Any redheads here who dye their hair?

[easypeasy]

I'm getting too much white mixed in with the red and my red is faded and sad. So I've decided that I'm going to go in and have it put back to 'rights. lol

I've heard dying red hair can be tricky to get the correct tone/color. Is this something I should call ahead for and ask for a stylist with experience with red hair, or should any good stylist be able to tackle this for me?

I've never had my hair really "done" before and usually cut it at home with whatever scissors I find laying around. My daughters say it's barbaric. 😁

My girls go to a high-end salon and spend hundreds, but their stylists do things to their hair that isn't quite what I'm looking for (they're still young and fun, lol I just want my hair to go back the way it should be! 😂 So I'm not sure their stylists are right for me?)

[Laura Corin]

Not a redhead, but from watching my stepmother's adventures in dyes over the years, I think experience is very important.  With her very pale skin, anything too intense or too single-coloured is very stark, giving her a Glenda-Jackson-as Elizabeth-1-in-later-years look.

[easypeasy]

8 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Not a redhead, but from watching my stepmother's adventures in dyes over the years, I think experience is very important.  With her very pale skin, anything too intense or too single-coloured is very stark, giving her a Glenda-Jackson-as Elizabeth-1-in-later-years look.

oh dear. Yes - that's exactly what I'm afraid of. 😅😂 I am also super pale - the red hair I was born with is exactly the right shade. DD said I better go in while I still have some of that original coloring left before it all turns paler - at least the stylist will have something to visualize. 🙄

[Guest]

2 hours ago, easypeasy said:

oh dear. Yes - that's exactly what I'm afraid of. 😅😂 I am also super pale - the red hair I was born with is exactly the right shade. DD said I better go in while I still have some of that original coloring left before it all turns paler - at least the stylist will have something to visualize. 🙄

Here’s the thing, though: generally speaking, as people age, the color that looks right on them lightens. That’s why, for example, even some ladies (or men) who once had dark, raven hair look “weird” if they have their hair colored raven dark at, say, 50. It just looks Morticia. 

I agree that you will be better off with someone who is specifically a good colorist, because a good colorist can tell what tones will do your hair right, even if they don’t know or can’t see what your birth-original color was. 

I do agree that red is the color people can really mess up, and blonde is a close second. 

[Carol in Cal.]

 

Stupid new edit function DP.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Carol in Cal.

[Carol in Cal.]

36 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

ME!

I asked around and got a recommendation for a colorist who would actually listen to me.  Following the lead of a friend, I told this person that I wanted to look completely natural, only with no white or gray.  That I didn’t want to have a heavy growing in line, so it needed to be lighter and kind of feathered in around my face.  That I didn’t want it cut, just colored.
 

What I did not realize is that this is a very hard thing to do.  Once I learned that I started tipping pretty heavily.
 

That was quite a few years ago, and I’ve had 4-5 colorists over that time.  Only one was terrible, and that was because my hair is unusual in that the color develops over a day or two.  So I would leave the salon looking great, and then a day or two later end up with an amateurish brassy ‘patch’ with a blocky transition to the rest.  Honestly, based on the results I could have done better at home.
 

At various points colorists have used 3-4 shades at a time, in lines, to mimic the natural color variation in my hair.  I hate the striped look that high contrast can create so we have shades that are very similar.  We have over the years tilted increasingly to lighter shades than my original hair, and this makes the growing in less obvious, which is a nice side benefit, and also it frames my face better as I am paler in both skin and lips than when I was younger.  Also, a big breakthrough about two years ago was my colorist saying that since I have so much color variation in my natural hair, she would use only one (light, golden) color and my natural color variation would give it variation in the way that it presented.  That has been excellent, and we are staying with that for the foreseeable future.

I did have to switch to better shampoos and to condition every single time.  The color thickens and strengthens my hair.  It’s not bleached beforehand so there is no weakening.  I try not to wash it for a few days after coloring so that the dye really sets in.  
 

Overall I have been pretty happy with this.  I’m not a high maintenance woman on any level so it was hard to commit the time to this but the results are well worth it.  My colorist knows that I'm thrilled when I say, "Wow, I look like myself again!"  

 

[amyx4]

I would schedule just a cut first. Maybe at the fancy place your daughters go to. At that cut, talk about your color and listen to what the stylist has to say about red hair.  

IMHO stylists get very weird when they see "virgin" red hair. (Seriously, that was the word a stylist used for hair that has never been colored)

My guess, it's a challenge to try something they don't do very much. However, that challenge doesn't always translate into a good experience or color for the client. 

[wintermom]

I've got lots of red highlights that I never noticed, and with a home dying attempt at blonde I went a weird fake ginger. Never again!

