I've read everywhere how frustrating it is to have to constantly redye red hair, but I still want to give it a go.
Do hair products like shampoo/ conditioner for reds work better or are they just gimmicks?
Any other tips?





I've read everywhere how frustrating it is to have to constantly redye red hair, but I still want to give it a go.
Do hair products like shampoo/ conditioner for reds work better or are they just gimmicks?
Any other tips?
Women of color:
Shake your ass and preserve your heritage.
Bang those fucking drums.
Do it for the present and future generations.
Have fun and stick it to the man at the same time. (bad-dominicana)
I have red hair (Vampire Red by Manic Panic) and it's indeed a bitch to keep it red (it fades to pink, orange-based reds will fade orange)... What I do is wash it with cold water only and wash it 2 times a week tops. I wish I could only do it once a week but it gets greasy so yeah...
I haven't tried any products for red hair because I haven't really heard many good things about them, I'll get an SLS-free shampoo soon though. Try not to use shampoo for dandruff if you can, it strips the colour out.You can put some of the dye in your conditioner, but for me that doesn't really do anything. A lot of people with coloured hair do it though so maybe it's just me...
I don't know if it's any different for permanent reds since mine's a semi, but in a nutshell there's not much you can do except 1. cold water, 2. don't wash it too often (yay for dry shampoo) and 3. SLS-free shampoo.
I'm going to dye it to dark purple soon though 'cause I'm quite sick of everyone saying I have pink hair. Pisses me off soooo much ugh...
I've been dying my hair red for over a decade and that shit just fades. It's also very difficult to fully get rid of if/when you want to switch things up.
Dye dirty hair - as in, not freshly washed. I usually try to give it 24-48 hours between my last wash and next dye job. After you wash out the dye and condition, wait a while for your next wash as well (24-48 again). I've tried using colour saving shampoos/conditioners, but the colour will never really be the same as when it's newly dyed.





oh man, yeah the red color really washes out fast! i read an article by a woman who said she put in a tone when it started to fade, you can get them at sally's. and hair masks, and color-safe shampoos.
http://beautyeditor.ca/2012/08/07/th...is-natural-ha/ here's the article. it sounds like a lot of work, but maybe give it a try? i would love to try red hair, but im lazy about salon appointments





