Vibrant. Bold. Powerful. These are just a few words that come to mind when you think of red hair color. One less exciting attribute: fast-fading. As celebrity hairstylist & Sally Beauty styling expert Gregory Patterson shared here, red is the largest dye molecule, making it more of a surface-sitting, staining pigment. It washes and wears out more quickly since it doesn’t penetrate as deeply as other shades. The good news? You can do things right at home to help refresh faded red hair.
In this article
Start With Long-Lasting Red Hair Color
Keep Your Red Hair Color From Washing Down The Drain
Wash Less Often
Protect Your Red Hair Color While Styling
And Protect Your Red Hair Color From The Environment
Use A Color-Depositing Hair Mask In Between Color Applications
Bottom Line
Need Help Finding A Red Hair Color?
Frequently Asked Questions
Start With Long-Lasting Red Hair Color
When it comes to formulas, permanent hair color will give you the most bang for your buck. Lasting up to eight weeks (depending on the brand, how quickly your hair grows & how often you wash it), it provides the strongest, longest-lasting coverage compared to its demi and semi-permanent counterparts. It is also ideal if you are looking for gray coverage. Sally brands like ion®, L’Oreal, AGEbeautiful and bondbar™ have a wide range of permanent red shades, from lighter copper, auburn and strawberry blonde, to deeper wine and magenta.
Keep Your Red Hair Color From Washing Down The Drain
To keep red hair color from fading, investing in hair care products designed for color-treated strands is key. These include hydrating, sulfate-free shampoos that gently cleanse without stripping and ultra-moisturizing conditioners with color-protecting properties.
Committing to a full color-treated hair repair system can help keep your color looking fresh and undo any damage you might have experienced from the coloring process.
Also important? Your water temperature. Hot water can open your hair’s cuticle, allowing your red hair color to seep out. Cooler water helps keep your cuticle closed, helping to preserve your color. If washing your hair with cold water gives torture vibes, try to at last do a last rinse with cooler water.
Wash Less Often
The more often you expose your hair to water, the more likely it is to fade – even if you use a color-preserving shampoo and conditioner. If you can keep your wash days to once per week, it will go a long way to helping your color last longer. A great dry shampoo & conditioner can help your hair look and feel fresh in between washes.
Protect Your Red Hair Color While Styling
Heat exposure is a major color-fading culprit. We wouldn’t dream of asking you to give up your favorite flat iron or curling wand. But when you do heat style, use a heat protectant to help protect your colored hair. And try to keep heat styling to once or twice a week to help minimize the exposure.
And Protect Your Red Hair Color From The Environment
Heat from the sun can also cause color fade. Wearing a hat or head scarf on really sunny days can help. And using a double-duty styling product that protects against hot tools and UV rays, like this one from Strawberry Leopard™, delivers a great one-two punch.
Chlorine is also a hair color killer – sorry, pool partiers. Help form a protective barrier between your hair and the harsh pool chemicals by smoothing on a conditioning mask or spritzing on a leave-in like ion® Swimmer’s Leave-In Conditioner, designed specifically to protect against sun and water damage before you take a dip.
Use A Color-Depositing Hair Mask In Between Color Applications
For a quick color refresh, try a color-depositing mask. These multi-taskers deposit temporary color without causing damage to make your red hair appear brighter and healthier in five to 10 minutes. Tip: Wear gloves when applying to help protect your skin from the pigment.
Bottom Line
Although red hair color may be prone to fading, with the right color-protecting hair care products (non-negotiables: shampoo, conditioner, heat protectant) and a few tweaks to your routine (less washing, more shielding), you can help keep it looking fresher, longer.
Need Help Finding A Red Hair Color?
Are you new to red hair dye or want to explore a new shade? Connect with a Licensed Colorist OnDemand for a free and fast hair color consultation. They can help you find a new color, introduce you to a new brand and answer any questions about applying and preserving red hair color at home.