Red hair dye - home or salon?

Faith

After getting blonde highlights for most of my life, I went red this week. My hairdresser put a lovely all over coppery colour in with a handful of blonde highlights. However, even after just one wash, I can tell the color has faded a little and I know it’ll be very hard to keep it red - half because red is generally hard to maintain and half because the blonde is desperate to come back out. I can’t afford to go to the hairdresser every month for colour, so I’m wondering if I can do it at home (even a top up between salon colours)?

Does anyone know how box dyes for red compare to salon versions? And could anyone recommend a good one for a lightish, coppery red?

QueenRizla

Would you think about Henna? It sounds like the colour is what you are looking for and you are looking at a few euros a year and done at home.

coffee_cake

Box dyes turn out lovely. Would recommend over spending a fortune every 6 weeks in hairdressers

Scraggs

You could try a Revlon Colour Bomb once a week. It's a conditioning mask with pigments that is brill for refreshing colour. There is also a Wella Colour Fresh toner that you leave in for 20 mins and it deposits pigments but I have not used any of the red shades but its great for blondes.


Edited to add: if you do decide to use a box dye or henna make sure to let your hairdresser know at the next colour application as there can be reactions!

GingerLily

I would try this stuff first-
https://www.beautybay.com/haircare/revlonprofessional/revlonissimoforintensecoppers45daystotalcolourcareshampooconditioner/
It deposits a small amount of colour, I use the revlon colour bombs too - but that can be uneven and too bright sometimes.

Temporary colours are definitely the best way to keep your hair vibrant!!

Faith

Excellent, thank you all! I’ll definitely try the product you linked, GingerLily. If it’s still a bit dull or fading, I’ll try a box dye and see how that goes. Im reluctant to use henna as I believe it can react with a lot of dyes.

GingerLily

Faith wrote: »

Excellent, thank you all! I’ll definitely try the product you linked, GingerLily. If it’s still a bit dull or fading, I’ll try a box dye and see how that goes. Im reluctant to use henna as I believe it can react with a lot of dyes.

Leave it on for a good 5 minutes for your first wash to get a bit more colour and I use conditioner afterwards too!

Faith

GingerLily wrote: »

Leave it on for a good 5 minutes for your first wash to get a bit more colour and I use conditioner afterwards too!

Do you use it every time you shampoo or less frequently?

GingerLily

Faith wrote: »

GingerLily wrote: »

Leave it on for a good 5 minutes for your first wash to get a bit more colour and I use conditioner afterwards too!

Do you use it every time you shampoo or less frequently?

Most washes, at least twice a week! I'm still on my first bottle and I bought it in December.

I've used other colour depositing shampoos and this one definitely works on highlighted hair best, as others can darken your hair a bit and go a bit more "red" then "copper"

Teacher23

Scraggs wrote: »

You could try a Revlon Colour Bomb once a week. It's a conditioning mask with pigments that is brill for refreshing colour. There is also a Wella Colour Fresh toner that you leave in for 20 mins and it deposits pigments but I have not used any of the red shades but its great for blondes.


Edited to add: if you do decide to use a box dye or henna make sure to let your hairdresser know at the next colour application as there can be reactions!

I would second this suggestion, my sister has bright orange (dyed) hair and uses colour bomb regularly to keep the colour bright, she swears by it!

MinnieMinx

Remember to use a quality sulphate free shampoo for coloured hair otherwise you’re wasting your money. Osmo shampoo for coloured hair is a pro brand that isn’t expensive. Drugstore shampoos are full of cheap detergents that strip your colour very quickly.
Any copper or red direct dye will keep your colour lasting longer.

Faith

I said I'd come back with an update, as you were all so helpful . I bought the shampoo GingerLily recommended first. Even with using that, the colour was changing and going more of a golden auburn shade - generally not bright or vibrant enough to be considered 'red'. So, after some research, I dyed my hair at home using this:



It initially came out very strong, but after a wash, it settled into a gorgeous natural copper shade. Between that and using the Revlon shampoo, I'm delighted with my hair!

monaghanmissus

I've found this product brilliant for keeping coloured hair vibrant and conditioned http://www.hennessyhb.ie/23067/Revlon-Nutri-Col-Creme-740-270/

Faith

I've been on quite the journey with my hair colour since starting this thread, so I said I'd update it in case it's helpful to anyone else!

