How to be a redhead

I’ve been dying my hair for quite some time now. As a young teenager, I tried many things – including temporary colors, henna-based dyes and even the dreaded Sun-In! – because I knew that I wanted something other than the mousey mane which nature had landed me with. From the age of 18, however, you couldn’t get me away from those DIY packets of permanent dye on sale in my local Boots and I spent a good few years trying a large number of different brands and colours. I was a cheap and cheerful Nice ‘n’ Easy blonde for a few years, failed dismally at becoming a ginger, then went back to blonde and tried some classier brands like L’Oréal’s Recital Preference for a while. Finally, when I reached my 30th year, I tried a bright L’Oréal Feria red on top of my blonde locks, and was utterly sold. I then spent the next few years searching for the perfect red hair dye.

A couple of years ago, I found it – Schwarzkopf LIVE Color XXL Hypnotic Red is perfect for me. Garnier Nutrisse reds just weren’t bright enough and all the Recital Preference shades I liked were too dark and ‘purply’ for my skin tone. I worked my way through a few of the LIVE Color XXL red shades to find my perfect one and discovered that, where Feria faded spectacularly fast, the Schwarzkopf dyes stay vibrant for weeks. I always get complimented on my colour and my hair remains shiny, even after years of potent chemical abuse! What better advert for their products? The only thing I don’t like is the rubbish gloves they come with, so I always buy my own.

Last time I went to buy my usual hair colour, I noticed that there is a new product in the range. Schwarzkopf LIVE Color XXL Shake It Up Colour Foam is apparently super-easy to use and non-drip, which is very good news for colour addicts like me. No matter how much practice I’ve had, trying to keep the bathroom splatter free with darker dyes is still a challenge! I have to say though, the most tempting thing about this product is the “fruity strawberry scent” that it apparently has. No matter how much I love dying my hair, the permanent ones hardly ever smell bearable by the end of the 30 minutes. Sadly, despite the tempting food-related names, they don’t have a colour that would lure me away from my usual Schwarzkopf dye, but perhaps there’s one for you? Do let me know if you try it out.

Photography by Carlo and Fabiana Nicora at London Boudoir Photography.