Red, the colour of strength, power, love and desire. Auburn, ginger, strawberry blonde or classic, red hair is the rarest of natural hair colours, and more prominent on our northern cousins, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting the mark of beauty.
Made popular by Queen Elizabeth I, red hair is still as popular as ever thanks to Christina Hendricks, Isla Fisher and Emma Stone. So, if you’re looking to opt in for a shade of red, and ready to turn heads, here are the most popular shades of red, along with tips for going red and how to care for your new shade with confidence thanks to our friends at Matrix.
Warm Shades of Red Hair
Bright Copper – Like a shiny, new penny, bright copper hair colour is vivid and intense. It’s an exciting choice if you have fair, peach-coloured or golden-toned skin and green or hazel eyes. Want to get noticed? Then get ready to stand out in a crowd with bright copper hair.
Copper Highlights - Copper highlights can be added to darker red shades to add natural dimension and make red hair colour look brighter and more energised. Ask your stylist to try balayage highlights for a modern, natural effect. Add copper highlights to red hair colour if your skin is fair or golden, and if you have green, brown or hazel eyes.
Golden Copper – A blend of dark golden blonde and light bright red, golden copper is a warm and spicy hue. Actresses Amy Adams and Jessica Chastain wear this shade beautifully. Choose this shade if your complexion is porcelain, peach, golden or neutral, and if you have blue, green, hazel or warm brown eyes.
Red Copper - Red copper hair colour is a rich, bright blend of red and orange/brown. This shade will flatter fair-to-medium, peach-coloured or golden-toned skin and blue, green or hazel eyes. Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks makes a strong and sexy statement with red copper hair colour!
Ginger Red - Ginger red hair colour is a spicy, light or medium reddish brown tone that is one of the most natural-looking reds in the spectrum. Natural redheads have fair skin and green or brown eyes, and often have freckled complexions, so opt for this shade if you can tick those boxes on your skin tone and eye colour profile!
Light Auburn - Light auburn hair colour is a blend of light golden red and light brown. It’s been worn to perfection by actress Emma Stone! It’s a beautiful shade if you have a creamy, peach-toned or golden complexion with blue, green or warm brown eyes.
Medium Auburn - Medium auburn hair colour is a combination of medium golden red and medium brown. Scandal’s Darby Stanchfield’s remarkable hue is a perfect example of this shade. It’s striking with her porcelain complexion and blue eyes. It’s also an ideal red shade for people with green or warm brown eyes.
Dark Auburn - Dark auburn hair colour combines deep golden red and rich, warm brown. It’s an elegant and sophisticated shade of red that is beautiful on people with any warm or neutral skin tone—from peaches and cream to golden or bisque—and with blue, green, warm brown or hazel eyes. Actress Julianne Moore has made dark auburn hair her signature.
Cool Shades of Red Hair
Black Cherry - Black cherry hair colour is a rich, deep blue black shade with a touch of very dark red. It looks best on darker skin tones and on people with cool brown eyes.
Cherry Red - Cherry chocolate hair colour is a rich, deep red with a touch of blue/brown. It looks best on darker skin tones and brings out the richness of brown eyes.
Cherry Brown - Cherry brown hair colour is a delicious blend of rosy red and rich brown—think of cherry cola! Choose this shade if you have medium to deep and cool-toned skin and brown eyes.
Red Mahogany - Red mahogany hair colour is a deep, cool, reddish brown colour. It’s a beautiful choice if you have fair or medium cool-toned skin and green, blue or brown eyes.
Burgundy - Burgundy hair colour is a dark red violet shade that is dramatic and memorable. It suits people with complexions that are dark or olive-toned and looks striking with brown or icy blue eyes.
Rose Gold - Rose gold hair colour is one of today’s trendiest shades—it’s a coppery pink shade inspired by the jewellery of the same name. Rose gold hair colour can be subtle or intense, and it’s great for people with porcelain, tan or olive complexions and all eye colours. Maisie Williams' rocked rose gold post Game of Thrones break-up.
Ruby Red - Ruby red hair colour is a clear, deep, rich red inspired by the gemstone of the same name. It’s a dramatic shade when paired with a pale, porcelain complexion and with light blue or light green eyes.
Red Velvet - Red velvet hair colour is a rich, cool, deep red—reminiscent of the luscious hue of red velvet cupcakes! Choose this colour if your complexion is cool, dark or olive, and if you have brown, cool blue or emerald eyes. Sharna Burgess shows off her red velvet hair every time she comes to the dance floor.
Magenta - Magenta hair colour is a deep purplish red shade that makes a definite statement! It’s a favourite of fashion-forward and artistic types of people, whether worn as an accent colour in streaks, highlights or panels, or as an all-over shade of red hair dye. It’s most flattering for people with medium-to-dark complexions and dark eyes.
How to Choose the Best Shade of Red for You and Red Hair Care Tips
- Shade selection is critical - The right red hair colour will make your skin come alive; the wrong choice will make you appear pale and sickly. As a rule of thumb, select warm red hair colours like ginger, copper and auburn if you have very fair or very warm skin. Select cool red hair colours like red violet, ruby and red velvet if you have dark or cool skin.
- Red hair colour looks best when it’s vivid - To prevent red hair colour from fading, use a shampoo and conditioner formulated specifically for coloured hair. We love Matrix Total Results Keep Me Vivid Shampoo and Conditioner, which are free of the ingredients that tend to strip hair colour, they are designed to maintain the vibrancy of fast fading hair colour.
- Red hair colour should be kept out of the sun - The sun will cause any hair colour to fade, and since it’s important to keep red hair colour bright and vivid, it’s a good idea to keep it covered with a hat or scarf when outdoors to avoid UV exposure.
- Avoid over-shampooing - Shampooing too frequently is another way that red hair colour can become faded. Try to skip a few days between shampoos if possible. If your roots become oily or dirty, use Matrix Biolage Waterless Dry Shampoo Clean and Recharge to keep your scalp fresh between shampoos.
- See your Price Attack stylist regularly - Red hair colour can fade quickly so it’s important to make regular appointments for retouches. Your stylist will touch up your roots and colour the rest of your hair if needed to keep your red hair colour even and vibrant without damaging your hair. Find your local Price Attack salon here.
- Select your makeup carefully - Play up the warmth of your red hair colour with rosy or peach cheek and lip colours. Green shadows and liners can be beautiful on eyes if you have red hair colour, as can various shades of brown.
Find red hair colour inspiration on our Pinterest board, Red Hair. Images via Pinterest.
For more on the 21 Most Popular Red Hair Color Shades visit Matix.com