Red hair dye fades faster than other colors like brown and black shades because the pigments in red hair dyes cannot penetrate as deep into the hair cortex making them easier to wash out. Once the pigments have left the strand of hair, the color fades.
When red hair colors fade it may not always be an elegant shade, and that's why prolonging the life of the red dye can give your hair time to heal before you go for a touch up.
Fun fact: The pigment that causes hair to have a natural red hair color is pheomelanin, and eumelanin gives people brown or black hair. The more pheomelanin you have, the redder your hair becomes, and more eumelanin will turn your hair to darker shades of black.
You may not want to do a touch up or recolor your hair immediately as all hair dying does some damage to the strands through protein loss. Especially if you had to go lighter with bleach before adding the red pigment. Bleaching may do more damage to the cuticles and removing the protective oil called sebum. There is good news, you have multiple ways to help restore your hair to a healthy glow and extend the life of the red color until your hair is ready for a touch up.
The first is to wash your hair with cool water instead of hot and use shampoo less often. Cool water can help close and seal the cuticle trapping the pigments in and extending the life of the color where hot water will open the cuticle and let it out. Shampooing less often will reduce the amount of protective oils you remove to help keep the red hair dye in the hair.
The next step is to ditch heated hair tools. Heat opens hair cuticles which lets the red hair dye come out. Instead of a curling wand, do heatless curls if you have time and try heatless waves if you don’t. And check the products you’re using on your hair don't add to the buildup or damage color treatments.
Not all shampoos or conditioners are made for color treated hair. Find ones formulated for your type of hair, hair needs, and hair color. Purple shampoos are designed for blond and silver hair for example, so if you go strawberry blonde instead of a deep red, these may work for you. Ask your hairdresser for a recommendation.
Speaking of shampoos, less water and less surfactants are better for extending the life of red hair. Try a dry shampoo which means less scrubbing and washing. And if your hair got damaged or becomes brittle during the coloring process, switch from elastic hair ties to spiral hair ties as there may be less friction and ripping which can help to reduce breakage while you repair your hair.
Our last tip is to use hair oils like argan that can penetrate the cortex and help reduce protein loss working to extend the life of your red hair color.
Yes, red hair dyes tend to fade faster because they cannot penetrate as deep into your hair, but you can extend its life by making a few easy changes to your daily and weekly routines.
