Red might be the boldest and most vibrant shade that ever sprouted naturally from anybody’s head, but it’s also elusive. Getting the perfect red (using non-toxic dyes, naturally) can be a difficult prospect, and keeping it is even harder, as it tends to fade quickly.

To preserve dyed red hair as long as possible, wait 24-48 hours after coloring to shampoo, and then use the four-pronged approach below, involving gentle cleansers, color-depositing products, protective styling serums, and oil-absorbing hair powders for those in-between-washing days.

Color-Preserving Hair Products

The cleansing agents in many shampoos, especially those made to clarify or volumize, can be way too harsh on color-treated hair, causing that coveted red hue to fade faster than it should. Products that are specifically formulated for dyed hair are typically gentler, and often contain extra ingredients that can help protect hair from the damaging effects of sun, chlorine and heat-styling. If you need extra moisturizing power, check out Lavera’s Mango Milk Shampoo for Color Treated Hair, which contains organic cocoa and shea butter for lusher locks. Aveda’s Color Conserve line prevents fading and keeps hair soft without being too heavy, while Alterna’s Bamboo UV + Color Protection Vibrant Color Shampoo might work better for oilier scalps. All are free of harsh sulfates and sodium chloride, as well as parabens, synthetic dyes and phthalates.
Oil-Absorbing Hair Powders

It’s best not to shampoo your hair too often if you want to preserve your color for as long as possible between dye jobs, but if you need a little help to keep your hair from looking a little limp, there’s a product that will seriously change your life: hair powder. Lulu Organics offers all-organic, talc-free hair powder that absorbs oil and imparts a heavenly fragrance. It’s available in lavender + clary sage, jasmine, patchouli + amber and vetiver + black pepper. Another organic, all natural hair powder from Sisters of the Black Moon manages oil with arrowroot powder and kaolin clay.

Heat-Styling Protectants

Use a protective product when heat-styling to prevent the kind of damage that can make dyed red hair weaker and more porous, which leads to uneven color retention. Josie Maran’s Argan Oil Hair Serum reduces frizz, boosts shine and helps seal the hair cuticle. PHYTO’s Phytomist Color Protect Radiance Mist is a lightweight leave-in conditioner that detangles, and also prevents color from fading by protecting hair against oxidation.

Red-Enhancing Shampoo, Conditioner & More

Color-enhancing products for red hair can definitely help keep your hair from fading, but should be used sparingly to prevent over-saturating your hair with color or significantly changing the shade you prefer. Aveda’s Madder Root Shampoo & Conditioner contain a vivid red pigment that brightens red tones; the effect is subtle in the shampoo, but the conditioner is so powerful as to almost be a dye in itself, and it will tint blonde or gingery highlights pink. Test it out on a small section of your hair first, or dilute it with regular conditioner to reduce the color depositing effects. Another brand, Shikai Color Reflect in Warm, contains just a little bit of henna for a subtler result.

Want to go totally natural? Try tinting your hair temporarily with a spray made from red hibiscus petals. This works on natural red hair as well as colored hair, adding warm red tones, and it’s easy to make. Andrea Drugay offers the simple instructions to make it yourself.

Related on Ecosalon: 

Be a Redhead Bombshell: Safer Natural Red Hair Color from Box to Henna 

A Brush with Ecofriendly Hair Color

Photo: Stefanie Neves

The post Keep Dyed Red Hair Colorful with Natural, Non-Toxic Treatments appeared first on EcoSalon.

Eco-friendly hair color. It’s so enigmatic it deserves its own sentence fragment. Does it really exist? Can you get lasting hair color without color-binding ammonia? Is a brunette really a redhead and a blonde really a blonde when false colors are involved? Does George Clooney really mean that he’s never getting married? (Sorry, just threw that in there.) Some experts estimate that between 65 to 75 percent of women dye their hair, and it is believed that the practice goes all the way back to ancient Egyptians.

First, the bad. Most hair dyes are made of up ammonia, which binds the color, and hydrogen peroxide, which lightens existing color. Many dyes also contain p-Phenylenediamine (PPD), which is linked to problems with the immune and nervous systems. PPD creates a permanent, natural look. However, women who used hair dyes containing PPD have shown an increased risk of diseases such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Jackie Kennedy Onassis died in her sixties of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and her hair stylist Peter Lamas famously suggested that her doctors believed hair dye may have caused her cancer.

Healthier hair color is certainly on the minds of industry professionals. L’Oréal Professionnel just announced that is premiering an ammonia-free line of hair color.
But to call it eco-friendly is a bit of a stretch, as even the best organic hair colors are going to have some chemicals that we may not like. While experts argue that the best color you can get will always be professional, there are some box brands that go easy on the chemicals. For example, brands like Naturtint contain no ammonia. This particular color is enriched with wheat, soy, corn and oat plant protein complex. Another brand, Light Mountain, contains no peroxide, ammonia or other additives.

But are they healthy? I asked the experts.

One fine, recent Wednesday, I took myself to Primrose Organics Salon and Boutique, located in the heart of Los Feliz, California. Walking into the warm space filled with eco-friendly products galore, I spoke with owners Melissa Tournay and Felicia Howe. They explained to me that picking an eco-friendly hair color is more like picking your battles. Anything that colors your hair may have certain chemical ramifications, but there are healthier hair options out there.

Primrose Organics offers up primarily two lines of color. There’s the EcoColors line, which calls itself a non-toxic. It is free of gluten, parabens, sulfites and contains many natural based ingredients. They get props for offering up an ingredient lists – other eco-friendly lines responded to my request for ingredients like I was asking for secret to George Clooney’s dreaminess. (Again, just throwing that in.)

And then there is the Organic Color Systems. This line is free of ammonia, parabens, plastics, Sodium Lauryl Suflates, and other baddies. They also offer up a comprehensive ingredients list, which includes the ingredients, what they are derived from, and their function. For example, Organics Color Systems contains Alcohol Denatured, derived from corn, which works as a viscosity adjuster.

My hair, newly done with the Organic Color Systems.

But frankly, this all just covers the glossy surface of eco color. As I write this article now, I feel like I’m wreathed in spa scents – literally, hours later, my hair still smells like lavender. And I truly dig the color – I am self-admittedly, ahem, a bit intense about my hair and want it to look its “best version of natural.”  Mission accomplished, Organic Color Systems! And sure, retaining my dark blonde color might have been the “greenest” thing to do. But beauty doesn’t have to be toxic, and it seems that these hair color lines are on the forefront of the fight against chemically-produced color.

Images: Alex Campos, Katherine Butler

Editor’s note: this review is FTC Compliant.

The post A Brush with Eco-Friendly Hair Color appeared first on EcoSalon.