Tips on colouring hair?

Question

I already dyed my hair red. But its faded to a medium brown colour.

I bought a semi permanent dye in a red colour- It says mahogany, but its more of an auburn colour in my opinion.

Does anyone have any tips on dying it?

I know to make sure my hair isn't clean.

Just general tips on colouring hair red really.

Answer 1

First off, semi-permanent hair color fades after 4-6 washings.  You are basically just coating the hair shaft.

If you really want to "dye" your hair you need to use a permanent hair color, of course this requires touching up the roots every 3 to 4 weeks.

Red colors are the hardest colors to get, they all tend to fade.  You can buy shampoos that will help fading (as they have a small amount of color in the shampoo).

You do need to start with CLEAN hair as any dirt, build of hair product will coat the  hair shaft, thus making it harder for the color to penetrate into the hair shaft.

So if you are choosing a semi permanent color you need to re do it about every 2-3 washings to maintain the original color.  

You can mix colors together to achieve a deeper color, like mahogany with a shade deeper (darker) mix 1/2 and 1/2 or 3/4 mahogany with say 1/4 of a burgandy.

Reds are beautiful and can be very dramatic, they just require a lot of maintenence to keep looking fresh and not faded.

Hope this helps you, and if you can afford it you probably should have a professional color your hair for getting the red you really want.

Answer 2

well not a tip really but I can tell you that red is one of the hardest colors to keep in your hair,of all the colors it will fade the fastest,and need more touch ups than any others.My advice would be to go to a salon if you want to keep your red looking it's best..I know they are pricey but soooo worth the extra money....good luck with the color.

Answer 3

using peroxide.peroxide takes out the hair color you have know and then it turns blonde then you have to put the color on it with tin foil .peroxide can be bought at any salon or beauty supply store

Answer 4

I went from a natural light/medium blond to an auburn color.  Some things I've learned:

1. It will fade fast.  I recolor every 3-4 weeks.

2.  Leave the die on for 45 mins, period, regardless of what the box tells you.  If you can, sit under a heat lamp, this opens the hair cuticle up to let the color sink in.  Then rinse it in the coldest water you can tolerate, this closes the hair cuticle up.

3.  Use a shampoo/conditioner made specifically for red hair.  And a treatment for red hair once or twice a week.

I also use a semi-permanent for 2 cycles to keep the color fresh, then go back to a permanent, because the red will not hold.  

You said you bought semi permanent in Mahogany?  I think I even know which one you're talking about, but I think you will be disappointed with it, mahogany is brown.  I've been fooled by the look of it while checking out different colors too.  I don't know how 'red' you want to go, sounds like you want it to be more reddish brown than red.  The new Revlon perfect 10 red was awesome for me.  It's a little deeper auburn than others I've tried, but it will be an obvious red.

If you're really brave and adventurous, try using henna instead of hair dye, it's supposedly safer and less stress on your hair.  I've been wanting to try it myself, I just haven't had the time or dedication to do it.