Blondes, brunettes, and everyone with hair that falls between the two: Something is missing in your life and you don’t even know it yet. There’s a whole other side to the hair world that you’ve never explored, and that makes us desperately sad. Red hair is the ultimate step for the mane adventurous.
There’s no time like the present to see the error of your ways, whether that’s through a deep burgundy mane or something more lighthearted, like golden red hair. Berry hues aside, we love red hair dye because it’s so adaptable to every skin tone and color.
Perhaps you have naturally dark brown hair and haven’t had the guts to go blonde yet? Try a shade like orange red, which incorporates notes of both colors into a brown base. Blondes looking to add a little spice to their lives can try out blood orange or pink-red hair, choosing shades that already build off a blonde base. In general, the best skin tone for red hair color is very pale or very dark.
Life is better through rose-colored glasses, and the same goes for rose red-colored hair. If you’re looking to make a big change for the new year, look no further than red hair. Red hair is one of the most vibrant and coveted hair colors out there and for a good reason—it looks good on everyone! Whether you’re hoping to channel your inner red-hot vixen or just want a few copper highlights, we’ve got you covered.
We teamed up with Suzie Bond, L’Oréal Professionnel artist and master colorist, to bring you the hottest red hair colors of 2019.
Red Hot Red
What is red hot red hair color?
This crimson hue is a head turner and is perfect for anyone looking for a dramatic hair transformation in the new year.
“This shade is exactly what it sounds like: not for the faint of heart,” Bond says. “If you are looking for an all over show-stopping hair color, you’ve found the right one.”
To achieve this fiery color, Bond says your colorist will apply a permanent shade beginning at your roots and throughout your mane all the way to your ends. If you have naturally dark locks and are hoping to achieve a vibrant red hue, Bond says your colorist will likely have to pre-lighten your mane with bleach. It’s important to note that bleach will always cause damage, but a professional can help minimize the look and feel of said damage.
If you’re looking to take advantage of the red hot red hair color trend but aren’t ready for the maintenance of all-over color, Bond suggests highlights. Even though you may not be ready to go red hot red all over, Bond suggests adding a slightly red hue to your natural color to pair perfectly with your highlights.
“Highlights look best with a slight shift of your natural color to a red tone as well,” she explains.
How do you maintain red hot red hair color?
Red is a notoriously hard hair color to maintain, and a hue this vibrant is no exception. However, Bond assures us with the proper products and hair care routine you can keep your color looking as fabulous as the day you walked out of the salon.
First, Bond suggests swapping out your regular shampoo and conditioner with a system formulated to protect color-treated hair. The stylist recommends, the L’Oréal Professionnel Vitamino Color A-OX Color Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner and the L’Oréal Professionnel Vitamino Soft Cleanser. However, Bond says it’s not just the products you use that matter, but how you use them.
“Be sure not to shampoo more than every other day, alternate your Vitamino shampoo with Soft Cleanser, and turn the temperature down on your hot tools,” she explains.
Now that you’ve got your at-home hair care covered, it’s time to head back to the salon. Bond says you should plan to head back to the salon every four weeks to touch up your new growth and brighten your locks.
Copper Penny
What is copper penny hair color?
Think of copper penny as red hair for beginners. It’s just red enough to officially call yourself a redhead, without the heavy lifting of maintaining a fiery crimson hue.
“This soft venture into copper and copper brown is great for all the things: gray coverage, highlights, a soft semi-permanent enhancement,” Bond says.
In addition to being an excellent hue for just about any color service, copper penny also looks great on every skin tone.
“Soft coppers can be worn by every skin-tone,” Bond says. “The level of lightness or depth is where each person needs customization to make you look like you were born with it!”
If you have naturally light brown, deep blonde, or coppery locks, your colorist should be able to whip up your dream copper penny color in one sitting. If you have a more dramatic natural hue, it may take a few appointments before you walk out of the salon with perfectly copper penny strands.
How do you maintain copper penny hair color?
