Shampoo.

Before we get to the nitty gritty of dying your hair, you have to start with the basics. Shampooing your hair is one of the most basic things you learn when dealing with personal hygiene. It's even more important when you're dying your hair. Shampoo choice can be the difference between a lasting or quickly fading hair color.

First though, we need to discuss frequency. I try to wash my hair every two to three days. I've read on other blogs and sources that they will wait as long as a week to wash their hair. The point is, don't wash your hair every day. Shampoo strips the color from your beautiful red hair, and nobody likes that. 

Because you aren't washing your hair, you should become acquainted with this awesome invention called dry shampoo. The main purpose of dry shampoo is to soak up the oils that build up whenever you don't wash your hair. You may think that dry shampoo is going to dry out your wallet, but it won't. I use Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo. I've used other dry shampoos before but this is the one that I have had the best results with. It's mainly a personal preference whenever you're dealing with hair products like this. I get it from Walmart for under five dollars, and I only have to get a new bottle about once a month. If you're not one for Walmart bargains, you can try Ulta for a few other brands like Batiste.

Suave also offers a Dry Conditioner if you're into that sort of stuff. I will admit that I have tried it and it wasn't my favorite. The directions on the bottle say that you should focus on the shaft and ends of your hair. It weighed my hair down a lot and made it feel greasy. I don't know what everyone else out there thinks, but greasy hair isn't sexy, at all.

Now that we've figured out how often you need to wash your hair, and how to fudge by without feeling gross everyday, we need to figure out with what you should be washing your hair with. Shampoo is the obvious answer, but, "What kind of shampoo?" is the next best question. 

Right now, I'm using Burt's Bees More Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner:

 

I really like Burt's Bees Shampoos and Conditioners. All Burt's Bees products are sulfate free which is a good thing for your red hair. Shampoos that contain sulfates are more likely to fade your color faster than those without. I always use moisturizing shampoos to help replace the moisture I lose when I dye my hair. That's a personal preference though.

One thing about sulfate free shampoos to mention though is they don't lather. If a nice rich lather is what assures you that your hair is clean, then you probably shouldn't go with a sulfate free shampoo. I've noticed since using a sulfate free shampoo that my hair doesn't feel as clean and I've been debating on going back to a color safe shampoo. 

One item of controversy out there though is whether color safe shampoos and conditioners are the way to go. I have used them before and I have no complaints. Personally, the main difference that I have seen between the two is how clean my hair feels otherwise I haven't really seen a difference between sulfate free and color safe. It's purely personal preference. 

It is so important to baby your hair after coloring though. Your hair just opened up, took on a new color, and is trying to hold in that color for you so the least you can do for your hair is provide proper care for it in the shower. If you don't enjoy moisturizing, color safe, or sulfate free shampoos, I would at the very least recommend a shampoo/conditioner combination that includes some type of repairing agents. After years of dying my hair, I've been doing hard battle with split ends. When I took breaks from dying my hair, it was important to me that I use a repairing shampoo and conditioner.

(One thing I like to spoil myself with is a deep conditioning treatment at a salon every once in awhile.)

Happy shampooing!

Andi.