Red today, gone tomorrow

I have often thought that red heads are some of the luckiest people when it comes to hair color. Why? Well in my opinion achieving a natural red through hair color is very difficult. It almost always looks "dyed". Which to me is not a bad thing...the day someone thinks my hair color is natural is the day I go home and change it up drastically. Anyways, it is possible to get that natural red unnaturally, but even if you do...keeping up with it can be demanding. If you have ever had artificial red hair, in any form, natural looking or vibrant, you know that it fades like nobody's business. Why? It all comes down to science my friends.

Permanent hair color works by opening the cuticle of the hair and allowing the color molecules to penetrate the hair shaft and settle inside. Over time these molecules fade and come out causing the hair color to fade. The reason red seems to fade the fastest is because red is the largest color molecule. So it doesn't penetrate as deep and comes our faster.

What can you do? Well all the normal answers apply...wash your hair less, wash it in cooler water when you do wash, and use a color protecting shampoo. Sadly, even with every precaution it is simply a fact that red will fade faster than other colors. There is one other option to consider. There are shampoos that actually have gradual hair color in them. So every time you wash it will deposit a little red onto your hair. These can be nice to keep your color fresh longer. They have them in all different colors, so consult your stylist for the one that will fit you best. 

My primary advice when going red is just to make sure you understand the commitment. You will need to color and refresh your color regularly to keep it vibrant and pretty.