How to Keep Red Hair from Fading?

Well this is me, with freshly cut bangs and I dyed my once black hair RED! You can’t tell to much about the color here but trust me it’s red or at least it use to be. Which is why I pose the question, how does one sustain the vibrant salon fresh red hue when you are not naturally a red head?

I was actually trying to refrain from showering my tresses for fear of the veritable blood bath that would appear on my towel after every shower. Shoot, the color would even leave slight smear stains on my pillows! Problem is I think the rich mahogany color does wonders for my pale skin. Brings out what little color I have in my cheeks! But lordy, the maintenance is proving impossible. It’s only week 2 and I already feel that the hair color has morphed into a reddish brown at the roots. 

Does any of this stuff work?

Anyone try the Redken Color Extend Hair Care line? Does it help?

Other tips people have told me are:

- Stay out of the SUN! Apparently the sun warps the color of any dye job and strips the color faster. Well I do this anyway because of my fair skin, but one of my favorite parts of dying my hair a different shade is seeing it glow in sunlight, so I find this news dis-heartening. Who wants to hide in the dark with freshly dyed hair?

- Upgrade your water! Additives (such as chlorine) that make tap water safe can also strip dye. Try new shower heads designed to remove color-dulling agents. Try iWater Shower Purification System ($50) or Jonathan Beauty Water Shower Purification System ($95, Sephora).

- Shampoo Less and Condition More! Apparently shampooing hair strips the color faster and leaves your cuticles open, thus making the strands rougher and less shiny. The conditioner locks in color by sealing the cuticles and making your locks shinier. Shiny hair reflects color better. The only probably I have with this advice is I have very fine hair and if I skip shampooing my hair gets greasy really fast. But I shall try my best to modify my showering regime to test out this theory.