Edited October 15, 2020 by wintermom

[DawnM]

Yes, I dye my hair.   I use L'oreal.    I tried the Madison Reed but I didn't like the color.   

I would love to find something that is more natural, but I am picky about the color because I have fair skin with freckles and certain tones wash me out.

[bethben]

I have darker red hair with “ruddy” medium tone skin.  I am also getting white hair -mostly at my temples.  What about highlights?  I have heard that red hair doesn’t take dye very well so you may want to look into that.  I’ve decided to just let my hair change when it wants to.  I’m 50 so most of my age group is going gray anyway.  

[Junie]

2 hours ago, bethben said:

I have darker red hair with “ruddy” medium tone skin.  I am also getting white hair -mostly at my temples.  What about highlights?  I have heard that red hair doesn’t take dye very well so you may want to look into that.  I’ve decided to just let my hair change when it wants to.  I’m 50 so most of my age group is going gray anyway.  

I actually love the pure white hair that many natural redheads get as they age.  I think it is just beautiful.

[Carol in Cal.]

15 minutes ago, Junie said:

I actually love the pure white hair that many natural redheads get as they age.  I think it is just beautiful.

I got white 'wings' at the temples, but deep ugly gray on the top of my head.  However, I'm noticing that the gray is not as dark anymore (Covid pause in hair work, thanks!)  and so maybe I'll let it go down the road.  I can't afford to look that old just yet though.  I have my own business and need to present myself differently than that, because it's so unusual here.

[KungFuPanda]

51 minutes ago, Junie said:

I actually love the pure white hair that many natural redheads get as they age.  I think it is just beautiful.

I think the problem with this is that, more than any other hair color, red hair can become so much a part of your identity.  It sounds strange, but it's just the way it is.  I totally get wanting to hold onto that a bit longer.  We're often unnaturally pale too and the red hair is the only color we have.  I'm following this thread because I'll be asking the same questions in the not-too-distant future.  Is there an intermediate step to try? Maybe some sort of at-home semi-permanent rinse that's easy on the hair.  I have "virgin" hair too so I really don't know what I'm talking about and was hoping this didn't have to be rocket science. 

[bethben]

8 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

I think the problem with this is that, more than any other hair color, red hair can become so much a part of your identity.  It sounds strange, but it's just the way it is.  I totally get wanting to hold onto that a bit longer.  We're often unnaturally pale too and the red hair is the only color we have.  I'm following this thread because I'll be asking the same questions in the not-too-distant future.  Is there an intermediate step to try? Maybe some sort of at-home semi-permanent rinse that's easy on the hair.  I have "virgin" hair too so I really don't know what I'm talking about and was hoping this didn't have to be rocket science. 

The identity part is very true.  It’s how I identify myself apart from others.  I’m always “the redhead” when I want to remind others of who I am because it’s a pretty distinct separation from anyone else.  People automatically remember who I am based on my hair color.  It’s how I would find my sisters in a crowded store.  I just recently had to admit that I needed to wear glasses all the time.  I have become both near and far sighted and contacts just weren’t cutting it anymore.  Now, my hair is slowly starting to go white.  My appearance is changing faster than I would like.  I may hold out a little longer if I go down this road too quickly, but I have no idea how anyone will replicated what I have.  Every red dye job out there looks fake.  

[Carol in Cal.]

Just now, bethben said:

The identity part is very true.  It’s how I identify myself apart from others.  I’m always “the redhead” when I want to remind others of who I am because it’s a pretty distinct separation from anyone else.  People automatically remember who I am based on my hair color.  It’s how I would find my sisters in a crowded store.  I just recently had to admit that I needed to wear glasses all the time.  I have become both near and far sighted and contacts just weren’t cutting it anymore.  Now, my hair is slowly starting to go white.  My appearance is changing faster than I would like.  I may hold out a little longer if I go down this road too quickly, but I have no idea how anyone will replicated what I have.  Every red dye job out there looks fake.  

It's true, without kind of vibrant long hair I am not sure I would entirely be the same person.  It's a bit of a standout characteristic.

[KungFuPanda]

34 minutes ago, bethben said:

The identity part is very true.  It’s how I identify myself apart from others.  I’m always “the redhead” when I want to remind others of who I am because it’s a pretty distinct separation from anyone else.  People automatically remember who I am based on my hair color.  It’s how I would find my sisters in a crowded store.  I just recently had to admit that I needed to wear glasses all the time.  I have become both near and far sighted and contacts just weren’t cutting it anymore.  Now, my hair is slowly starting to go white.  My appearance is changing faster than I would like.  I may hold out a little longer if I go down this road too quickly, but I have no idea how anyone will replicated what I have.  Every red dye job out there looks fake.  

