battle of the reds: finding the best RED HAIR COLOR
welcome to the battle of the REDS. as you likely already know, red hair is one of the hardest to maintain. when you want the color to STAY, it will fade. when you want the color to FADE, it will stay. in this MASSIVE red review video series and blog, we’re going to put the most popular reds to the TEST.
we’ll be reviewing:
- loreal majirel
- j beverly hills
- kenra
- tigi
- schwarzkopf
- paul mitchell
- loreal with carmilane technology
- davines
you’ll be surprised how fast one of these colors fade ;)
want a CHEAT SHEET? click here to get a pros and cons list of the red colors.
we’ll be judging these color options on 3 FACTORS
- how vibrant the hair is when it is first colored
- the condition of the hair after it’s colored. in other words, how hydrated or dehydrated the hair is.
- the FADE factor (aka how fast the color fades)
1. loreal majirel REVIEW
the loreal majirel line boasts rich reds in vibrant colors. we’ll see if that’s true.
FORMULAS
4.65 on the roots
6.6 on the ends
the initial COLOR
after coloring madison’s hair is left RICH and VIBRANT. we did find that her hair was left nice and hydrated for the most part. it was a little static but it wasn’t too bad.
WEEK 1
overall, madison has found the color has had a DEHYDRATING effect on her hair. she’s also noticed some additional static in her hair. there was a bit of bleeding in the shower but that is expected with reds.
WEEK 3
at this point, madison isn’t in love with her color. she feels that the rich vibrant red tones have now turned BROWN. her isn’t as soft as it normally is, but at least the bleeding has stopped.
WEEK 4
by week 4 the color is almost ENTIRELY faded. the color has become very brown with copper undertones. madison doesn’t like the way it has faded. it feels frizzy, dry, and full of static.
FINAL thoughts
the girls concluded that you’d need to color your hair every 3 weeks to keep it looking fresh with this color line. if you’re fine with you red fading to something with COPPER tones, this color may be for you. but for madison who wants a red that FADES ON TONE, this color line just didn’t cut it.
2. j beverly hills REVIEW
this is the line that we use the most in the salon- time to see how their red compares to other lines.
FORMULAS
4R on the roots and 10 vol
6R on the ends and 10 vol
the initial COLOR
madison LOVES the color but still finds that her hair is full of static after the initial color job. she feels like her hair will stick to anything, including her hand when she touches it.
WEEK 1
as expected, the color bled a lot during the first shower. however, madison’s hair is still VIBRANT. she’s been using the nvenn ‘shampoo series’ to help restore MOISTURE and reduce frizz.
WEEK 2
it’s not bleeding much anymore and it still has a little STATIC to it but madison’s hair is still pretty vibrant without any brown or copper undertones.
WEEK 3
the vibrancy has faded at this point, but madison is still happy with the RED overall because it did fade on tone. there was a very small amount of red color BLEEDING when she showered but not much.
WEEK 4
at this point, the color has lost its vibrancy. despite that, madison still loves the color. unlike many reds, this color doesn’t fade into COPPER or BROWN.
FINAL thoughts:
madison gave this color a THUMBS UP. she’d used the color again. though it fades by week 3, the color fades into RED. if you hate copper tones as much as madison, give this color a try. throw on a nice moisturizing mask on to combat any dehydration you might be left with.
3. kenra color REVIEW
now it’s time to try kenra. this color is so RED, it matches madison’s skirt. while applying the color, jessica noticed the hair needed more color than usual to fully SATURATE the hair.
FORMULAS
4RR and 10 vol on the roots
6RR and 10 vol on the ends
the initial COLOR
we LOVE the overall color, but madison feels that her hair was pretty TANGLED when she was trying to comb it out. they both thought that the color line was dehydrating in general. it was harder to apply and finished with a more dehydrated result. jessica did notice that you could smell ammonia and a strong scent of fragrance when they first mixed the color so she thinks it might be a line with a higher ammonia content that they tried to mask with the fragrance.
WEEK 2
the girls skipped the review from week 1 because madison hasn’t really noticed a change and is still receiving A LOT of compliments on her hair. she LOVES the color.
WEEK 3
madison still likes the color, even though its FADED a little bit. this red is fading on tone. there is NO runoff and her hair isn’t having issues with static. jessica adores this color as well.
WEEK 4
madison STILL loves her hair. you can tell it’s fading a little bit but it’s not bad.
WEEK 6
the color is really faded now but madison still doesn’t hate it. It does have a little bit of a copper undertone but it isn’t bad. and it’s WEEK 6!
FINAL thoughts
this is DEFINITELY one of our favorite reds. the color stayed strong and vibrant for almost twice as long as most other color lines.
4. tigi red REVIEW
FORMULAS
4.65 on the roots
6.65 on the ends
PROTIP: tigi doesn’t make a straight red so this red will have more DEPTH than others, due to the colors having more of a mahogany base.
the initial COLOR
madison’s first comment is that the red is a lot DARKER than she is used to but she still likes it. her hair feels DRIER than usual but doesn’t have as much static as it did when her hair was colored with some other color lines. one thing jessica noticed and loved is how shiny madison’s hair was!
