The youthfulness that comes with being a natural redhead is undeniable. Not only are you fresh-faced from your year-round SPF use, but your ability to hold onto your red hair shade for longer is another huge perk. Instead of going grey like most people, redheads generally go through another phenomenon: achromotrichia.
Indeed, it has a name. Put simply, ‘achromotrichia’ is defined as the absence or loss of pigmentation in the hair.
Thanks to genetics, gingers tend to retain their red hair colour for a lot longer, skipping out the greying stage that most other people experience. When red hair follicles stop producing their gingerish pigment, the colour fades from red through a glorious spectrum of faded copper to rosy-blonde colours, through to silvery-white. It’s a sight to be seen, giving an almost autumnal effect as your red hair moves into its ‘silver fox’ phase.
SHOULD I EMBRACE MY FADING RED HAIR?
You can either embrace the achromotrichia or decide to keep your red hair looking vibrant for longer. Either is beautiful.
For this, you could find yourself a tip-top stylist to help you colour-match a dye with your natural shade, but this is a high maintenance option due to inevitable regrowth and upkeep (dyed red hair actually fades faster than other shades). Instead, using henna-infused hair products that work with your shade help to enhance the vibrancy of the existing reddish highlights and lowlights in the strands, maintaining your ginger shade for longer.
Remember: whichever option you go for, you’ll always be a redhead at heart.
