Keeping the Colour/Reducing Damage

Anyone that has red hair knows how sad it is when they wash their hair and see all the colour going down the drain. When the colour fades so quickly you have to keep re-dying your hair very frequently which causes more damage to your hair. I have came across some products and tricks that help you keep that brilliant colour for longer.
First off, you need to stop washing your hair everyday. I wash mine anywhere from every other day to every 3 days depending my activity that week. Many people think that it is gross to not wash your hair everyday but it is actually really good for your hair to give it a break. Every time you wash your hair you are stripping the natural oils that you hair builds on its own, making it dry and brittle if you wash too much. I'm not saying to go a whole week without washing, just give it a few days break. Every time you wash your red hair you are also giving the colour a chance to wash out, this is mainly what causes fading.
Second, you need to evaluate the products you use. The shampoo you use should be a delicate one that does not contain sulfate in it. I highly recommend this shampoo by L'oreal:

This shampoo is amazing, I noticed a huge difference once I started using it. This product ranges from $17-$25 for a small bottle depending on where you purchase it. Next you need to use a conditioner that has colour in it. I had trouble finding this at first but I finally found a great product at Shoppers Drug Mart by IceCream:

I use this cherry red colour mask as my regular conditioner, $19 at shoppers drugmart. It is a little high maintenance to use but I swear by it, it really keeps your hair from fading. The delicate shampoo alone does not do the trick. Use this on damp, shampooed hair. Use gloves when applying and allow to sit on hair for 5-10 minutes before washing out. Not only does it help with the colour it makes your hair soft and shiny. 

Thirdly, just a few tips that will keep hair from fading/ keeping it healthy. Always make sure your hair is completely dry before you step outside, any type of sunshine will cause the colour to fade drastically(even in the winter). It will also dry out your hair. When you wash your hair do not use really hot water, you don't have to go as drastic as using really cold water but using super hot water will wash the colour out. Use warm water. Use hair products wisely, using a lot of mosse/hairspray will cause your hair to become dirty and need to be washed more often. One product I use every time after I wash my hair is Argan oil, this stuff is great because you only need a little bit and it adds moisture to your hair which also makes it easier to brush through. It doesn't make your hair greasy if you only use a little and also because when you dye your hair it does damage it and dry it out which makes it really hard to brush/comb when its wet. 

This product comes in oil/spray/cream form. I have used the oil and spray, I prefer the oil because it lasts so longer and I feel you get your monies worth. I found this product for $20, was very happy with that price:) Another thing that can reduce fading is the use of heat styling utensils like flat irons and curling irons. I found the least damaging to the colour is a hair dryer, I use it almost every day to freshen up my hair when I'm not washing it that day. 

I hope this has helped you with concerns you've had about keep red hair. Any questions at all, just ask I will be happy to answer:) Hope you enjoy!

Dark to Bright

When I decided that I wanted to be a vibrant, bright redhead, my hair was already dyed fairly dark.

If I wanted to get the red I desired I would have to bleach my hair, then dye it the red I wanted because dye will not lift already dyed hair. A fabulous friend I have going through hair school told me about this great hair dye made by L'oreal. It is the only type of dye that will lift already dyed hair. It is called L'oreal Majicontrast, Magenta- a red with a pink tinge to it. It also comes in the shade of red, just depends on what look you are going for.

This colour is only sold in certain stores, mainly stores for professionals to shop in which requires a membership to shop at that you can only have if you are a trained professional. Luckily my fabulous friend I was talking about earlier allows me to use her card to purchase my hair products. The store I shop at is called Cosmo Prof and I highly recommend it to anyone that has access to a professionals card. This dye goes for $13 a bottle, which to me is a very good price! If you are unable to shop at Cosmo Prof due to the membership issue you can find almost the same colour at Sally Beauty (a beuty supply store open to the public), I've only noticed the slightest difference in colour. It is called L'oreal Excellence HiColor in Magenta or Red.


< This picture doesn't do the colour justice, It is much brighter than that. You will see in the pictures of my hair.




Another product you will need is called developer, it comes in different levels of volume (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, etc). You don't necessarily have to use the same brand of developer as you do hair dye, I usually just buy the kind that is on sale at the time. They all do the same job, which is to lift to the specific colour you are trying to achieve. The higher the number, the more the colour will lift. Here is the kind that matches the brand:

Now that I have covered colour and where to get it, now for the process. For dying at home you will need:

• a plastic bowl/squeeze bottle to mix colour in- some find a squeeze bottle easier for when you are dying your own hair, I prefer the bowl and brush but everyone is different
• a plastic hair application brush for mixing and applying the dye
• old clothes you don/t care about
• towels/plastic sheets to cover counter and floor
• gloves
• towel for neck- make sure you dont care about the towels you use, if you get dye on them they will most likely be stained

Steps:

1. Cover all surfaces you may destroy with towels or plastic sheets. The dye usually comes off with rubbing alcohol if you get it on the counter of floor but it is much easier just to protect it to avoid possible stains. Wear towel around neck if skin is exposed to prevent stains on skin.
2. Divide your hair into sections to make application easier and use clips to hold in place.
3. Put on gloves
4. Add tube of colour to your bowl, then 75 mL (5 tablespoons) of developer. If you have long hair you will have to use more than one tube of colour, therefore you will need to add 75 mL of developer for each tube of colour you use. My hair was past my shoulders and I needed two tubes.
5. Mix colour together until completely combined.
6. Apply to hair and leave for 30-35 minutes. If you have roots that are lighter than the rest of your hair you must apply the colour to all of your hair EXCEPT for the roots and leave for 25-30 minutes. Once the time is up, apply the rest of the colour to your roots and leave for 5 minutes. This is done because the lighter hair (roots) will lift much faster than the rest of your hair and therefore will take much less time. If you do not follow this instruction your roots will be much lighter than the rest of your hair.
7. Once colour has be left on for 30-35 minutes you need to rinse it out.
8. Shampoo hair
9. Condition hair
10. Blow dry hair to see your new brilliant colour!!

Results:

Before                                                                                                      

After
The after picture shows the colour I ended up with after one application. You may not be able to tell in the picture but the colour is not solid it has different colours all throughout it, the more you dye it the more of a solid red it will become. Because red is a colour that fades really easily it requires a full application everytime. This special colour is a highlighter, therefore it lightens the colour every time. Because you are colouring a full head every time the next part is very important to maintain healthy hair. This kind of colour can be very damaging to yor hair if not used right.

< I continued to dye my hair until I got it to the colour I desired. Because I did not want my hair to get lighter and lighter every time I dyed it, I had to modify my process of dying. On the steps I gave you for dying step 4 and 6 will change to:

4. Add a tube of colour to mixing bowl (1 1/2 for long hair), then 75 mL(5 tablespoons) of WARM water (7 1/2 Tablespoons for long hair). ** The warm water will allow the dye to stain your hair instead of lifting it, this will keep the colour how you want it and not make it any lighter**

6. Apply the mixture to your hair EXCEPT roots and let sit for 25-30 minutes. While your hair is sitting mix 1/2 a tube of colour and 2 1/2 tablespoons of developer if your roots are up to 1" or 1 tube of colour and 5 tablespoons of developer if your roots are more than 1" long. Because your roots aren't already at the right level the hair needs to be lifted so you must still use the developer on your roots. But just the same as last time only leave on roots for 5 minutes. Then you may continue with the rest of the steps!
More posts on preserving colour and keeping hair healthy to come!
Hope you enjoy this information and find it helpful!