7 Ways To Boost Your Red Hair Colour and Stop Your Ginger Shade Fading

Whether your hair is natural or dyed red, there’s always the fear that your ginger shade might fade. Of all hair colours, red is the hardest to maintain, but we like to think that it’s all worth the effort, because in the end you have the greatest hair colour on the planet.

Here are our top tips for keeping your red hair boosted to the max, and stopping the dreaded fade.

1. Henna

Natural henna is the age-old way to both dye your hair red, as well as boost natural ginger shades. Depending on the amount, purity, length of application and shade of the henna you use, you will achieve different colour-boosting or dyeing effects on your hair.

From using pure henna (the messy way) to regularly washing with shampoos and conditioners for redheads (the easy way – see Gingerful hair products for redheads), both natural and dyed gingers can benefit from using henna on their locks.

Henna is great for improving the condition of your hair, too!

2. Cool rinsing

You’ve probably heard this one, but it’s not an old wives tale – rinsing your hair with cool water after washing really works.

It’s true that warm water opens the hair’s cuticle to allow hair products to wash more effectively, but cold water helps to close the cuticle to seal in moisture from your conditioner, helping your hair look shinier, brighter and healthier (and if you’re a dyeing redhead, helps preserve your colour, too).

3. Cranberry juice

Yes, it’s sticky. But if you’re looking for a quick fix to boost your red hair colour, try a couple of rinses of cranberry juice to add a bit of shine and shade to your hair.

4. Carrots

Similar to cranberry juice, the orangey colour of carrots can be used to concoct a natural cocktail of gingerness.

5. Leave-in conditioner

A good quality leave-in conditioner helps to protect your hair from external influences: heat, cold, pollution, and more.

Spray leave-in conditioners leaves your hair feeling lighter than traditional leave-in conditioners, while getting all the benefits of shinier, brighter hair.

6. Hair gloss

Hair is at its shiniest when the strands’ cells lay flat, allowing light to reflect off them more. As a deep conditioning treatment, hair gloss helps with this, by closing the hair and its cuticle really tight.

Those with damaged hair or wanting more moisture and shine should use a hair gloss every 4-6 weeks. Check out our list of top 10 gloss treatments for red hair.

7. Low heat styling

It probably comes as no surprise to you that extreme heat is damaging to your hair. It dries out the strands, creates split ends, makes it harder to style, and makes it look less healthy. Which, in turn, makes it more vulnerable to losing colour.

Is that enough reasons not to use heat styling? We think so.

However, if you simply can’t live without your blow-dryer, simply turn down the heat and use the cool setting. Your hair will thank you for it.

By Emma