Glamour

Hair

The Best Red Hair Color Ideas to Try Right Now  

 

From strawberry blonde to burgundy.

Red hair color has never been hotter, and all the celebrities who recently dyed their hair the fiery shade prove it. In the past month alone, Megan Fox, Chrissy Teigen, and Julia Fox debuted their own takes on the hue. We have a feeling the hair color trend is just getting started for spring.

Want to try a red hue yourself? You’re in the right place. We spoke with top celebrity colorists and stylists about trending red hair ideas for 2023, no matter your skin tone, hair type, or length—or how high or low-maintenance you want the look to be. Whether you’re a natural redhead, want to dabble in strawberry blonde, try auburn balayage, embrace bold burgundy, or go full-on firetruck neon red, there’s a red hair color idea for you.

Scroll on for 17 shades of red hair and beauty inspo, and get ready to screenshot. And then book an appointment ASAP.

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Cinnamon Copper

One of the most popular red pigments is cinnamon copper, as proven by Chrissy Teigen’s new shade, which is also super easy to DIY. “Some of the best copper shades come from the land of vivid hair colors,” says Gregory Patterson, celebrity stylist and DIY color and stylist expert for Sally Beauty. “Of course everything will appear brighter on pre-lifted hair, but you can also overlay these on top of your existing shades as long as you’re at a natural hair color level 6 and above.” To get the look, Patterson suggests Strawberry Leopard Sundown Semi Permanent Conditioning Hair Color, and Strawberry Leopard Fire Semi Permanent Conditioning Hair Color. “I like the squeeze of red here to ground the Sundown shade and give it more depth and staying power.”

Cherry Coke Red

“Cherry Coke red is a rich, brunette red with burgundy and violet undertones,” Alex Brownsell, celebrity hairstylist and cofounder of Bleach London, says. “The great thing about this red is that  everyone can achieve the color without having to lift your hair too much or even at all.”

Want to get the look at home? Here's how: “All shades of blonde hair through to mid brunettes can use our conditioning Super Cool Colors to achieve this color without lifting the hair,” Brownell says, and notes you can get the easily DIY with red hair dye. “Darker hair colors will need to lift the hair to a dark orange, using one of our Bleach Kits. To achieve the color, I use two parts I Saw Red Super Cool Color with one part Bruised Violet Super Cool Color.”

Ginger Spice

Megan Fox’s new shade of ginger spice hair is equal parts eye-catching and natural looking, and that’s what Meche Salon stylist Jacob Schwartz wanted to convey with the shade. “For Megan’s color, we looked through different variations of red. Her eyes are so blue, so I knew adding more copper would be the move,” he says. “I wanted her change to be a full-on moment, but also wanted to approach it with a natural touch, so I kept it a deeper copper tone.” This look is especially well-suited to those with blue eyes, as proven by Fox.

Tangerine Peach

If you prefer your hair to have lighter vibes, Kevin Kelly, owner of Kevin Kelly salon, has seen an uptick in warm-toned reds with hints of honey, like honey red and tangerine peach. Plus, it looks amazing on both fair skin and dark skin tones. “Peach is so pretty on so many different skin tones,” Mark DeBolt, master colorist and co-owner of New York’s Mark Ryan Salon, concurs. “Because it’s such a warm color, it makes skin and eyes glow and makes your hair look so healthy.”

Strawberry Blonde

Like your reds bordering on blonde? Or do you simply want to elevate your natural red? Strawberry blonde might be the tint for you. The tone is deeper than peach but not as bright as orange or copper, making it the ideal in-between shade. “You can do this a couple ways,” says Patterson.

The first is to overlay it with a demi permanent on top of an existing blonde that has become brassy. “My favorite formula to achieve this is with Color Brilliance by Ion Rose Quartz Semi Permanent Hair Color or Color Brilliance by Ion Salmon + 133/44 Ion Clear Semi Permanent Hair Color. This works beautifully to refresh and bring a new tone to brassy hair by using the ‘gold tone’ in your hair and combining it with the peachy tones to create a beautiful strawberry hue.” If you want more red in your end result, use one to two pea-size dots in that formula.

’90s Red

If you want seriously show-stopping bright red hair, this is the color for you. “Nineties red is bright with a purple undertone and is sometimes so bright it’s hard to look at, but is a super-fun shade, when done right,” says Brownsell, who points to Julia Fox’s recent shade as a prime example.

“To achieve this color, lift hair to a dark mustard or copper using Bleach London’s No Bleach Bleach Kit (way less damaging), tone with Bleach London’s Copper Toner, then go in with the I Saw Red Super Cool Color for a deep, vibrant red—or for a more muted hue, use equal parts Proper Copper Super Cool Color and I Saw Red,” she says. “For a brighter hue, mix equal parts I Saw Red and Tangerine Dream.”