Copper penny may seem like a subtle hue, but it’s still a member of the red family which means it requires quite a bit of upkeep. First, we recommend swapping out your shampoo and conditioner for a system formulated for color-treated strands. We suggest the L’Oréal Professionnel Vitamino Color A-OX Color Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner.
Next, get comfortable at your hair salon because you’ll be back—a lot. We suggest heading back to the salon for a touch up every four to six weeks.
Copper Fire
What is copper fire hair color?
If you love copper penny hair and want to take it to the next level, copper fire hair is perfect for you. This quintessential red hue is guaranteed to multiply your compliments in the new year. However, this color isn’t for the faint of heart. Bond says the only way to do this color justice is to go completely red.
“Since this is a fashion statement choice, an all over color service is required,” she explains.
How do you maintain copper fire hair color?
The maintenance for this vibrant hue is very similar to that of red hot red. First, Bond suggests swapping out your regular shampoo and conditioner with a system formulated to protect color-treated hair. The stylist recommends, the L’Oréal Professionnel Vitamino Color A-OX Color Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner
To keep your color looking salon-fresh, Bond suggests heading back to the hair salon every four weeks.
“This color is best at a four-week salon visit for a retouch on new growth and refresher for the ends.”
Merlot
What is merlot hair color?
Merlot hair color is perfect for anyone who wants to go red for the new year but can’t imagine parting with their dark locks. The red wine inspired shade is a beautiful blend of rich brown, burgundy, and juicy cherry red. It also has the added benefit of being one of the most low maintenance red hair colors available.
This hair color is all about customization. If you want to add a subtle red hue to your dark brown locks, ask your colorist for burgundy and cherry red highlights or ombre. If you want your merlot hue to resemble a fruity sangria more closely, ask your colorist for an all-over deep cherry red.
How do you maintain merlot hair color?
Merlot is a relatively low maintenance hair color. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to tweak your hair care routine. We recommend swapping out your shampoo and conditioner for a system formulated for color-treated strands. We suggest the L’Oréal Professionnel Vitamino Color A-OX Color Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner.
While more vibrant shades of red typically require you to head back to the salon for a touch up every four to six weeks, if your natural hair color is close to merlot you can likely stretch the time in between appointments up to 12 weeks.
If you’ve chosen a dark brown merlot and your color gets a little brassy in between appointments, pick up a color depositing conditioner cream. The L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Color Depositing Cream For Brunettes will reduce brassiness while you wait for your next appointment.
Apricot Blonde
What is apricot blonde hair color?
Apricot blonde is the exact opposite of merlot: It’s perfect for anyone looking to go red who can’t imagine parting with their blonde locks. If you’re a natural blonde who’s always thought about going red, this shade is just for you. To achieve this hue, your colorist will hand paint subtle shades of reddish apricot atop your blonde locks.
If you’re not a natural blonde, your colorist will have to pre-lighten your locks with bleach, before whipping up your dream color. Even though bleach will always cause damage, a professional can help minimize the look and feel of said damage.
How do you maintain apricot blonde hair color?
Red and blonde are both tricky colors to maintain, but with the right products you can keep your color in tip-top shape. First, we recommend swapping out your regular shampoo and conditioner for a system formulated for color treated hair. We suggest L’Oréal Professionnel’s Serie Expert Blondifier Illuminating Shampoo and Conditioner. The shampoo and conditioner system gently cleanses, conditions, and emphasizes multidimensional shine of blonde hair.
Unless you’re a natural blonde, chances are good your colorist had to use bleach to achieve your color. While there is no way to avoid the damage caused by bleach, the right mask can minimize the look and feel of damage. We recommend the L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert A-OX Vitamino Color Hair Mask.
Whether you’re a natural blonde or one of the bottled variety, you should plan to head to the salon every four to six week for a touch-up. Both blonde and red shades are notorious for fading relatively quickly and frequent trips to the salon are the only way to ensure your color always looks its best.
Blondes, brunettes, and everyone with hair that falls between the two: Something is missing in your life and you don’t even know it yet. There’s a whole other side to the hair world that you’ve never explored, and that makes us desperately sad. Red hair is the ultimate step for the mane adventurous.
