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“It’s not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What’s hard, she said, is figuring out what you’re willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about.”

– Shauna Niequist

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Hello loves!

I get asked a ton of questions about my hair, and the most common is how I maintain it. Red is the most difficult color to maintain (purple, blue and pastels are up there as well) and there is no avoiding the fading issue, but there are ways to keep it from happening as quickly. And these tips can help anyone with dyed hair, not just those with red! 🙂

If you want to see how I achieved the red I have now, check out this post!

Tip # 1:

Be patient! Red pigment builds up in your hair over time. When you initially dye it, it will seem like it rinses out within the first week or so. That’s normal! If you naturally have red in your hair, it will hold better than someone who doesn’t.. But in any case, it will take a long period of time for red pigment to build up and stay in your hair. Once it does, you’ll slowly see improvement in the length of time it takes to fade.

Tip # 2:

Get used to seeing your money wash down the drain…. Literally. Red runs red… Plain and simple. The water never runs clear! You aren’t doing anything wrong, whether the red lasts a week or two months, you will always see red washing down the drain. So sad!

Tip # 3:

Cut down on washing your hair, as much as possible! This won’t be easy at first, but with time, your scalp won’t produce oils as quickly. I can wash my hair once a week now without any issue!

Tip # 4:

This goes hand in hand with the previous tip; dry shampoo is your best friend! When you hair starts feeling greasy, use a dry shampoo! Or even baby powder… Which I actually prefer over any dry shampoo. Apply some to your scalp and massage it in. It will soak up the oils and for an added bonus, give a little bit of volume! The dry shampoo I’ve used for over a year now is Batiste! It’s sold at Ulta and the drugstore – love it.

Tip # 5:

When you do wash, wash with as cold of water as possible… I rarely ever wash my hair in the shower now. It’s sad. I hate it. But typically I’ll wash my hair either in the sink or leaning in the bathtub, because I use pretttyyyy cold water. Warm/Hot water sucks the pigment out of your hair like no other!!!

Tip # 6:

Hold the heat. Blow-drying, straightening and curling… Using any tool with heat can shorten the life of your color.

Tip # 7:

Find a shampoo you love! Yes, sulfate-free shampoos can help, with any shade of dyed hair… But above all, I recommend just finding one you can trust, that works and that maintains as healthy of hair as possible. The healthier your hair is, the better it will look. Also, the better it will hold pigment!

Tip # 8:

Deep conditioning masks once a week! Healthy hair not only looks better, but it holds color better. When your hair is lacking in protein, your color can come out patchy and uneven. Another option when first dying your hair is using a protein filler! I mentioned my favorite here!

You can make homemade hair masks for a bunch of different concerns! My favorite to make is: a raw egg, banana, and olive oil (coconut oil is great too). Throw it all in a blender until smooth, apply from roots to ends and let it sit for a half hour to an hour and then wash it out! Wash and shampoo really well. I like to do this a few days before I dye my hair and it makes a huge difference in the end result!

Tip # 9:

Touch up with semi-permanent hair dye…. This has been an absolute life saver for me. I mention it in my previous post on how I dyed my hair, but I use Ion Color Brilliance in Red, mix it with conditioner and apply it just like you would regular hair dye. No developer added so it’s not damaging to the hair, leave it in for a few hours if you want… This refreshes your color and I’ve skipped out on touching up my roots for months thanks to that! I keep a bottle of it mixed with conditioner in my shower and use that when I’m in a rush, but typically I’ll just take my time on a day that I’m free and totally cover my entire head with that mixture. Another bonus – because you mixed it with conditioner – your hair is SO soft afterwards!

These are the tips that I have found most helpful. Remember, be patient. Red is a pain, but it’s so worth it!

If you have any additional tips that worked for you, leave them in the comments below!

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Thank you for reading! xoxo.