How to look after natural (and not-so-natural) ginger hair

Redheads, rejoice! It’s been announced that there’s finally going to be an emoji for people with ginger hair. It’s about time, we say, and in honour of this new revelation, we’ve put together the ultimate guide for caring for natural, and dyed, ginger hair.

Shampooing

For natural redheads- because naturally red hair tends to be quite coarse and heavy, it’s recommended that you don’t shampoo it too often. Ideally, you should aim to shampoo your hair every three days, conditioning and rinsing in between if three days feels like too long. To help keep the colour of your hair, treat yourself to a deep conditioning treatment at least once a week.

For those who have dyed their hair red- First off, make sure you wait at least 48 hours before shampooing after the red hair colour is first applied, as you would with any shade. You want to give your hair the chance to absorb the dye molecules completely and for the colour to reseal itself, so it will last the longest possible time. Make sure to choose sulphate-free shampoos, as sulphates tend to strip your colour away too soon, and stay away from parabens or artificial colorants while you’re at it. The more natural the shampoo, the less it will disturb your hair colour.

For both natural and not-so-natural redheads- As red hair is known to have quite a dry consistency, try to apply a hair mask at least once a week. Hair masks are the best at putting moisture back into your hair, making it more manageable and easier to maintain. There’s no limit to how often you can apply hair masks; if you’re really struggling with dry hair, you can use one every time you shampoo.

Colour care

For natural redheads- Even naturally red hair tends to be vulnerable to the surrounding environment and can be affected by UV radiation from the sunlight. There are plenty of hair products available that should be your best friend if you’re heading somewhere sunny for a while. Many people forget that sunlight can damage hair in the same way it damages skin, so if you want to prevent your colour from fading, it’s worth putting on a hat or making sure not to spend too much time in direct sunlight.

For those who have dyed their hair red- Again, stay out of the sun. Because your hair has been dyed, the sun will impact it even more than on natural hair, and will cause your colour to fade if you’re exposed to it for a long time. Stay out of the midday sun, or wear hair-care products which prevent against UV rays, as mentioned above.

The hair dye debate

Many natural gingers will go through a stage in their lives of hating their hair colour and wanting a change- like most of us do, no matter what hair colour we’re born with. If you want to experiment, that’s fine- and if you’ve heard the myth about never being able to return to your true shade of ginger after a dye, pay no attention to it. Your hair is perfectly able to return to its original colour, no matter what shade you’ve died it- although it is easier to go naturally back to ginger from lighter shades.

Photo credit: Sky News