Charming cherry or cool copper? Choosing the right red tone for you

Fair skin

If you have porcelain skin, vibrant orange and ginger shades are the perfect pairings to give your skin a more ethereal glow. Multi-dimensional auburn shades are also flattering on fair skin tones. Ask for your stylist to add highlights and lowlights over a flat auburn base to create texture. You can also use this technique to truly tailor your ginger tone to suit your style, using brighter highlights to amp up the red tones, or adding more neutral blondes and browns for a natural blended look.

Image Credit:
Copper tones, coloured in our Tunbridge Wells salon

Medium skin

Bright copper tones reflect well on medium skin tones, whether you add copper toned highlights through chocolate brown hair, or go for an all over colour. Bright copper shades always look healthy and shiny, and can add dimension to dull hair. If your hair is naturally chocolate brown or a chestnut shade, the transition to copper is reasonably simple, as an all over gloss colour will reflect beautifully in natural light. For an even more subtle option opt for soft copper highlights, which will work to brighten one dimensional brown tones. Keeping your roots darker will also help with hiding regrowth, and keep your shade looking as natural as possible.

Olive and dark skin tones

If you have a darker skin tone opt for ‘blue based’ reds, which will work to cool the skin. Cherry and wine tones will help to highlight your skin’s natural glow and prevent any brassiness. Whilst these shades generally take a fair bit of maintenance, they can give an instantly seductive look, making a classy statement regardless of hair length or type.

Whilst we can offer broad advice on how to choose a red to suit your skin tone, everyone is different, and such advice should not be taken as gospel. When undertaking any colour change, it's always best to consult your trusted stylist who can give you an honest and balanced opinion. They will consider not only on your skin tone, but your hair type, personal style, and the amount of maintenance you can commit to your colour. In addition they will also take into account what is achievable with your current colour, as going from a deep brown to a pale strawberry blonde may not be realistic for your first colour. They’ll also be able guide you on the the correct products for your hair type, and to fully make the most of your new colour.

How do I maintain my red?

Unless your hair is naturally red, it is incredibly important to consistently look after your locks to retain your new colour. Unlike some other colour transitions, keeping your red ravishing is notably more difficult. This simply comes down to science: the red dye molecules are straighter than other colours, making it more difficult for them to hold on to the hair shaft, causing red hair to fade faster than other colours. As per all colour changes, healthy hair will hold on to colour the best, and as red dye fades faster, the condition of your hair will definitely affect how long your colour lasts between visits. Therefore regular conditioning treatments, using heat protective products are simple ways you can help to keep your new red looking radiant.

Another trick to extend the time between salon visits, and to boost your red shade is using colour depositing shampoos and conditioners. There are plenty of great products on the market, specifically designed for auburn, cherry, and rose tones that will help you experiment with your colour, or just help retain it’s brightness. Once again, asking your stylists for advice here is vitally important.

Raring to go red? Get in touch with one of our expert stylists, who can help you rejuvenate your look.