So over the years my bright ginger hair began to darken, which is no good if you’re proud of your copper locks like I am. After some time I decided to search the internet for clues on how to stop my hair losing its shine and vibrancy. It took a lot of looking before I found some tips which I would like to share with you.

Conditioner

This might seem obvious, but redheads have thicker and drier hair by nature, so it is really important to condition your hair regularly. I personally condition the ends of my hair every time I wash it, either that or if I forget I put on a leave-in conditioner like this one to stop my hair drying out and becoming wiry.

 Another point I want to make here is to use Sulphate-free Shampoo and Conditioner wherever possible. Sulphates are essentially what makes your shampoo lather up into a thick, bubbly foam. Haircare companies use sulphates because they are cheap as a detergent, however they can cause your hair to become frizzy and can damage your scalp too. There are many brands out there that make Sulphate free Shampoos and Conditioners. Click here to see a list.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a great spice to pair with ginger in cooking, but it turns out it also pairs well with ginger hair! Cinnamon can help to stop your hair from fading and can even lighten your colour. So if like me, you struggle with your hair getting darker- it might be time to turn to cinnamon for help.

What you’ll need:

1tbsp Cinnamon                      1 tbsp Conditioner (sulfate free)

All you need to do for this is apply your cinnamon conditioner all over slightly damp hair and leave for 30 minutes. After this, wash your hair as normal and enjoy how spicy your hair smells! Try and do this once a week until you see a difference in colour. Maybe even take a photo of your hair each week so you can see if it is working for you 🙂

Colour Depositing Shampoo/ Conditioner

If you’re anything like me, dying your hair is a big no-no. For some reason if I try to dye my hair a light auburn or copper colour, my hair ends up Mahogany instead. A while ago I was on Everything for Redheads website, and I spotted that they had colour depositing shampoo. What this does is, rather than change the colour of your hair like dye, it helps to enhance the natural copper and red tones in your hair. You can buy it here.

And if you don’t want to buy a whole bottle of shampoo, Superdrug have a colour enhancement treatment which only costs £1.49 and you can use it a couple of times too. You can find it here. With this treatment, you can just wash your hair as normal then apply this as a conditioner and leave it for around 5-8 minutes. This treatment works particularly well on lighter hair.

Cranberry Juice

Cranberry Juice doesn’t just taste great, it also doubles up as an awesome hair rinse.

What you’ll need:

 

Cranberry Juice (1 carton)               A comb             A Hair Clip

1. Wash your hair as normal, rinse out any product.

2. Pour the cranberry juice over your head, massaging it through your roots.

3. Comb through your hair to make sure that the juice is evenly distributed through the hair.

4. Clip up your hair and leave to set for either :

* for light ginger- 30 minutes

* for bright/ mid ginger- 45 minutes

*for auburn and deep red- 1 hour

5. Rinse out well and condition the ends of your hair. Use once a week for a constant effect, or just as a quick fix for an occasion!

Peppermint Oil

Using peppermint oil is not only good for your colour, but it smells amazing!

What you’ll need:  

2 tbsp peppermint oil               1 cup of water             A spray bottle (optional)  

1. Mix the peppermint oil in 1 cup of water. Heat the mix in the microwave for a couple of minutes and let it to cool slightly.

2. Either put the mix in a  spritz bottle and spray your hair while it’s wet or you can add it to your conditioner.

3. Leave for 5 minutes and rinse out.

And that’s it! Hopefully all of these tips will help you keep your red hair bright and healthy!