Keeping the Red ... RED!

Ok, so today I thought I would write about my red hair.  Seems that no matter where I go, I stand out in a crowd - not because I'm anything special or popular... but just because I have flaming red hair.  Yes, I said flaming.  Am I a natural red head?  No - I pay for for it and because I pay a pretty penny to be this color, I want it to look good between trips to my wonderful Italian hairdresser.  Out of all the colors I could have picked from, I had to pick the one that is the most difficult to maintain.  Reds are famous for fading quickly.  I have tried lots of color shampoos and conditioners - all claiming to keep color locked in and fresh, but unfortunately they all failed me - even the ones that I bought from my hairdresser.  Then I ran across an ad in my Vogue magazine for Aveda shampoo and conditioner, but the ad featured a dark haired model - you know that beautiful rich chocolate brown color... so pretty.  Anyhow I got on line and started my search and found that they made a shampoo and conditioner for us red heads as well.  Madder root - my staple product for red hair..

Aveda Madder Root Shampoo

This shampoo is the absolute holy grail for red heads.  The shampoo itself is a firery red/orange color and smells heavnly.  It doesn't change the color of your red - just revives it.  I've tried other products that claim to keep red hair red, but for some reason all of those products were pink, even fushia in color and guess what??  My hair always looked pink after washing it!  I'm a red head - not a pink head!  The other benefit to this shampoo is that my hair has never built a "resistence" to it.  You know what I mean by this?  Like after a while of using the same product your hair becomes limp and dull.  Well, not with Madder Root - it's that good.

Of course, what is a shampoo without a conditioner.  The Madder Root conditioner packs a powerful punch and is the perfect companion to it's shampoo partner.

Aveda Madder Root Conditioner

However I will caution you on this product.  The color of this differs from the shampoo - it has no orange undertone - instead it is a deep ruby red and I have found that using it alone does play games with your color.  So to fix this, I go 50/50 with another favorite conditioner of mine... Silk by Liqwid. 

Liqwid Silk Conditioner

This little treasure has transformed my hair.... literally.  It is just awesome.  My hair is smooth, soft and healthy.  It does nothing for the color - but it really has made a difference to the all around health of my hair.  I have thin, dry hair - about shoulder length.  It's always been "ok" because I spend time on it - but this product is a miracle and my shower is never without it!


So the Silk and the Madder Root conditioner - 50/50.... mixed together and applied after shampoo.  I let it sit for about 5 minutes or so... rinse and voila!  Perfection for your locks.  


Here's to being a red head and maintaining that fabulous color!