I went from a very light blonde to red. I initially used shampoos for "Copper" colours, as recommended above, but as the colour faded the longer it had been since I dyed it, it started getting brighter and brighter (i.e. more orange). This wasn't what I wanted, so I started to add in a Colour Bomb in "Fiery Red" occasionally. This was a bit risky as it sometimes turned my hair quite pink!

About 6 weeks ago, I switched things around, and bought a Colour Bomb in "Copper" and the Revlonissimo shampoo in "Red". I've been using the shampoo regularly, and it's definitely stopping my hair from going orange, without turning it pink. But my hair is cut above my shoulders, so as my highlights grew out and I had dyed it red more times, it was starting to get quite dark and almost dull in colour. So I used the Copper colour bomb today and it has refreshed the colour really nicely.

The upshot is, my bathroom is filled to capacity with different shampoos and conditioners, and I feel like a chemist half the time deciding on colour mixes, but my hair is finally quite a stable shade of coppery red . (Also, I still generally use Redken Colour Magnetics Conditioner, and I'll often use the shampoo to clean my hair before using one of the colour-depositing ones).

Faith

Faith wrote: »

I've been on quite the journey with my hair colour since starting this thread, so I said I'd update it in case it's helpful to anyone else!

I went from a very light blonde to red. I initially used shampoos for "Copper" colours, as recommended above, but as the colour faded the longer it had been since I dyed it, it started getting brighter and brighter (i.e. more orange). This wasn't what I wanted, so I started to add in a Colour Bomb in "Fiery Red" occasionally. This was a bit risky as it sometimes turned my hair quite pink!

About 6 weeks ago, I switched things around, and bought a Colour Bomb in "Copper" and the Revlonissimo shampoo in "Red". I've been using the shampoo regularly, and it's definitely stopping my hair from going orange, without turning it pink. But my hair is cut above my shoulders, so as my highlights grew out and I had dyed it red more times, it was starting to get quite dark and almost dull in colour. So I used the Copper colour bomb today and it has refreshed the colour really nicely.

The upshot is, my bathroom is filled to capacity with different shampoos and conditioners, and I feel like a chemist half the time deciding on colour mixes, but my hair is finally quite a stable shade of coppery red . (Also, I still generally use Redken Colour Magnetics Conditioner, and I'll often use the shampoo to clean my hair before using one of the colour-depositing ones).

Thanks for the update, this is helpful for me because I've recently gone from blonde to a coppery colour and the blonde is really seeping through, and it's gone quite orange!

If it's not too much to ask would you be willing to post or PM a picture of your current hair colour? It sounds lovely and I'd like to get an idea of what it's like.


Also

Faith wrote: »

So I used the Copper colour bomb today and it has refreshed the colour really nicely.

What brand of colour bomb was that?

Thank you!

General question, I am using Redken All Soft shampoo on my hair which I find amazing, but I wondered if this is ok to use on red hair? ie, that it won't strip the colour?

Faith

Deleted User wrote: »

Thanks for the update, this is helpful for me because I've recently gone from blonde to a coppery colour and the blonde is really seeping through, and it's gone quite orange!

If it's not too much to ask would you be willing to post or PM a picture of your current hair colour? It sounds lovely and I'd like to get an idea of what it's like.

Also

What brand of colour bomb was that?

Thank you!

It’s the Revlon colour cremes:).

I’ve attached a pic of my hair, but the shade changes every time I wash it so this is really just a snapshot!

Faith

Faith wrote: »

It’s the Revlon colour cremes:).

I’ve attached a pic of my hair, but the shade changes every time I wash it so this is really just a snapshot!

That's fab! I'm afraid to use a box dye because my hair is quite damaged as it is, what was your experience like with them?

Faith

With the red dye, I've had very positive experiences. Obviously, coming from blonde, it's a lot less damaging. It's time consuming to do, but less so than going to the hairdressers. The downside, for me, is the uniformity of the shade - I prefer a few tones in an ideal world.

But they certainly haven't damaged my hair even a fraction as much as highlights did.