Amber Beer

Patterson also loves a classic auburn (or “brown red”), or what we like to call amber beer. “When it comes to reds and shades of them, the more ‘into the cuticle’ you can get, will lend itself to longer-lasting tonal payoff,” he says of the look. “For auburns, I love to use permanent color from the Color Brilliance line by Ion: 4R Medium Red Brown Permanent Liquid Hair Color and 5G Light Golden Brown Demi Permanent Creme Hair Color at 20 volume minus total process time,” he says. “The higher the volume you use, the brighter and lighter it will become. Remain mindful of your hair current health, and desired level of lift, and the products you may need to prep before using permanent hair color.”

Chocolate Cherry

If you have naturally dark brown or black hair, or you simply like the prefer the brunette vibe, you might want to try chocolate cherry red, says Jason Lee, hairstylist, colorist, and founder of Mela & Kera. “It’s an alternative to auburn, but still in the warm, reddish family,” he says, defining the shade as adding a red wine undertone throughout brunette, which can also be accomplished through red highlights or balayage.

“For those of us who aren’t ready to take the full plunge into red, chocolate cherry seems to be a great way to update your look and make it modern but still live in the brunette world,” he says.

True Copper

True copper has been at its peak for a few years. “Copper is having its own moment,” celebrity hairstylist Jamie Wiley says, noting that several of her clients are opting for a deep red tone and trying true copper. And seeing as it’s been spotted all over the red carpet, and seems like every A-lister has debuted their own take on the look over the past year, it’s clear this trend isn’t going anywhere.

Apricot Bronde

For a fresh twist on the light red copper craze, Madison Reed master colorist Shvonne Perkins suggests apricot bronde, which features a light brown base with apricot golden red tones. “A touch darker than strawberry blonde, this color will beautifully warm up your skin tone and complement a natural makeup look,” she says. “The perfect way to nail this color is with our Radiant Hair Color Kit in Genova Red and refresh the color at home with Color Therapy Mask in Zucca and Color Reviving Gloss in Cannella.”

Ruby Burgundy

If you love the look of ruby red burgundy hair, you might want to consider trying a gloss, especially if you're not sure if you're ready to commit to the shade. “I like glosses for everyone, but mostly for people who don’t want to, or aren’t quite ready to, fully commit,” says celebrity colorist and owner of Jenna Perry Hair, Jenna Perry. “Glosses are not permanent, there is no damage to the hair, and they add shine and depth. It’s also good for in-between coloring and for refreshes—it stretches the longevity.”

Vibrant Ginger

“Vibrant ginger hair is a vibrant pink-based copper meets strawberry blonde,” says Brownsell of the rose gold shade. “Really great for the upcoming warm summer months!” To achieve this color, Brownsell suggest lifting hair to a mid to light buttery shade using Bleach London’s Total Bleach. “For a vibrant color, tone with Bleach London’s Champagne Super Toner—this will keep the warmth but neutralize the brassy tones. If you’re looking for something more on the copper side, I recommend toning with our Copper Toner.”

Finally, color with two parts Awkward Peach Super Cool Color and one part Proper Copper or Curious Orange for bright, ginger tone.

Auburn Balayage

Balayage is making a comeback, especially when it comes to enhancing brown hair color with red and auburn tones. “These looks are popular because they are changing the norm of heavy balayaged hair,” Lorena M. Valdes, hair colorist at Chicago’s Maxine Salon, tells Glamour. “It’s usually so dark at the roots to extremely blonde on the ends, but that is time-consuming. Now people want more simplicity”—and to look like Rihanna, of course. And since light auburn and red ombré look so good grown out, you don’t have to worry about frequent touch-ups.

Blood Orange

Mermaid red is bright neon red hair with a hint of burnt orange, and it fits right in with the slew of bold tints Brownsell has seen lately. “Multihued hair is taking off more than ever,” she says. “We have had many requests at our West Hollywood Bleach Salon for mixing natural shades with bright greens, blues, purples, and pinks."

The key to nailing it is to keep the overall look grounded in your natural hair base tone to make the other colors pop, Bronswell says. You can easily DIY the look with Bleach London’s Total Bleach Kit and conditioning Super Cool Colors. You can even mix it up with some bold blonde highlights.

Peach Champagne

Rosy red hybrids are also expected to blow up this season, says Salon SCK colorist Heather Lee. “We’ll see a lot pink undertone, and when the pink tone washes out, it will become a beautiful color.”

Amber Caramel

Love the look of dark red hair, but hate how high-maintenance caring for the color is? The reddish brown amber caramel, which can easily be achieved via balayage or highlights, might be the right shade for you. “Even if you have a base color for gray coverage, you can add highlights once or twice a year,” says Elisa Barnett, a colorist at DC’s Ian McCabe Studio, who recommends asking for half-head highlights or red-ombré in golden caramel and red tones to give your hair an overall amber pop.

Carnelian Auburn

“A beautiful auburn hair color with a copper cast has been here, and will continue to be one of the most desired red hair colors,” says Valdes. “This can be achieved with an allover color, highlights, or balayage depending on the style and vibrancy desired.” Cardi B rocked one of our favorite takes on the tint.