There’s no time like the present to see the error of your ways, whether that’s through a deep burgundy mane or something more lighthearted, like golden red hair. Berry hues aside, we love red hair dye because it’s so adaptable to every skin tone and color.
Perhaps you have naturally dark brown hair and haven’t had the guts to go blonde yet? Try a shade like orange red, which incorporates notes of both colors into a brown base. Blondes looking to add a little spice to their lives can try out blood orange or pink-red hair, choosing shades that already build off a blonde base. In general, the best skin tone for red hair color is very pale or very dark.
Life is better through rose-colored glasses, and the same goes for rose red-colored hair. Keep reading to find your ideal shade.
Light Red
If honey blonde is the shade every woman tries to go in time for summer, light red is the same Holy Grail shade for redheads. Like copper, light red falls on the very warm side of the color family. However, this color is far more blonde-influenced than copper, edging very close to strawberry blonde.
Copper
If your complexion leans toward the warm side, choose a shade of red hair specifically formulated to make you look like a bronzed goddess. That perfect color is undoubtedly copper, a fiery mix of orange and blonde notes with an undertone of orangey red.
Strawberry
Red hair—particularly the shades that incorporate blonde—is an incredibly summery look. Strawberry is certainly one of those beach-ready shades. The brighter, blonder version of copper looks lovely alongside a light tan.
Dark Red
Dark red hair is an intense, glowing shade that’s perfect for dyed-in-the-wool redheads or brunettes making the transition to the ginger side of things. Depending on your tastes and your stylist, the shade can include notes or orange, chocolate, and purple.
Cherry
Picture dark red hair that’s accidentally had grape jam spilled all over it, leaving behind a pure purple coat of color—that’s cherry red hair. The shade is vibrant and juicy, surprisingly just as good a fit for spring as it is for winter.
Burgundy
Like a full-bodied red wine for which it’s named, burgundy hair is all about making a loud statement. The brown-purple shade barely qualifies as a red, relying on subtle hints of the color to add depth to the otherwise chocolate-hued hair color.
Purple Red
Is cherry still not enough vampy purple to make you satisfied? If so, ask your hair professional to give you a grape-inspired ‘do, trying out the shade purple red. Much like a similarly named crayon you might recall from childhood, this hair color is eggplant-inspired goodness.
Auburn
While dark red falls on the purple side of the hair spectrum, auburn is undoubtedly a true red shade. The gorgeous color is a more intense version of chestnut hair, mixing medium and dark brown with red for a glossy shade that works on almost every complexion.
Cherry Cola
Like the syrupy center of your favorite beverage, this soda-inspired color brings a hint of red to an otherwise chocolate brown mane. This shade is an exceptionally low-maintenance take on red, perfect for the brunette who wishes she could mix things up.
Ruby
Unlike copper and strawberry, ruby is a cool red shade that calls to mind pomegranates rather than cherries. The blue-red color looks phenomenal on very pale and very dark skin tones, highlighting the undertones of the skin. If you’re looking for a red to last you through the long, dull months of winter, ruby is your new hero color.
Orange
Warm orangey red is having a real moment. By now, you’ve probably seen the shade in dozens of matte lipstick tubes, blush palettes, and the like. Instead of applying the color to our lips, we’d rather wear it in a way that’s semi-permanent.
Brown
If you’re looking to join the red hair club in the least obvious way possible, brown red is the shade for you. Combining warm chocolate base notes with peppery orange and blonde, your stylist will mix a color that just barely edges into red hair territory.
Pink
We haven’t met a single social media trend we don’t love, and pinkish red hair is no exception. The shade incorporates both ruby and pale pink, creating a very cool tone that lies between pastel and fuchsia.
Blood Orange
Unlike pink-infused hair, blood orange is all about the juicy notes. There’s barely a hint of red here. Instead, the shade is primarily an orangey blonde that looks a little space-age chic.
Raspberry
Think of raspberry red hair as a rich take on fuchsia, one that draws from a rich, red base. This color is youthful and luminous, making it the perfect decision during a quarter-life crisis or even post-breakup.