WEEK 1
after the FIRST wash, her hair lost a bit of the depth due to the runoff. in madison’s case, she prefers it lighter so this was perfect. there was still a bit of static but her hair’s moisture was pretty much restored back to its original condition after the first wash.
WEEK 3
by week 3, her hair has fully RECOVERED from the initial dehydration the color had given her. her color is fading more on the browner side but that’s probably because it was a mahogany red to start with.
WEEK 4
by week 4, madison likes the color MORE than she originally did since it has faded a bit. it still has a mahogany undertone so looks more like an auburn color. both of the girls still like the color. madison’s hair feels great and she’s not fighting with static.
WEEK 5
madison still likes her color. jessica does see that there is now a brown/ copper undertone showing through but it is WEEK 5!
FINAL thoughts
all in all, we would use this color again. though it’s not a TRUE RED, it fades to a lovely auburn color that many people love. if you’re looking for a red that is more subtle, give this color line a try.
5. schwarzkopf REVIEW
now it’s time to test one of the BEST KNOWN names for color. let’s see how it goes.
FORMULAS
4.88 on the roots
6.88 on the ends
the initial COLOR
jessica noticed how RICH the color was as soon as she started rinsing it. with the hair dried and STYLED, jessica and madison both found the hair to be soft, hydrated, and healthy. they are excited to see how long the color stays this vibrant for!
WEEK 1
madison noticed A LOT of bleeding when she washed her hair. It is definitely duller than it was initially. it’s still nice and RED, but has lost a lot of its initial vibrancy and depth.
WEEK 2
you can see it’s VERY FADED and has lots of copper and brown undertones. madison is not happy with the color, but at least her hair is still healthy. the color is still running out in the shower AND staining her towels.
WEEK 3
the COPPER/ BROWN undertone is really starting to shine through. madison feels it is VERY brown. the runoff has stopped and it doesn’t feel dry but madison can’t stand the color.
FINAL thoughts
madison would not use this color again. though it was very vibrant when first colored, it lost most of its depth and vibrancy by the second week. in fact, we’re calling it quits after week 3 because she can’t stand her hair anymore.
6. paul mitchell REVIEW
FORMULAS
4R on the roots from the original color line
6R on the ends from the xg dye smart color
PROTIP: we’ll be using 2 different color lines from paul mitchell because the xg dye smart color doesn’t make 4R
the initial COLOR
madison’s hair is nice and SHINY. jessica was surprised with how hydrating the color was. it is noticeably SOFTER and didn’t have a lot of run-off during the wash process.
WEEK 1
madison has washed her hair once in the last week. there was minimal run-off and her hair feels nice and hydrated. she didn’t feel like her hair faded much and she still got a LOT of compliments on her hair.
WEEK 2
her hair still has a little run off but it isn’t bad. her hair still feels nice and hydrated.
WEEK 4
all in all, madison would use the color AGAIN.
7. loreal carmilane REVIEW
this loreal color line boasts carmaline technology. this is supposed to help the red STICK to the hair and resist fading.
FORMULAS
4.60 with dm5 on the roots
6.66 with carmaline on the ends
the initial COLOR
madison LOVES the color, but feels her hair is full of static. during her color, her scalp was very itchy and was also stained red.
WEEK 1
the static has calmed down. the run-off is MINIMAL and she still loves the color.
WEEK 3
at this point, madison DOES NOT like her color. in her opinion, her hair will look brown within the next week. she feels like there is something coated on her hair and gets very TANGLED.
FINAL thoughts
madison couldn’t wait any longer. she decided she wanted to recolor her hair. their conclusion was that the carmilane technology didn’t make her red color last longer than usual. on average, red hair needs to be recolored every 3 weeks to keep its vibrancy. on top of all of that, madison didn’t like the color it faded to either.
8. davines red mask REVIEW
now for the LAST RED in our battle. DAVINES.
FORMULAS
4.60 on the roots
6.66 red on the ends
the initial COLOR
madison and jessica LOVE how rich the color is. her hair feels SOFT and healthy.
WEEK 1
at this point, madison has washed her hair TWICE. there wasn’t a lot of runoff and she’s still in love with the color.
WEEK 2
this is madison’s FAVORITE thus far. it’s still very vibrant and has minimal run-off when showering. her hair has already made a full recovery from the initial coloring.
WEEK 3
there was bit more run-off and madison can tell it has FADED a bit. she still LOVES the color and feels her hair is healthy.
WEEK 4
the color is still VIBRANT. there is no run-off anymore and she still feels her hair is HEALTHY.
FINAL thoughts
this was BY FAR one of our favorite reds. it did fade a little but it did fade on tone and it did keep it’s VIBRANCY.
the WINNER of battle of the REDS
in summary,
- schwarzkopf was the MOST VIBRANT but faded the QUICKEST
- loreal carmaline didn’t last longer than regular loreal or other color lines. it needed to be redone by week 3.
- surprisingly, the red that STAYED THE LONGEST was kenra. 6 WEEKS!
- davines also stayed nice, vibrant and faded on tone.
- j beverly hills also stayed nice, fairly vibrant and faded on tone.
the WINNER of battle of the REDS goes to KENRA!!!!
which RED are you trying next? tell us your favorite @nvennhairbeauty
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