How to Fill Hair Before Coloring Red? 6 Steps!

Filling your hair before coloring it red involves preparing your hair, understanding its porosity, and selecting the right filler shade. This process ensures that the red dye produces a vibrant and long-lasting color.

Here are the Quick steps:

Hair filling is the secret to achieving vibrant, long-lasting red color. It prepares your hair for the dye, ensuring that the color is absorbed evenly across your hair strands.

Step 1: Understanding Hair Porosity

Understanding the hair porosity of your strands is crucial for achieving optimal results when coloring red.

• Hair porosity refers to the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture and color. It plays a significant role in how the hair will take in the red dye and how long it will last.
• Hair porosity is categorized into three levels: low, normal, and high. Each level requires different approaches when it comes to color absorption and hair treatment.
• Low porosity hair has tightly closed cuticles, making it difficult for color to penetrate.
• Normal porosity hair has slightly raised cuticles, allowing for easy color absorption.
• High porosity hair has overly raised cuticles, causing color to be absorbed quickly but also fade rapidly.

Understanding your hair’s porosity level is essential for determining the most effective hair treatment and color application.

Step 2: Determining Current Hair Level

Before embarking on the process of filling hair before coloring red, it is crucial to accurately determine the current hair level.

This involves assessing the natural hair color and understanding the underlying pigments present in the hair.

Assessing Natural Hair Color

• Assessing Hair Condition: Begin by evaluating the current condition of your hair. Look for signs of damage, dryness, or brittleness, as these can affect how your hair will absorb the red dye.
• Evaluating Dye Compatibility: Consider your hair’s compatibility with red dye. If your hair has been previously colored or chemically treated, it may react differently to the red dye, requiring special attention during the coloring process.
• Conducting a Strand Test: Perform a strand test using the red dye on a small section of your hair to see how it reacts and to determine the resulting color.
• Consulting a Professional: If unsure about your natural hair level or the compatibility of red dye, seek advice from a professional colorist to ensure the best results.

Assessing natural hair color is crucial before proceeding with the red coloring process to achieve the desired vibrant and long-lasting results.

Understanding Underlying Pigments

To accurately determine the current level of your natural hair color before filling and coloring it red, assess the underlying pigments present in your hair.

Understanding the underlying pigments is essential as it helps in determining the natural hair level, which is crucial for achieving the desired red hue.

According to color theory, hair color is classified on a scale from 1 (darkest) to 10 (lightest), with underlying pigments contributing to the overall tone.

Here’s a table illustrating the underlying pigments at different natural hair levels:

Understanding these underlying pigments is a crucial step in hair preparation for achieving the perfect red shade.

Step 3: Selecting the Right Filler Shade

Selecting the appropriate filler shade is essential for achieving the desired vibrant red hair color.

When choosing the right filler shade, consider the following:

• Filler shade compatibility: Ensure the filler shade complements the intended red hair color to avoid any unexpected color shifts.
• Filler absorption: Understand the absorption rate of the filler shade to determine the optimal application time and technique.
• Filler blending techniques: Explore innovative blending techniques to seamlessly incorporate the filler shade with the natural hair color, creating a smooth base for red coloring.
• Filler application techniques: Experiment with advanced application methods to evenly distribute the filler shade and prepare the hair for the red dye.

By understanding these aspects, you can effectively select the ideal filler shade for achieving vibrant red hair. This sets the foundation for successful hair coloring and ensures the desired results.

Step 4: Preparing the Filler Application

Preparing the filler application is a crucial step in achieving a successful red color transformation.

Choosing a suitable filler that complements the desired red shade, applying the filler evenly throughout the hair, and timing the application meticulously are key points to consider.

These steps ensure that the hair is adequately prepared to receive the red color, resulting in a vibrant and long-lasting outcome.

Choosing Suitable Filler

Here are four essential factors to consider when preparing the filler application:

• Hair Porosity: Assess the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. Low porosity hair requires a lightweight filler, while high porosity hair needs a more intense filler to lock in color.
• Current Hair Color: Match the filler to the current hair color to create a seamless base for the red hair color. For example, use a copper-based filler for blonde hair and a red-orange filler for brown hair.
• Desired Red Shade: Select a filler that complements the desired red shade. For cooler red tones, choose a filler with violet undertones, while warmer reds pair well with orange-based fillers.
• Product Compatibility: Ensure that the filler is compatible with the chosen red hair color product to avoid any adverse reactions or color inconsistencies.

