash once a week anyway as my hair is very thick and quite dry so not prone to greasiness.
ReplyDeleteThanks Miss Dilemma re De Lorenzo I'm going to go and look that up!
Thank you for the suggestions and thoughts, ladies! I really appreciate hearing about your experiences with hair color as well! I definitely know that I am not alone in my efforts to keep my red from fading!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, today I went to my local beauty store, Ulta, and I picked up a jar of Punky Colour by Jerome Russell in Poppy Red. It cost about 8.99 usd and the jar contains 3.5 ounces of product. I am going to mix a little of this semi-permanent color with my Aveda color shampoo in an empty travel bottle. Basically, I am going to make my own special color shampoo. I did this method once before using a blend of Artec Red Clover shampoo and Special Effects Atomic Pink. My hair was pink and black about two years ago.
I will post the results soon!
Your hair still looks like a glorious shade of red to me!
ReplyDeleteMy hair is colored a lighter warm blonde, which technically shouldn't fade, but I definitely notice that the color dulls quickly (and roots seem to appear sooner) if I wash it too frequently. So, I try to wash no more than 2-3 times a week. I also use a color depositing conditioner by Redken every other wash--the conditioner seems to work better than the shampoo options for me. After this runs out I am going to try making my own conditioner, as it sounds like an easy and much less expensive method!
Wish I had some suggestions but this is why I can't be bothered going red again. At the moment I'm too lazy and black is so easy for me to maintain. Hehe. But it's worth the effort - the red hair looks great on you. =D
ReplyDelete-Andi x
Jitterbugdoll,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment! When I was a platinum blond with black underneath, I used Clairol Shimmer Lights. This is a violet-purple colored shampoo that eliminated brassiness or yellowing. My stylist uses it on his blonde clients after their color processes. I also used Patene's Blonde expressions when I was out of the Clairol (I bought the violet shampoo online).
I wish I could get away with washing my hair less! It is quite fine and gets oily fast! If my hair was thicker and my scalp was less oily, my hair color would last longer for sure.
Andi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment! I loved my hair when it was black but the upkeep was tough since my roots came in after a couple of weeks. I think black is the only stead-fast color. You can do anything to it! You can use the harshest shampoos and even dish soap, and that color is not going anywhere! When my hair was black, my stylist would put a deep blue toner/color booster in it to make it extra dark! I loved it!
I used chemical dyes for ages trying to keep my hair red, but now I actually use henna! I get compliments on my hair colour all the time, and in sunlight it looks like it's on fire.
ReplyDeleteThere are certainly positives and negatives associated with using henna on your hair, for one, once you've got it, you're stuck with it. You can't really do anything chemical on top of it (ie: perm or colour), but it lasts a LONG time.
I can get away with washing my hair at least every second day, and after two months I need to redo it only because my blonde roots are showing.
If you're okay with committing to the red for the long run, I definitely suggest henna.
Last week I dyed my hair red in a hair salon... After just 2 washes it has faded A LOT.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna give the "bumble & bumble true red" series a chance, as just using Fudge Color Lock series clearly isn't good enough.
Hiya! I've had my hair red for years.. Many different shades! I completly understand you! I've always had best luck with Privana Vivids.. Its a semi fun color.. I color my hair w/ permanent high definition red .. Then after I shampoo , I mix a shade of orange and red Privama Vivids over for another 45mins. My color lightens but the brightness never gets dull like I've experinced before ;) best of luck
ReplyDeleteI ave bright red hair and I buy a hair dye thaty doesnt require a developer like manic panic or La riche directions etc, Mix 1/3 dye to 2/3 conditioner and leave it in you hair for a little while for brighter results increase amount of die to conditioner and leave for a bit longer, it works like the dye but conditions the hhair as well, only mix up as much as you need at a time as it wont last.
ReplyDeleteI also use Tresseme shampoo and conditioner for my hair and the conditioner for my DIY colour depositing conditioner, as well as the do a spray of a serum type thing that helps protect colour by creating a barrier over it to protect from heat and rain.
Adding a non developer dye works with your shampoo as well.
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