Greetings! And welcome back!
In honor of getting my hair color touched up today, I thought I would share with you some of my tips for keeping my hair color locked in and vibrant. Maintaining colored hair can be tricky and a hassle sometimes, but hopefully some of these tips will help you keep your color looking fresher longer!
About 7 months ago I decided to take the plunge and dye my hair red, and I can’t imagine going back! Since I have warmer undertones in my skin, the color I chose–I told my hairstylist to copy the color of EMMA STONE–goes just as well as my blond hair did. But you may have heard–and so did I–that maintaining red hair color is INCREDIBLY hard work. It is the fastest fading hair color there is, so upkeep is a must if you want to keep it looking vibrant. I had dreamed of becoming a redhead for a while, so I was enthusiastic about the challenge. It’s taken me a while to understand what really works and what doesn’t, but I think I’ve got the science down. Below are list of tips and tricks that I use to keep my color looking vibrant between colorings.
Tip #1: Stop washing. That’s right, you heard me: stop it. Washing your hair on a regular basis will strip it of any color you have much faster than normal. I stopped washing my hair every other day long before I colored my hair, but I must say that washing it only once or twice a week has really helped keep the red color locked in for longer.
Tip #2: Use a dry shampoo. This goes hand-in-hand with tip #1, because how else are you supposed to care for your hair for 4 to 5 days without your scalp feeling like it’s dripping with oil? Dry shampoo has become my new best friend since coloring my hair. It soaks up any oil that my hair and scalp have accumulated and makes my hair appear as though I have just washed it. It also helps add texture to my hair, which makes styling it that much easier. My favorite is THIS ONE by Batiste, which I picked up on the recommendation of CASEY HOLMES while watching one of her hair care videos.
Tip #3: When you wash, use shampoo/conditioner designed for colored hair. If you color your hair, try to pick up a shampoo and conditioner that are made for the shade that you picked. I use the Reviving Red line from Pureology on the recommendation of my hair stylist. It is sulfate free and does not strip the hair of it’s color when used. I picked mine up at ULTA.
Tip #4: Rinse in cool water. I read somewhere that rinsing your hair in cool water keeps dyed color locked in for longer amounts of time, and since red hair color fades REALLY quickly I made sure to start rinsing my hair in as cold of water as I could stand once I had it dyed. I did not want my color going ANYWHERE. It’s a bit of an unpleasant experience, because who likes a cold shower? But washing my hair in warm/hot water left it looking brassy and dull, while rinsing in cool water made it vibrant and shiny. This trick really works!
Tip #5: Use a leave-in conditioner. This is a MUST. Whenever I wash my hair, I always use a leave-in treatment immediately after. I currently use the It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In plus Keratin that I picked up from ULTA, which is by far my favorite brand. This stuff smells ah-may-zing, and the benefits are endless. It helps de-tangle and de-frizz your hair, restores hydration, adds shine, protects the natural keratin in hair, as well as shields against heat. My hair would be lost without it.
Tip #6: Keep the blow-drying to a minimum. Heat is damaging to hair and hair color, so I usually like to let my hair air dry before I do anything with it. If I’m in a rush I will usually blow dry and style my hair, but let’s be honest: I’m a lazy girl at heart, so I more often than not I tend to let my hair air dry in an updo or a braid.
Tip #7: Use a heat protectant. Always, always, always make sure to use a heat protectant before you use any heat on your hair, from either a blow-dryer or flat/curling iron. I use THIS on wet or dry hair whenever I go at my hair with a styling tool.
Tip #8: Protect your hair from the sun. As I’ve noted before, heat is the number one damage-causer to hair color (hot water, blowdrying, and now the sun). If you’re going to spend long periods of time in the sun, make sure to either use a UV protection product in your hair, or wear a hat. There’s nothing like the sun to suck the life out of your newly colored red hair.
There you have it! 8 tips to help keep your red hair vibrant for longer. I hope these tips help you if you have been struggling with keeping your hair color looking fresh. And please don’t worry if you’re having trouble with getting your red hair to stay vibrant: as I noted before red hair color is the fastest to fade, which makes it the hardest to get to stick. It took about 3 or 4 times of coloring my hair before I saw it start to fade less and less each time I washed it. Don’t lose hope my friends!
Let me know in the comments down below any tips you use to keep your hair color lasting longer! I would love to know what products you guys use!
Until next time! Ciao for now!
xo Kelsey
K. Catherine 
