Why You Should Color Your Hair Red

As the rarest of natural hair colors, red casts a striking contrast on all skin tones. There’s a captivating variety of red hair colors to choose from for creating any look you desire, from warm undertones that softly enhance deep browns to bright overtones that make a statement. If you’ve ever thought about dyeing your hair red, now is the perfect chance to explore all the options. And if red hair color has never been on your radar, you might be surprised at how many red hair color ideas are out there!
A woman with dark, straight red hair poses for a photograph.

Choosing the Right Red Hair Shade: What You Need to Know

It’s a common misconception that all natural redheads look alike, but there are actually dozens of shades within the red hair color wheel. The same is true for red hair dye colors, which are formulated to look like a certain hue of natural red/ginger hair or to create bolder more primary red hues. Red hair colors also have warm, neutral, or cool undertones. So, decide if you want to go natural red or bold red, and then choose the complementary temperature of red for your skin tone. For example, pick a cool red for warm skin, and vice versa.

Shop Red Hair Shades by Tone

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How to Maintain Red Hair Color

  • Start a shade darker: Red hair color loses intensity faster than most, so pre-empt the fade by getting a head start.
  • Always use sulfate-free shampoo formulated for color-treated hair, like Fructis Color Shield or Whole Blends Color Care.
  • Red hair color is hot enough: Avoid the color-fading heat from water, the sun and styling tools.

A woman using a  towel to dry her medium-red curly hair after a shower.
Hair Color Virtual Try-On

Hair Color Virtual Try-On

Virtually try on Garnier hair colors to discover your perfect shade.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  • Whether it’s the style, color and/or cut: you have to love your hair. That means being honest with yourself about what look will make you feel your best. You may want to go for a very light red like strawberry blonde or an intense dark red like deep burgundy – or somewhere in between. It’s also important to check which red hair colors are achievable based on your current hair color. Garnier permanent red hair dye provides guidance on the hue and intensity results for each shade.

    The type of red hair color can make a difference as well. Ammonia-free Olia contains a 60% oil blend and produces triple the shine, while Nutrisse Ultra Color shades tend to be more vibrant. Nutrisse Ultra Crème has a larger selection of red hair colors ideas, plus it nourishes with a blend of five fruit oils. All three offer a non-drip formula, easy application, and 100% gray coverage.

    The type of brown hair color you use can also make a difference. For example, the brunette style you have in mind might really pop with extra brilliance, so opt for the triple shine of ammonia-free Olia made from 60% oils. If you’re thinking of a more vibrant brown hair color, you’ll get bolder results from Nutrisse Ultra Color. Or check out the wider range of brunette hair colors in the Nutrisse Ultra Crème collection. It also deeply nourishes your hair with a blend of five fruit oils. Added bonus: they all feature a non-drip formula and 100% gray coverage.
  • Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to view yourself wearing your desired shade of red hair color before buying and dyeing? Well, you can! It’s a relief to know that you don’t have to take the red hair plunge without first seeing the results. Head over to our Virtual Try-On Tool to upload a selfie or start a real-time video to experiment with every Garnier red hair color. You can also start with our Shade Selector for some personalized advice.

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