Saturday, December 13, 2008

Keep your hair color LONGER.

My trademark is definitely my red hair. The most commonly asked question I get is how I maintain my vibrant color. If you've ever colored your hair red or any other bright, not so natural color, you know how much of a pain the upkeep can be. Here a few tricks I've learned through my punk rock past and current ruby obsession.

1. HAULT! Don't wash you hair for at least 24 hours after color application. During the color process, your hair cuticle is lifted and doesn't fully close when the color is rinsed. That will happen with time. By waiting at least 24-48 (longer is better) to wash your hair, you are allowing a greater amount of color molecules to be sealed into your hair shaft (insert dirty joke here).

2. Steal your grandmas shower caps. Whenever you wash your hair, along with it goes the color. It generally isn't necessary to wash your hair everyday anyhow, as your hair's natural oils are your friend. Personally, I like to go as long as I can between shampoos. How do I do it you say? I usually will wear my hair down for the first 2 days and then pulled back into some sort of up style for the remaining days until washing. Brushing your hair will help to distribute your natural oils throughout your hair. Dry shampoos are also useful. I like to use hairspray; the alcohol in it will help to dry up some of the oil. And in this down turned economy, making your products last longer isn't such a bad thing either. Once you do decide to wash your tresses, use cool water. It's just like doing laundry, wash your colors on cold.

3. Give your locks a little SPF love. That's right. Just like your skin, your hair should be protected from sun damage. A product I love is Paul Mitchell Color Protect Locking Spray. The sunflower extract is a natural sun protectant. It also has silicone and panthenol which encourages color longevity. Here's another plus: its also a leave in conditioner. I'm all about multi-tasking.

4. Be picky about your S & C. It really is important to use a quality Shampoo and Conditioner specifically formulated for color treated hair. Us chemically depended folk need a little extra TLC for our hair. These formulas help prolong color and rebuilt hair integrity, a definite necessity. Why spend money to color your hair if you're not going to maintain it?
Good products =Good hair.

5. Give yourself a manicure in the shower. No, I'm not talking about your nails. I'm still talking about hair color silly. If you're a coniseur of funky hair color such as pink, blue, red; this tip is for you. If you use a creme color (think manic panic), mix a little in with your conditioner in the shower. Shampoo as usual, rinse, then apply the color/condtioner mixture and leave on for a few minutes and rinse. Repeat when necessary and as often as you like. Results won't be as intense as using the product as instructed; it's more like a little pick me up for your color. Don't forget to wear gloves! My personal favorite line for funky color is Special Effects. I use Cherry bomb and Atomic Pink. You can't beat the quality or price.


Hopefully these tips will leave your colored tresses look oh so fabulous even longer. Feel free to ask any questions I didn't cover. Until next time my sweets.

I blog because I care.

What the hell is this you ask? Its my latest endeavor in poor time management. Being trapped in doors by the rain this weekend has inspired me to start this new blog about random knowledge I have stored up in my not-so-little red head. It's main focus will be beauty and style related, but who knows, I may even have an itch to write about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. While its been quite some time since my days of silly photo blogs, I'm pretty certain I still remember how to use spell check. Hopefully my inspiration won't be short lived, I guess we'll just have to see how the wind blows....