DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed or trained professional. I did not go to school for hair, only makeup. I am only doing this because I have gotten so many questions. Anything you take from this post will be at your own risk.
Even though I'm a natural blonde & nobody ever understands why I'd want to be any other color I often experiment with my hair. Naturally my hair looks like this:
Excuse the quality of this photo it was taken when cellphones were still new and iPhones didn't exist. Lol
Over the years I've had lots of colors but the color I was before the red was a box color (don't judge me!) 'dark brown' which is basically black.
This was right before I had a friend lighten it at the salon. Originally I first tried to use a color remover from Sally's and I highly recommend NOT trying that. My hair was like straw and I honestly thought it was going to break off. It smelled like eggs & death and the smell was there for about a week even after constantly washing it. Not to mention as you can see it didn't really make a difference. Which is why I called up a professional which I highly recommend doing if you need to lighten your hair. So she did her thing and lightened me up applying the red dye after. Unfortunately I do not know what she used.
This was a picture before I started messing with it on my own.
Maintenance:
After it started to fade (about 2 weeks) I retouched it using the L'oreal hi color dye from Sally's in "red hot" which is made for dark hair and since I still had some pieces of brown in my hair I figured I'd give it a go.
Warning: When mixing the little tube of red from the HiColor box wear gloves & put down paper towels, it will get everywhere & it will stain everything!
When my roots would surface & I wanted a quick touch up I would use the same red dye I used whe. I had red ombré in my hair which is the joico color intensity in "red".
Basically every 2-3 weeks I was retouching using either 1 or the other. It became torture.
What it currently looks like with out any filters:
Washing:
My hair was basically my boyfriend these past few months, it requires a lot of attention. One of the biggest things you have to consider when going red is will you have the time & patience for it. Having had red ombré before I knew a small fraction of what I was getting myself into.
When I get into the shower the first thing I do is wash my hair in ice cold water (since it's winter it sucks!). I was told to do this by a hairdresser to make the color last longer. Once I'm done washing it I pin it back, put a shower cap on and turn the water up as hot as it will go.
I was also told to wash my hair with a sulfate free shampoo & I have been using the Healthy Sexy Hair color safe soy moisturizing shampoo. I love this shampoo, it doesn't fade the color & it smells amazing, like gingerbread men!
(Photo credit: ulta.com)
After using this I would use the color replenishing conditioner sold at Sally's called riveting reds. It's blood red & will stain your shower walls if you do not clean it off.
What it looks like out of the bottle:
I still used my biosilk silk therapy & chi keratin mist without any problems.
A few things you should know about washing:
- no matter how many times you was it it will still bleed while washing & if you wear a light color with wet hair or get stuck in a down pour your clothing will be ruined.
- if you want it to last wash it as little as possible. This was probably my biggest pet peeve.
This is all over my shower.
Final thoughts:
It was fun being a red head, I felt like the little mermaid meets Jessica rabbit but it is a lot of work. I'm about to end this annoying love-hate relationship with my hair. Yes, I'll be sad it's gone & will miss the look of it. No, I won't miss taking care of it & planning my life around it.
Any additional questions? Leave them in the comments below! <3