I've always wondered if adding dye to conditioner would actually do anything- I doubt it since its only on the hair for a few minutes, but who knows.
I'm gonna go with Pravana dye, I'm seeing it is the closest thing to a permanent dye, usually it needs to be cut out because it won't strip away completely. Sounds like it is worth a shot.
Women of color:
Shake your ass and preserve your heritage.
Bang those fucking drums.
Do it for the present and future generations.
Have fun and stick it to the man at the same time. (bad-dominicana)
I use semi-permanent dye of the same color once a month to keep it up. I also add some of that semi-permanent dye to my shampoo. But, expect to clean your tub a lot more often.
^ugh yes, forgot to mention that! My sheets, pillow and towels are pink. Thank goodness I love all things black so it doesn't really affect my clothes and I'm getting black sheets soon... But if you love white or just light coloured clothing, beware! oh and if it rains, I hope you have an umbrella or wear lots of hoodies, because your face is going to stain pink.
Red is the hardest color to keep and the hardest to remove from your hair completely. There are some ways to help keep the color fresh.
Choosing a Color:
If you want RED red hair, like bright punk red: here are some tips. Firstly, do not use Manic Panic. It sucks ass. Maybe if you want the color for a few days and then have it fade away.. go for it. I'd rather my shit last. Special Effects is a great vegetable based dye, comes in a variety of colors... (My favorite red is Candy Apple Red - it's a cool Red, versus Blood Red which is warm.) The pinks last forever. Forever. If you want magenta, go for the Virgin Rose. It's beautiful and you may never have to touch it up.
More natural reds, I recommend Redken Shades. Fire Rocket is fantastic.
Maintaining:
Use a color safe PROFESSIONAL shampoo and conditioner OR a shampoo that deposits red color. When I was red, I used Redken's Color Extend Shampoo & Conditioner.. along with some of the other products in the protectant line. Do not purchase these from a drug store, make sure they come from a professional stylist/salon. This way you know the product is not watered down and the pH levels are governed.
Do not wash your hair every day. You shouldn't wash it every day anyway, but definitely not when you have red hair. I try to go 2 days without washing and use a dry shampoo for in between washes like Tigi's Rockstar or Aveda has a spray, I forget the name, that you spray at the roots and it gets rid of your excess oil.
When you wash your hair, avoid using very hot water in general. Heat opens the cuticle and will fade your color faster. Also, when you're done in the shower, hit your hair with COLD water. This seals the cuticle and lessens fading afterwards.
Adding color to your conditioner is going to have you adding pink to your hair. I know many girls who mix their reds with conditioner to dye their bleach blonde hair a pale pink. It doesn't really add the red.
The sunlight will fade your color, which is why red is especially hard in the summer months. Use a color protector spray, again I recommend Redken, for those days in the sun.. if you must.
If you go the more natural route, or a bright red that's not so "fire engine," I can recommend this product as a good "color touch up" in between visits to the salon/long nights in the bathroom re-dying. Keune Add In Color Extension Conditioner in Red. It's been a while since I used it, but you put it all over, leave it for the recommended time, and then wash out. It's like a color treatment and it does add in some lost pigment.
Another tip. No red is permanent, despite what the bottle says. It will fade and using the "permanent" colors chemicals on your hair will only damage it more and make it less likely to hold the color. If you have dark hair now and would like a red tint, I'd add special effects to your hair and I can guarantee it will look awesome and last longer than that Manic Panic garbage.
No offense, but hair should be clean when you are coloring it. The more dirt and products stuck to the hair, the more the pigment will attach to those things and wash right out. Hair should only be dirty when you are bleaching and that is to have natural oils on your scalp to protect it from the bleach.
Wash your hair, skip the conditioner, and dry it before coloring.
I know a lot of people say not to use Manic Panic, but on my hair it actually lasts a long time... The only reason it's fading faster now is that I'm in Japan and the sun is just killing me. In my home country it stays red for weeks before fading to a more pinky red.
I think it really depends on your hair whether Manic Panic will stick well or not, but I do agree that if you want to be safe, you're better off with another brand.





Ahhh yes, I know about the staining. I have Special Effects dye on my head right now. I went purple- so for a while my hands, shirts, everything was purple. I do love SFX though, so I won't be going the Manic Panic route.
The special effects faded and its still a pretty purple-pink. I just noticed that my hands aren't stained anymore, so even after 2 months it is still a great color. I know I won't be as lucky with red dye though.
Since I'm dying weave hair, it's going to be squeaky clean initially anyway. I will be bleaching it, whatever shade 30 developer gets me to is what I will be putting the color on top of.
Women of color:
Shake your ass and preserve your heritage.
Bang those fucking drums.
Do it for the present and future generations.
Have fun and stick it to the man at the same time. (bad-dominicana)





Which shade can I use to get this?
redd1.JPG
Women of color:
Shake your ass and preserve your heritage.
Bang those fucking drums.
Do it for the present and future generations.
Have fun and stick it to the man at the same time. (bad-dominicana)
for that look, I would go with Devilish or Candy Apple Red. Devilish has more pink undertones to it, but both are cool reds.





Yay! Another Vote for Devilish! I was suggesting Devilish mixed with Burgundy Wine... not sure how the exact ratio would go... but it should work.
When it comes to color fade what can be done?
Washing hair less.
Not using super hardcore hair gels/sprays with a heavy alcohol content.
Some people recommend avoiding sun exposure.
Avoiding chlorinated water.
Remember the color glazes that were popular a few years ago? That's another option.
Beyond that, from my experience with Special Effects dye, I never encountered anything harmful from simply adding more dye as the color began to fade.
But yes... Semipermanent color will fade. Permanent color will fade somewhat.... but much more slowly.
You want to know what almost NEVER fades? Henna. Henna is serious stuff. I have no experience with it personally but two of my friends had the loveliest, thickest, glossiest, vibrant burgundy hair. They used Henna. The color selection is somewhat limited but some research could be worth it. http://hennaexporters.net/id3.html Just keep in mind it is INCREDIBLY difficult to get vegetable dyes like Henna out of hair if you end up changing your mind.
More swatches: http://www.bierba.it/wp-content/uplo...-herbatint.jpg




