If you’ve been on the internet in the past six or so months, which I’m sure you have, you’ve probably seen a resurgence of people dying their hair some variation of red.
From the Cowboy Copper trend to Dua Lipa’s iconic cherry-cola red hair, red tresses are everywhere.
And it was a few weeks into the year when I started to think, is it time for a change?
Could I, someone who’s been bleaching her brunette hair in some form since she was 16 (yes, really), stray from what I’ve always known?
It only took about two days for me to get comfortable with the change, so that should tell you something about me and how I run with ideas.
When I went to get my next routine haircut, and just as any good idea starts, I told my hairstylist “I’m about to suggest something really rogue, but bear with me.”
Once the excited yapping stopped, she had me booked in for the transformation two weeks later.
Fast forward to now, and I’ve never been more obsessed with my hair colour. Truly.
And in the magical way only a trip to the hair salon can, my new hair colour has transformed my vibe - I’ve never felt more myself.
The weeks since my appointment have been filled with people asking me “Is that your natural colour?” and “Oh wow, it looks so natural on you!” - so props to both my at-home hair care routine and my ride-or-die colourist wizard Karlie from LNDN.
So how in the world does a naturally brunette, bleached blonde girlie maintain red hair?
With ease, actually, and I’m here to tell you how.
Onwards!
Before I get into this, can everyone reading this who personally knows me please take a deep breath?
Yes, I am about to talk about L'Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox again.
But it’s worth it, I promise. Hand on heart.
I was first introduced to the Metal Detox range when I bleached my hair in 2022, and there have been bottles of the stuff in my shower ever since.
And you might be wondering, ok wait, detox sounds like it’ll take things like the colour away from your hair.
But fear not, the range has been formulated for use after both dye and bleach colour services, to keep the stuff we don’t want, like metals from water, from building up in your hair.
Now if the Metal Detox range isn’t for you, or if you’ve got a fave brand you’d prefer to stick with, colour-safe shampoo and conditioner is a very common thing for a brand to make.
Kevin Murphy has a great range called the Everlasting.Colour collection and Redken have the Color Extend range, both specifically made for those of us faking it until we make it.
If you’re looking for something a little less pricey than those ranges, Muk also has a Vivid Color Lock Shampoo and Conditioner.
A toning treatment is the perfect way to freshen up your colour in between salon visits.
The goal of toning treatments is to deposit a certain amount of colour to your hair to brighten it up - so for me, a copper toner will allow me to stretch from 8 weeks between appointments to approximately 10 weeks.
The evo fabuloso copper colour boosting treatment is what I’ve used since dying my hair, and I think my favourite thing about this product is how soft my hair was after using it.
But more on that in a minute, because I want to make sure you know that this stuff works.
I left this in my hair for a minute or two the first time using it to ensure it was the colour I was after, and it was perfect.
It definitely deposited colour, and I can imagine that when I’m a few months into my red-hair journey this would do a brilliant job at helping me through to my next hair appointment.
Now on to how gorgeous my hair felt after this.
Chloe, Adore’s Content Coordinator, did warn me that I was going to fall in love with the treatment as she’d previously dyed her hair red and used it herself, and my friends, she was right.
I let my hair air dry after using it, and when I woke up the next morning, it felt like I’d blow-dried my hair.
Consider me converted. A bottle of this stuff will not be far from me for as long as my hair is copper.
If you’d like something a little easier on the wallet, try the Wella Professionals Color Fresh Mask in Copper Glow.
Now this is more of a strategy, rather than a product, to ensure you’re getting the most out of your colour.
Think the more time between washes, the better.
For example, if a colour will last 20 washes, the longer you space out in between those washes, the longer your colour will last.
I’ve trained my hair to only need washing around twice a week through these techniques:
1. Practice your up-dos.
Sleek buns aren’t going anywhere soon, and they’re a great way to make greasy or dirty hair look like it was that way on purpose.
And even better, pop a hair mask like the Olaplex Hair Perfector No.3 Home Treatment in while you do so to really double the benefits.
2. Have a leave-in or overnight mask ready to use!
The Pureology Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray is a great option, and if you’re into overnighters, the Kérastase Nutritive 8HR Magic Night Hair Serum is perfect to leave in while you catch some z’s.
3. Dry shampoo!
I’ve recently been using and loving the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat and CERAMIDE LIKE, as it doesn’t leave a white cast on my hair when I use it.
4. Try to only use heat tools from the second day onwards from wash day.
This is perhaps the hardest one.
So if you wash your hair on a Sunday, let it be natural on Monday, straighten it on Tuesday, put it up in a bun on Wednesday and bam, you’ve made it halfway through the work week.
So there you have it - the products I use to keep my newly red hair luscious and healthy.
Now, I’m off to convince everyone around me to change up their hair drastically.
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