Applying Filler Evenly

Using a precise amount of filler is essential for achieving even application and optimal color absorption before coloring hair red.

• To ensure even application, start by sectioning the hair and applying the filler from roots to ends, making sure to saturate each strand thoroughly.
• Work methodically through the hair, ensuring all areas are covered evenly. Use a brush or comb to distribute the filler, ensuring it penetrates the hair shaft evenly.
• Pay special attention to porous or damaged areas, as they may require extra filler saturation.
• By applying the filler evenly, you create a uniform base for the red color, leading to a more consistent and vibrant end result.

Once the filler is evenly applied, the next crucial step is timing the application to maximize its effectiveness.

Timing the Application

Timing the application of the filler is crucial for preparing the hair to achieve optimal color absorption before coloring it red.

• Pre-color Treatment: Begin by assessing the hair’s condition and porosity to determine the appropriate pre-color treatment. This could include clarifying the hair to remove any buildup, followed by a protein treatment to strengthen the hair before the filler application.
• Filler Application: Apply the filler evenly, ensuring complete saturation from roots to ends. The timing of this step is essential, as it sets the foundation for the red color to adhere evenly and vividly to the hair.
• Processing Time: Allow the filler to process for the recommended time based on the product instructions and the hair’s condition. This step is critical for the filler to effectively fill the hair shaft and prepare it for the red color application.
• Rinse and Dry: Once the processing time is complete, rinse the filler thoroughly and dry the hair before proceeding with the red color application.

Step 5: Applying the Filler to Hair

The application of the filler to the hair is a crucial step in preparing for red hair coloring. Achieving even coverage and allowing the filler to set properly are essential for the best results.

When applying the filler, ensure that every strand is thoroughly coated to create a uniform base for the red color.

The timing of the filler application is crucial. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to determine the setting process, as it can vary depending on the specific filler product being used.

Here is a table to guide you through the application process:

Step 6: Allowing Filler to Set

To ensure optimal results, it is imperative to allow the filler to thoroughly set before proceeding with the red hair coloring process.

Once the filler application is complete, the wait time is critical for the filler to penetrate and strengthen the hair shaft.

Here are essential steps to allow the filler to set effectively:

• Follow Product Instructions: Adhere to the specific instructions provided by the filler manufacturer regarding the recommended wait time for the product to set.
• Cover Hair: During the wait time, cover the hair with a processing cap or plastic wrap to create a warm environment, enhancing the filler’s absorption into the hair.
• Monitor Time: Use a timer to precisely track the wait time, ensuring that the filler has ample time to set and fortify the hair.
• Rinse and Dry: After the designated time, thoroughly rinse the filler from the hair and gently dry before proceeding with the red hair coloring process.

Rinsing and Ready for Red Dye

After allowing the filler to set, the hair is now thoroughly rinsed and ready for the application of the red dye.

• Preparing the hair for the red dye application is crucial to achieving vibrant and long-lasting results.
• The rinsing process should involve using lukewarm water to thoroughly remove any residual filler from the hair, ensuring that the hair is clean and ready to absorb the red dye evenly.
• It’s important to use a sulfate-free shampoo to gently cleanse the hair without stripping away its natural oils.
• Once the hair is rinsed and clean, it should be gently towel-dried to remove excess water before applying the red dye.
• This sets the stage for the next step in the process, which is the strategic application of the red dye.

This approach ensures that the hair is in optimal condition to receive the red dye, allowing for maximum color payoff and longevity.

Conclusion

It is essential to understand the porosity of the hair, determine the current hair level, and select the right filler shade before applying red dye.

Preparing and applying the filler to the hair, allowing it to set, and then rinsing it will ensure the hair is ready for the red dye.

By following these steps, the hair will be well-prepared and ready to achieve the desired red color, resulting in a beautiful and vibrant outcome.