Sorry for the slight threadjack. If I want a natural but rich red color and have been dyeing my naturally dirty blonde hair dark brown with demi permanent dye, how light will I need to get it before I can go around this shade of red?
Idk why we want to torture ourselves with this elusive shade, PV, but I'm right there with you.
the point to use special shampoos and conditioners is that when you dye ur hair your hair gets opened to be able to take in the red pigments. If you use the right shampoo it helps to close the hair and keep in the pigments. Which will be amazing because u can keep your desired hair colour for a longer period of time. But this kind of shampoo is only good after you dyed your hair. If you wash regularly any colour protection shampoo will do the trick.




AVEDA Color Conserve shampoo and their Madder Root conditioner....left on like a hair mask.
mellymay.com




Henna will pretty much NEVER come out of your hair. It turns brassy really quickly and you end up using it often to maintain. If you EVER plan on coloring your hair to lighter color, you can pretty much expect a major amount of damage leading to breakage, and the henna will tint that color toward a pink/orange tone. I've known many girls who've thusly dyed their hair black to cover it up.
I don't recommend it despite it being a natural alternative to other dyes.
mellymay.com
BAQ henna will not make your hair fall out if you use it on dyed hair. Lots of people use it to make their hair healthier after dying it. The problem is using "henna" with metallic compounds...that really fucks up your hair. But henna is one of those forever things. If you are SURE you only want red tones, it's a great option. Whether it is brassy or not depends on the henna, some have orange tones and some have red depending on where it is grown. Usually if you see henna that is more of a burgundy or darker red, it's multiple applications. Henna bonds to the protein in your hair so it cannot wash out or be stripped out, so when you reapply unless you do your roots your hair will get progressively darker.



Wash with cold water only all the time. Warm water opens your hair's cuticle up, which lets your color out faster. Any heat will do this, so limit heat-based styling tools, wash with cold water, add color to your shampoo, conditioner. I've never tried any of the products that are supposed to keep the life of your color, but I've heard good things about Pravana color lasting a while.
xoxoxox
^My hair is naturally "dirty blonde," which pigments both red and blonde highlights in the sun. This may help me hold red color better. I messed around with SO many different dyes, but the closest I've come to that color (which is pretty close) is the one I now use regularly (I get all products from Sally's Beauty Supply):
Clairol Creme Demi line
2 Parts 6R:1 Part 7N
OR 2 Parts 6R:1 Part 6N
+
Equal parts Clairol creme demi developer
Process for 30-40 mins
My hair is almost to my butt, and I mix for a total volume of 5-6 oz. and usually have a little left over. You can do the color 3:1 if you want the red to be brighter.
6N is the darker blonde shade, which might be better if you're coming from a darker base color so that it doesn't get too orange. I now use 7N because I like the color a little brighter, for the authentic ginger look, and when it fades it fades to an attractive strawberry blonde shade. And make no mistake, it will fade.
I use demi permanent because the developer is much more gentle than permanent dyes, plus the total cost for the color/developer/equipment (plastic bottle, gloves, etc) comes out to about $20-$25. To ensure an even application, I use protein filler on the ends of my hair and let it sit 10-15 mins before dying.
I color my hair once every month - month 1/2, with virtually no damage, and have done so for a year. If I wash my hair every other day, it really doesn't fade *too* bad. Overall I'm very happy with Clairol's line! I've never used any toners, because I don't know how they work, and I'm kind of scared to experiment with something outside of my comfort zone - I'd be curious if anyone has experience with it though.
If you want, I can PM you a picture of what my hair color looks like, tuesdaymarie. It's a little brighter than that picture, but only because I wanted it to be - I achieved close to Bonnie Wright's shade with the 6N, one of the first times I dyed, and now I use 7N. You can mess around with the ratio's each time you dye and find the perfect mixture of color/shades for you.![]()
Last edited by summerbre; 09-11-2013 at 02:01 PM. Reason: Added processing time
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- Anne Morris
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