I’m a Fake Redhead, and This Color-Extending Shampoo Keeps My Copper Locks Vibrant Between Salon Visits

After scrolling through Instagram early last summer to find every celebrity I followed had dyed their hair a various shade of copper, I texted my stylist. I’d been a brunette my entire life, and I was ready to go red. After just a few hours in her chair, I felt like a completely new person — but unfortunately, I wasn’t ready for the upkeep. When I showered days later, I sadly watched the color wash down the drain, and after a month and a half my locks were dark, dull, and a muddy red.

Admittedly, I zone out in the salon chair (it’s my sacred magazine time) and had managed to miss the color-extending tips, like to space out washes, avoid scalding hot water, and always use a color-protecting shampoo (things I was reminded of when my stylist had to change my root touch-up to an all-over color). Since learning the importance of caring for color-treated hair the hard way, I’ve been searching for the best color-protecting shampoo and conditioner. During that search, I found that a lot of color extenders didn’t necessarily do much for my dry hair, until I was introduced to Briogeo’s new Color Me Brilliant line.

Shop now: $32; ulta.com and briogeohair.com

Shop now: $32; ulta.com and briogeohair.com

The shampoo and conditioner, which are new to Briogeo’s lineup, are almost entirely (94 percent) naturally derived, cutting out a number of harsh chemicals that can cause fading. Instead of including ingredients like sulfate, silicone, and phthalate, the Color Me Brilliant products are formulated with mushroom and bamboo leaf extracts, which protect color-treated hair against fading, per the brand, as well as natural oils to enhance shine. Additionally, the shampoo is infused with moisturizing vitamin B5 and antioxidant-rich vitamin E in the conditioner. 

Not only has this duo saved my color-treated hair by locking in the red and keeping it bright, but my hair is noticeably softer thanks to it. Rather than air-drying into a wiry, frizzy mess, my hair is smoother, shinier, and bouncier, with the frizz reduced to almost zero. Ulta shoppers love that the shampoo is “so gentle” and “nourishing,” and rave that it makes strands “feel so soft and manageable.” “My colored hair looks and feels amazing. The shampoo creates a nice lather, leaving my hair soft, shiny, and bouncy,” one customer wrote.

Thanks to this new launch, I no longer have to choose between protecting the color and protecting my strands. If you have color-treated hair, don’t make the same mistake I did and grab the shampoo and conditioner duo at Ulta or Briogeo — your strands won’t regret it.