While having natural red hair is like winning the genetic lottery, choosing to live on the ginger side of life is just as fun. But once you’ve achieved your desired level of gingerness, keeping it looking bright can be expensive and a lot of effort. Red is the hardest dyed hair shade to maintain, as the colour particles are larger than other shades, which makes the pigment more difficult to coat the hair. This, unsurprisingly, means it fades quicker.
DON’T WASH YOUR HAIR TOO OFTEN
The more frequently you use water and product on your hair, the quicker the shade washes out. Try to train your hair to go longer between washes. It can be tricky to start off with, but occasionally allow your hair to get a little greasier than normal before washing it, and slowly but surely it’ll get used to being washes less often, and won’t get dirty or greasy as quickly as it used to. Also, over time, you’ll notice that your natural shine and moisture will improve, too.
COOL RINSE AFTER EVERY WASH
This tip is handy for everyone, not just dyed redheads. After washing your hair, your follicles are open and vulnerable after reacting to the warm water. A shiny seal can be achieved through a cool water rinse after conditioning. This closes the hair follicles and strands to reveal a multi-tonal shine, helping to add vibrancy to your hair.
LIMIT THE USE OF HEAT STYLING
It’s unsurprising that using straighteners and blow-driers dries out your hair, making it prone to breakage and dullness. If you ditch these styling methods it’ll do no end of improvements to the condition and colour of your hair, leaving it shinier and stronger, too.
DEEP CONDITION YOUR HAIR EVERY WEEK
While conditioner is extremely important for adding extra nutrients to your hair, a weekly deep conditioning hair mask will inject a super boost of goodness, adding to strength, shine and protection from the elements.
KEEP YOUR HAIR PROTECTED FROM THE SUN
Dyed red hair shades are particularly prone to bleaching when exposed to the sun for long periods. Protect your newfound gingerness from the sun. Use a cover-up like a bandana or a hat, or invest in a sun protection spray to block out those harmful rays.
USE HAIR PRODUCTS DESIGNED FOR REDHEADS
It’s not just natural redheads who can benefit from henna hair products. Containing enough henna to boost shades without permanently dyeing them or changing the shade completely, through continued use our Henna & Rose range keeps dyed gingerness looking bright, and reduces the time between colour top-ups. And not only that, if they’re sulfate-free products, they’re even better at prolonging your dyed shade.
