Here's The Right Way To Take Care Of Your Red Hair

Some people are born with naturally fiery locks and some people have to work for them. When you have to work for them you also have to work to maintain them. Keeping dyed red hair vibrant, and caring for your color so it remains that way, may not be as easy as you think.

Brown dyed shades pretty much stay brown, and bleached blonde locks need deep conditioners and oil treatments to combat dryness and damage caused by the lightening process, according to Healthline.

Red hair is an entirely different story, however. The best first step to ensure that your color treated red hair doesn't fade prematurely, is to choose the right shade. The coloring experts at L'Oréal advise going a shade darker than you originally planned to ensure a longer lasting result. Since there will always be some fading, no matter what you do, choosing a darker shade will inevitably yield the color you initially envisioned. That means less time between salon visits. 

After committing to a shade, here's everything you need to know to care for your new copper colored coif.

If you've just dyed your hair red or had a professional do the job, Matrix deems it essential that you wait at least 48 hours before you wash your hair. Waiting to shampoo your newly red hair gives the dye time to set and your hair follicles time to absorb the color.

When you do shampoo your hair, use cooler water. If you wash your hair in the shower, it might not be the steaming hot water your body is used to, but lukewarm water will go a long way in ensuring your shiny red hair doesn't fade.

In fact, laying low on the heat helps red hair as a whole. This means styling tools that use thermal heat should be set to a lower setting. These styling tools include hair dryers, curling irons, and flat irons. You should also stay out of the sun, or start wearing a hat to prevent the dreaded fade caused by UV light.

L'Oréal advises you to take it a step further and not use any heated styling tools at all. Instead of a hair dryer, you can braid your damp hair and let it air dry. This will give the hair a wavy mermaid look .

Hair products are essential in maintaining a mane that's healthy, shiny, and soft. When you have color treated hair, and especially color treated red hair, products take on new importance.

Matrix advises that you use sulfate-free shampoos and avoid shampoos that have artificial color built in. When you use a pure shampoo, your red hair will suffer less damage. You can also keep your hair soft and hydrated by using a hair mask twice a week. A hair mask is not a replacement for daily conditioning. Instead, use it as a supplement.

Finally, although Matrix says to avoid shampoos with color in them, L'Oréal has different advice when washing your hair, and suggests using a color-depositing shampoo that will keep the red bright in between salon visits. Best bet, talk to your colorists for product recommendations based on the process and specific hair dye used.