How I Manage My Cool Tone Red Hair

Hello everyone!

Today, I will be sharing with you the products I use to manage my cool tone red/burgundy hair.

Colour Treated Shampoo

Here are the shampoos I've been using. They are listed in no particular order. I love the scent of all these shampoos, except the Matrix Biolage shampoo took a few washes for me to get used to.

Matrix Biolage Color Care Shampoo/Conditioner
(1L, on sale for $15 each)

Description                                                                                                                               

• Low pH shampoo for color-treated hair helps prolong color vibrancy
• Gently cleanses to prevent unnecessary stripping of color
• Paraben-free formula is suitable for color-treated hair

Pros

• Helps maintain vibrancy of colour
• Slowed fading process (4/5)
• Easy to lather therefore don't require a lot of product
• Cleans well (4/5) 
• Paraben free

Cons

• Not very moisturizing
• Orchid scent which may be unpleasing to some
• Expensive

John Frieda Radiant Red Color Protecting Shampoo
(250ml, $8 on sale)

Description                                                                                                                               

"This advanced formula addresses the way red colour fades on three colour dimensions. 

With daily use it helps maintain rich, vibrant red tones.

Enhanced anti-fading technology and a gentle formula preserves vivid red colour and magnifies shine. Attracts light and amplifies rich tones to transform red hair.

For all shades of natural or colour-treated red hair."

Pros

• Slowed fading process (3.5/5)
• Cleans well (4/5)

Cons

• Difficult to lather therefore requiring more product
• Expensive for amount of product you get and have to use to wash your hair

Gosh Professional Colour Rescue Shampoo/Conditioner
(500ml, on sale for $8 each)

Description                                                                                                                               

".....protects the colour in dyed hair from fading and from daily UV-exposure.

HELIOGENOL, a herbal extract, locks in the colour with its amazing protection system, leaving colour-treated hair looking fresh and vibrant. Hair is wrapped in softness with increased manageability, movement and radiant shine."

Pros

• Affordable
• Helps maintain vibrancy of colour
• Slowed fading process (3.5/5)

Cons

• Scent may not be appealing to everyone
• Difficult to lather therefore requiring more product

Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Color Protect Shampoo

(750ml, around $6)

Description                                                                                                                               

• For perfectly vibrant, fashionable colored hair
• Damage protection for vibrant, colored hair
• Perfected by experts

Pros

• Cleans OK (2/5)
• Slowed fading process (3/5)
• Moisturizing 
• Affordable
• Easy lather

Cons

• Scent may not appeal to everyone

 Colour Depositing Shampoo

Left: Tressa Watercolors Shampoo "Crimson Splash"
(250mL, $30 from Shop.ca)
Right:  John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss "For Cool Reds"
(177mL, regular price$10)

Tressa Watercolors Shampoo "Crimson Splash"

Description                                                                                                                               

• Use on Deep Brunette to Medium Red hair
• Infuses deep browns with crimson reds, creating sultry, black-cherry tones

Pros

• Easy to lather, but need a lot of product to maximize vibrancy
• Helps revive cool tone reds (4.5/5)

Cons

• Expensive
• Can leave stains on your bathroom/towels (but this is expected from colour depositing shampoos)

My hair with "Crimson Splash"

 

John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss - "For Cool Reds"

Description                                                                                                                               

• Refresh the tones of colour-treated hair between salon or at-home colouring, regardless of which brand you use to colour your hair (the following EXAMPLES):
• John Frieda Precision Foam Colour: 6R, 5RV, and 3VR
• Clairol Nice 'N Easy Gel and Foam - Natural Reddish Blonde/Brown colours
• L'oreal Excellence Creme Pro-Keratine - Burgundy Brown colours
• Garnier Nutrisse Cream Nourishing Colour Cream - Red and Burgundy Colours
• Revlon Colorsilk - Burgundy/Mahagony Brown colours

Pros

• Helps revive cool tone reds (4.5/5)
• Has violet undertones (3.5/5)
• Affordable

Cons

• Can leave stains on your bathroom/towels (but this is expected from colour depositing shampoos)

Hair Update, Products, Maintenance

 

Hi everyone! I just wanted to do a quick update on what I've been doing to (kill) my hair :)

Fall is approaching, and I can only continue seeing more and more girls going for the ombré hair look.

I've tried to achieve it with a drugstore ombré kit (L'Oreal Feria Wild Ombre 080) and it definitely wasn't easy to bleach my heavily chemically processed hair.

After many efforts, this is currently what my hair looks like:

I shot these images with my iPod using Retrica.

 

Products Used

The Roots/Top Portion

I used Revlon Colorsilk: 31 Dark Auburn. It as an ammonia-free dye. 

The Ends 

 

 

I used L'Oreal Feria Wild Ombre 080. I saturated most of the product on my ends to ensure that region to be the lightest.

 

 

Because my hair did turn brassy, I tried to tone it with purple shampoo. I used John Frieda Sheer Blonde Tone-Correcting Shampoo. To be honest, I did see some sections of my hair becoming ashy, but definitely not to the extent I had hoped for. The product itself doesn't appear to be very pigmented, so it's either that reason or my hair wasn't exactly blonde enough for the result to be very effective.

 

 

 

 I heard some girls would dye over their bleached, brassy ends with an ash blonde colour.. so I decided to give it a try. I used Clairol's Nice n' Easy 106 Natural Ash Blonde. I must say, overall, I am pleased with how my bleached area looks less brassy. I sort of wish I went for a lighter ash blonde, but I wasn't bold enough to do that.

 

I haven't used dyes with ammonia in such a long time, so when I came back to this brand... bleh... LOL! It was hard to breathe :(

 

 Maintenance

 My hair has become quite damaged, so for that reason it has also become high maintenance! I make sure to apply oils to my hair after I wash my hair to nourish it. I mainly use Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum on the bleached area and Joico Color Endure Leave-in Protectant to preserve the auburn. I'm looking for more moisturizing products... but I'll see how that goes.

 

 

I should really give my hair a break... yet I always say that... LOL.

 

<3 Cheers :)