They do all look fake.  It's an especially tough pill to swallow when you've spent time informing people that that person "is not a real redhead."  (('m looking at you, Amy Adams.) If Hollywood money can't buy the right color what hope do I have?!? I'll console myself by believing that most people can't see the difference like we can. They are easily fooled. I don't think most people realize how much redheads notice each other in general.  It's definitely a thing.

[prairiewindmomma]

Please, for the love of everything, don't turn clown orange like my family member.  It is so awful and it looks so very, very fake. 

Most red hair is a mixture of colors.  Stay warmed toned, but do a mix of highlights and lowlights.  Most redheads have deeper toned hair underneath and lighter toned on top. The natural color tends to fade a bit as one ages, and one tends to skew more blonde or brunette.  It looks REALLY wrong if you are only one shade. 

Most DIY colorists tend to go either cherry cola red or clown orange.  Red hair is simply more complex than that.

I have a good chunk of red in my hair naturally and I tend to go very brassy if I get highlights. You may have to add some blue or purple washes to your hair to avoid disaster.  Give some real thought as to your long term plan.

[prairiewindmomma]

I forgot to add, you want an experienced stylist who has done some red hair that you really like.  FWIW, I tend to like Aveda redheads over Redken redheads.  Here's an example of some copper dyed hair that I think looks natural....

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/245516617167672067/?nic_v2=1a53wQzIB

Copper is a lot harder to do than auburn.....for auburn a lot of people do brunette base with cherry cola/auburn highlights.

[bethben]

On 10/15/2020 at 1:36 PM, KungFuPanda said:

They do all look fake.  It's an especially tough pill to swallow when you've spent time informing people that that person "is not a real redhead."  (('m looking at you, Amy Adams.) If Hollywood money can't buy the right color what hope do I have?!? I'll console myself by believing that most people can't see the difference like we can. They are easily fooled. I don't think most people realize how much redheads notice each other in general.  It's definitely a thing.

I so agree!!!!  We do judge the fake redhead.  I have always felt like red hair is something you have to endure as a child so you can fully appreciate it as an adult.  My childhood was full of wishing I could have hair everyone else’s color and getting so many tomato head and carrot top references (yes, carrot tops are green but just try and explain that to a kid).  My sisters and I were a blaze of color whenever we were out in public.  We’ve all faded quite a bit as we’ve gotten older, but we’re still redheads.

[Omma]

What's that about clown orange, lol?

Ok, so I am not quite the orange color that my artsy dh drew in our avatar, but close enough that I don't ever expect to dye my hair.  I live by the montage:  Redheads don't dye/die, they just fade away! 😄

[Scarlett]

On 10/15/2020 at 1:37 PM, KungFuPanda said:

I think the problem with this is that, more than any other hair color, red hair can become so much a part of your identity.  It sounds strange, but it's just the way it is.  I totally get wanting to hold onto that a bit longer.  We're often unnaturally pale too and the red hair is the only color we have.  I'm following this thread because I'll be asking the same questions in the not-too-distant future.  Is there an intermediate step to try? Maybe some sort of at-home semi-permanent rinse that's easy on the hair.  I have "virgin" hair too so I really don't know what I'm talking about and was hoping this didn't have to be rocket science. 

That is interesting because my very dark, almost black long hair is part of my identity. I never colored it,  never wanted to have high lights or some or color.  I like my color on me.  I am also quite fair for a brunette. So I am not ready for the grey at all.  Near my temples it seems to be a beautiful white color like my grandmother.... but at my crown it grows in stark and harsh looking.  Anyway, the stylist I had for 25 years always did a semi color on my hair and she only pulled the color all the way down to the ends once in a while to keep my hair from becoming too black and unnatural looking.  When I moved to OK and decided to stop traveling back home to get my hair colored my stylist send the formula to my new stylist who uses it slightly begrudgingly.  Lol.   It it still works.  And it is not very expensive.  
 

I will eventually let it go white if it is a pretty white.  But not yet.  

[Scarlett]

9 hours ago, bethben said:

I so agree!!!!  We do judge the fake redhead.  I have always felt like red hair is something you have to endure as a child so you can fully appreciate it as an adult.  My childhood was full of wishing I could have hair everyone else’s color and getting so many tomato head and carrot top references (yes, carrot tops are green but just try and explain that to a kid).  My sisters and I were a blaze of color whenever we were out in public.  We’ve all faded quite a bit as we’ve gotten older, but we’re still redheads.

My dh was a carrot top too.  As a kid that is.  Now he is more blonde light brown and even though he is the oldest of his brothers he has the least grey.  They tease him constantly about what color he uses on his hair.