Maintaining Copper Hair

I have always had a little bit of strawberry blonde in my hair.  From being a chubby cheeked, orange-haired child to a 29 year old with dark, reddish blonde hair, the ginger is undeniable.  But I’ve been through many years of making it every other colour under the sun.  From brown in sixth form to bleach blonde at uni, it is only recently I have embraced my hair au naturel.  And after sixth months of not dying my hair at all, I decided to brighten it up for summer and for our wedding day.  Thanks to my wonderful hair dresser at April Egan Low Fell, I now have a gorgeous, copper coloured head with darker red low lights and blonde highlights.  I am so in love with it.  So much so I’m terrified of it fading.  So what do I do to keep it looking salon fresh?

Wash My Hair A Lot Less

It’s the shampoo and conditioner that we use that can strip the hair of colour.  Unless I am having my hair bleached, it will fade the more I wash it.  So my first decision was to start washing my copper hair a lot less.

I used to wash my hair every other day otherwise it would look lank and greasy.  I have now extended that to only washing my hair at least every third day and last week I managed to make it last four days.  For some reason, since I’ve had it dyed it’s not getting as greasy and I can just tie it back into super trendy french braids or a high pony on day three.

Turn the Temperature Down

I’m not sure of the exact science behind this one, but I believe that hot water and steam open up the hair cuticle, causing more colour to be released when washing.  You’ll never catch me having a cold shower (unless I’ve got some serious sunburn) but now when I do step in that shower, I turn the temperate down a good five degrees or so.  So far so good!

Use Shampoo for Coloured Hair

I’m a firm believer in using hair products that are designed for your hair type.  I try to pick out ones that will do the most good for my hair.  So when I dyed my hair copper I knew I had to switch up my washing routine.

After doing a bit of online research, I realised because of my blonde highlights, I didn’t want a colour depositing shampoo.  Those kind literally slightly dye your hair every time you use them.  I knew that they would ruin the different colours I had in my hair already by making them look all one tone.  Instead I popped to Boots and picked up John Frieda’s Radiant Red shampoo and conditioner.  They are inexpensive and smell delicious.  They haven’t altered the colour of my hair and it feels soft and looks shiny.

Dry Shampoo

There is no way I could stretch my hair out to four days without washing unless I used a good dry shampoo.  I picked up Batiste’s Vibrant and Red dry shampoo to try.  It is a lot darker in colour than my shade of copper, but once it is massaged in and brushed through, it works.

Olaplex Deep Conditioning Treatment

When I was getting my hair coloured, my stylist recommended that next time I go in I get an Olaplex treatment.  I haven’t had it done yet, but she explained to me how it works.  Basically there are three steps.  Step one is a treatment that is mixed in with your colour and applied to hair.  It soaks in and repairs the cuticle from inside.  Step two is a mask that is applied after colour to keep the newly deep conditioned hair protected.  Step three you take home to give your hair a little boost as you go.

Like I said, I haven’t had it done yet but I’ve booked in to have it during my next cut and colour.  It adds on an extra 30 minutes to my appointment and is just £10 more.  I can’t wait to see the results!

Have you ever tried Olaplex?  Has my post made you think about making the leap into copper?!

♥ JH

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