Best shampoo for natural red hair

Each year, the H2BAR beauty team comes out with the list of top ‘redhead friendly’ color depositing shampoos for redheads. The list is here!

READ: The 6 Best Ways To Keep Red Hair From Fading

What are color depositing shampoos? They naturally deposit color in red hair without the use of permanent dyes.

If you’re a natural redhead, you can add this hair care product to your beauty routine a few times a week. Great for natural reds who are experiencing natural fading and want to “up” their red.

If you’re a redhead ‘by choice’, use this regularly to lengthen the time in between your trips to the salon.

It’s important to know some key tips and facts before opting for a color depositing product. Here are 7 things you should know: 

1. If you’re a redhead ‘by choice’, consult with your stylist or colorist before using it.

2. Color depositing shampoo and conditioners do not work for blonde or grey shades of hair. Warning: If you have blonde highlights in your red hair, using these products will turn them pink.

3. Rinse your hair after conditioning with cool water. This will help close the cuticle and seal in moisture.

4. The product may stain so use a dark towel (or t-shirt) while drying your hair.

5. If you’re nervous to take the color depositing plunge, we recommend adding a few drops to your currently used shampoo and conditioner. This is a great way to ‘up’ your red a tiny bit.

6. We advise conducting a strand test before using one of these products below.

7. For best results, lather on a color depositing shampoo. Rinse. Apply and lather a color depositing conditioner. Rinse with cool water.

HERE ARE 4 OF OUR 2020 ‘REDHEAD FRIENDLY’ APPROVED FAVORITE COLOR DEPOSITING PRODUCTS: 

1. Tressa Watercolors Color Depositing Shampoo 

Great for: natural redheads and redheads ‘by choice’

Specially formulated to deposit color and deliver vibrant tones and brilliant shine, while a rich foaming lather nourishes every hair strand. Enhance natural or ‘by choice’ hues with this ultimate color enhancing, sulfate-free conditioning shampoo. You can purchase directly on HowtobeaRedhead.com! 

Shades: Fluid Fire, Crimson Splash, Liquid Fire, Wet Brick

Price: $27.99

2. Davines Alchemic Shampoo 

Great for: natural redheads and redheads ‘by choice’.

Another cult-favorite product from the Italian brand, Davines. This is an excellent option if you’re a copper redhead and looking for a shampoo and conditioner duo to get the job done.

Shade: Copper

Price: $27

3. John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Shampoo

Great for: natural redheads and redheads ‘by choice’.

As seen in the H2BAR Box, this affordable color depositing shampoo contains anti-fade technology to preserve color while pomegranate extract and Vitamin E help to boost softness and magnify shine. Grab the duo with the red boosting conditioner if you’re looking to really ‘up’ your red.

Shade: Red

Price: $7

4. Pure Blends Hydrating Color Depositing Shampoo

Great for: redheads ‘by choice’

Infused with coconut oil, marigold, collagen and keratin, this sulfate-free and gluten-free shampoo will bring life back to your red locks. 

Powell loves this “hairbath” so much, she uses it on her own color-treated red hair. She notes that it’s “incredibly gentle,” and is made with coconut and shea butters to improve texture, honey to lock in moisture, and pumpkin seed oil to enhance the vibrancy of your color.

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DPHue Color Fresh Shampoo — $26.00

Designed to cleanse hair without stripping it of color, this Powell-approved shampoo is formulated with shine-enhancing kumquat extract and fade-reducing sunflower seed extract.

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Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance™ Shampoo — $28.00

There’s a reason why stylists are constantly recommending Olaplex for color-treated hair, red and otherwise. “Olaplex is one of a kind, and that’s why it’s so popular,” Danielle Lint, an expert colorist at Warren Tricomi salon, previously told Well+Good. “It protects the hair from professional color. It’s the only additive we have to protect the hair from breakage with color.” It’s one of only a handful of bonding products on the market, and works to restructure the bonds in your hair that may have been damaged by color treatments, leaving your strands healthier (and more vibrant) overall.

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L'Oreal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Protecting Shampoo, for Color Treated Hair — $7.00

If you want to amp up your red, this shampoo has got you covered with its vibrancy-enhancing properties. It’s got anti-fade technology plus antioxidant technology thanks to linseed elixir, and will nourish color-treated hair to make it look freshly dyed after every wash.

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Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo — $37.00

Sulfate-free and gentle, this Redken shampoo will help extend your color in between salon visits or touch-ups. The shampoo has a pH balanced formula with amino acids that help seal in color, and a protein complex to nourish hair from roots to ends.

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Joico Color Infuse Red Shampoo — $19.00

Freshen up your hair with this shampoo, which helps enhance red color and shine through 12 washes. Ingredients include reg pigments, anti-oxidant green tea extract, and UV absorbers to help prevent color fading. The shampoo also uses SmartRelease technology to continuously release rosehip oil, keratin, and arginine, so your hair stays healthy and strong day after day.

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Best shampoo for natural red hair

Fekkai Brilliant Gloss Shampoo — $24.00

Noonan recommends this shampoo for natural redheads, thanks to the fact that it will protect your natural color while giving strands a smooth, glossy finish. It’s free of all of the ingredients that redheads want to avoid, and formulated with ingredients like vitamin B5 and rice protein to strengthen hair and protect it from damage.

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Rusk PUREMIX Wild Honey Repairing Shampoo For Dry Hair — $18.00

Celebrity stylist Laura Gibson suggests primarily focusing on your texture when it comes to choosing your shampoo. She’s a fan of Rusk’s PUREMIX line, and recommends Puremix Wild Honey Shampoo for people with dry hair and Puremix Sunflower Shampoo for people with fine hair.

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John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Shampoo — $9.00

Designed specifically with red hair in mind, this drugstore option will boost your natural color and leave your hair looking, well, radiant. It’s made with anti-fade technology plus strand-protecting vitamin E and pomegranate extract.

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Davines Alchemic Shampoo Red — $30.00

Perfect for color maintenance, reviewers love this shampoo for how well it enhances their natural color. “It keeps my color true and makes my highlights blend better,” says one fan. “In just four uses, this shampoo and conditioner had brightened up my red hair beautifully. I couldn’t believe it, not a drop of dye,” says another. It’s got protective properties, too, which means it will keep your color from fading over time.

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What ingredients should people with red hair look for in their shampoo?

For natural red hair

"People with red hair should look for shampoos with oils which will nourish your hair such as Mirabelle Plum Seed Oil for vibrancy," says Noonan. "I also love Edelweiss Flower Extract for anti-pollution and environmental protection." And of course, just as important as the ingredients that are in the formula are the ones that are not. To further keep your red hair in all its glory, Noonan suggests opting for shampoos without sulfates, silicones, parabens, and phthalates—all of which she says "can damage your hair and fade your natural color."

For color-treated red hair

As is the case with all color-treated hair, dye-induced redheads will want to look for color-safe shampoos that won't strip your shade. "Look for shampoos that include moisturizing properties such as aloe vera or argan oil to keep the hair healthy and minimize the chances of the hair becoming dry and brittle," says Powell. In this case, too, you'll want to avoid sulfates, parabens, and alcohols in your formulas.

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Tags: Hair-Care Tips

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