How to keep red hair from fading

Whether your hair is done at the salon with the best hair dyes known to man, red hair dye will eventually fade. If you're not naturally blessed with gorgeous red hair, keeping your dyed red hair vibrant and fresh is a full-time job - much similar to the upkeep of blonde hair.

Sometimes, you have to sacrifice a simple hair routine to be part of a hair trend that is fiery, fierce and luxurious. Some of our favourite celebs, including Nicole Sealey, Amy Childs and Stacey Solomon have all put red hair on the map over the years.

If you've ever dyed your hair red before, you'll probably relate to the fact that even if you splurge on the fanciest box dye (or splash out at the salon), it will probably start to fade in less than a month.

Here are some handy tips and tricks to try and delay your red hair from fading...

Don't wash your hair too much

Especially after dying your hair, we're talking once or twice a week MAX.

Red hair dye is notoriously known for staying in your hair strands after you've applied and washed off the dye, so it's important to let your hair adjust to the dye because if you wash it too often, the dye will simply just wash straight off.

If you're desperate to wash your hair, you could always skip the shampoo part, rinse your hair with cold water and apply conditioner to the ends.

The brighter your dye, the faster it will fade.

Use shampoo and conditioner specifically for red hair

Using sulphate-free shampoos will do wonders for your red hair (and any colour hair, if we're being honest) as sulphates are the nasty chemicals that strip your hair colour. Anti-dandruff shampoos in particular contain loads of colour-stripping chemicals.

Buying shampoo for coloured hair is recommended, as they're made up of custom-made formulas to keep your colour fresh.

Use red root spray

If you're in between dye jobs, concealer sprays instantly cover root growth and grey hair and are a quick and easy solution to maintaining your look, without the need for frequent colouring.

Don't dye your hair too much

Yes, really. Although it's so tempting to dye your hair when you notice the colour fading, you really shouldn't be dying your hair every single month, especially an all-over job.

If your roots come through quicklu, you can always top up your root colour in between, but try and avoid over-dying your lengths as they need to be as healthy as possible to ensure your hair grows and isn't brittle.

Try and avoid using heat

Healthy hair will always look and feel better. A fact. So it's important to try everything you can to keep it in the best condition - including reducing the amount of heat your use on your hair. This could be as easy as drying it naturally or staying away from straighteners and curling tongs.

If you've landed the red hair of your dreams, try your best to treat it well.

Embrace the fade!

Honestly, we put far too much pressure on our red hair and if it is fading in between dyes, so what? As long as your look after it as much as you can, red hair can look great in any shade.