Golden
If caramel, honey, and strawberry blonde were mixed by the greatest colorist in the world, the result would be golden red. This shade is a stunning mix of warm, buttery hues ideal for ladies with light and medium skin tones.
Caramel Red
Here’s another infinitely wearable shade of red. This caramel-influenced color suits women of all skin tones, combining ashy notes with warm red and brown. Instead of spending another year on the same old caramel hair, add a surprising flash of red to the mix.
Sunset
If you’re itching for a change, don’t be afraid to try a whimsical hair look that involves several other colors in harmony with red. Case in point: sunset hair, a rainbow of orange, purple, and red that overtook social media briefly last year.
Crimson
If you were a club kid or have any interest in over-the-top beauty, chances are good you’ve thought about trying out crimson hair. The vibrant shade is true, neon red, the kind no one will miss from across the room.
Burnt Orange
It isn’t often we associate the word “burnt” with anything positive, but this splashy red is an exception to the rule. It’s bright and coppery, flattering a wide range of skin colors.
Maroon
Most of us remember maroon as one color on our school’s crest. Liberated from the dullness of athletic uniforms, you’ll be surprised how sophisticated this shade can look.
Brownish Red
If you’re a natural brunette who’s been itching to uncover her redhead alter ego, diving right into neon red can feel like too much. Instead, try an understated brownish red color to transition between the two color families.
Green And Red
Got Christmas on your mind? Green and red together don’t just signify the beloved holiday anymore. When updated to a mint and magenta duo, you’ll be surprised at how gorgeous (and distinctly not seasonal) the color pairing is.
Rose Gold
Pastel pink’s beloved younger sister is rose gold, the social media-friendly shade every influencer tried this past year. If you’ve been wearing blonde for awhile and are looking for an easy update, rose gold is calling your name.
Magenta
Everyone should spring for an over-the-top hair color at least once. Like a fashion accessory or a dramatic pair of heels, it’s an interesting experiment in styling yourself and looking a little different than you’re used to.
Blue And Red
Blue and red may immediately scream “American flag,” but that’s not the only way to wear the color pairing. Over a dark base, your stylist can blend the dramatic tones into each other for a statement-making finish.
Bright Red
When you go red, there’s always the option to really go red. This neon shade is straight out of a comic strip or spy novel. Be warned that bright shades tend to fade quickly, so you’ll need to discuss a custom care routine with your stylist.
Mahogany
Mahogany isn’t just for your TV stand anymore. This cherry-inspired shade combines the best of dark brown and red into one single shade that’s appropriate for any age.
Aubergine
Aubergine (otherwise known as eggplant) isn’t just a vegetable. This rich shade has been making waves online for its wearability.
Sangria
Put down your cocktail and use it as inspiration for your next salon appointment. This juicy, fruity shade is a sophisticated, modern take on red hair color.
Ombre
When in doubt, just go ombre. This stunning blend of orange and red will add dimension to your hair and keep you perfectly on-trend.
Balayage
If you're not interested in the idea of constantly returning to the salon, embrace a technique that's all about the growing out process. Balayage is a smart choice!
Ginger
Like the spicy root, ginger hair color is an unforgettable and unique item. The rich orange notes will brighten up your face, making the perfect transitional shade for summer or spring.
Black Red
Bring a little va-va-voom to the scene with black red hair. This striking, plummy shade is all about the drama.
Red Velvet
Anyone up for dessert? Red velvet hair color is more than just a trend—it's a lifestyle.
Copper Fire
Baby, you're on fire! This shocking shade seems straight from the pages of a comic book. If you're hoping to make a statement, copper fire is the best place to start.
Copper Penny
Like a freshly minted penny, this brown-accented shade gleams in the sun. Why not give it a try?
Merlot
Channel the vibes of your favorite red wine without taking a single sip thanks to this moody red shade.
Apricot Blonde
What rose gold has done for pink hair color, apricot blonde may well do for red. Try this subtly orange shade for an exciting change of pace.
Interested in changing your hair color? Use our salon locator to book a consultation with a stylist near you.
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