Working with red colour

[suedt1921]

Hi everyone,

Im looking for some tricks of the trade please as I ve not really had a lot of dealing with red colours.

I have a client who is a base 8, over the last 12 months I have done 1/2 head of bleach highlights, full head of hi lift tint. 12 weeks ago my client decided to go darker but wanted warmth but was unsure how warm. I did a full head colour using 6.4 (rusk) added to a 6.0 so that it wasnt to shocking. It was nice but as you can guess faded REALLY quickly. I should also mention her hair is in great condition as I also give her regular trims and deep conditioning treatments.

What I would really like to achieve is a natural looking 7.4. A natural ginger that doesnt fade real quick.

Any ideas would be great products, colours and also application techniques really welcome. I use RUSK and wella at the moment, but love a good recommendation!

Thanks everyone.
xxx

 

[candis]

Have u tried 7/37 wella that's a nice ginger colour and it doesnt fade massively either xx

 

[sarah_clancy]

Maybe a good idea to pre colour first with a copper?
That way it's got something to hold onto, make sure she's using correct shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair.
Reds will always fade, are you using semi or tint?
xx

 

[gemini_162]

One of the main problems with red is the fact that it's more of a tone than a color. Think about it; you could, hypothetically, have a level 10 red or even a level 1 red (not that you'd be able to tell that its red). You can't really do that with blond or brown.
The worst thing about when red fades (and WOW does it fade!) is that when it does, all you are left with is the brassy, naked, processed hair underneath. In my opinion that is what causes the most dissatisfaction with faded red. My belief is that you never EVER use a baseless red so that when it does fade, the hair underneath still has color. While red fades the fastest, its also the hardest to fully get rid of. It always leaves a copper glint - use that to your advantage. I like to stick to using a 10vol because it does the least damage and keeps the cuticle relatively closed, so that the natural or preexisting color acts as a foundation. If you are going lighter than that you should put in a base.
Also, I'm not sure you'll find that 6/4 accomplishes your desired ginger tone. Pure red has a pink look to it especially for the first week or two. That means that it really only looks perfect for about 2 weeks before it fades altogether. If it were me, I'd use some gold to warm it up and make it look a little more natural. I'd go with at least a /43 if not a /34 depending on the client's coloring. You can add some highlights or slices with a /4 or even a /44 for some punch but I wouldn't rely on it to yield a copper-y, ginger-y look.
Maybe you want to use a 7/3 or a 7/03 as your base and then add a 0/43 or even a 0/45 to it. Don't forget the special mixes! I add them to my conditioner at home to maintain my red and correct the tone as it fades.

Well, this turned out to be really long. Sorry for that. Red hair is my passion.
Hope that helped