Red Hair 2025 Color Ideas in Line with Newest Trends

Are you ready to try out red hair? No matter what your natural hue or skin tone is, we’ll help you to find the right red hair color shades for you. Here are some of our favorites.

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• What Are The Shades Of Red Hair
• How To Choose The Best Red Hair Color For You
• How To Look After Red Hair
• The Hottest Red Hair Color Ideas
• Recommendations

What Are The Shades Of Red Hair

There are a huge range of red hair colors to choose from- some people prefer something as bright as strawberry blonde, while others love a darker shade of red hair dye like burnt orange or even cherry red. There’s almost no limit to what a good hairdresser can achieve.

Although most red hair has warm undertones, there are shades that work well with cool or neutral skin tones, too. We’ll take a closer look at these soon.

Red colored hair can be divided into a few categories: “natural” red hair color (ones that exist as a natural shade), shades that are obviously dyed (a deep red hue like cherry red is a great example), lighter reds, and intense, dark hair color.

How To Choose The Best Red Hair Color For You

Bright copper hair and reds with golden tones are very flattering on most skin tones, but if you’re considering something closer to a true red (like cherry or ruby red hair), you’ll want to pick something that works with your skin’s undertone.

People with warm skin tones (their skin will have slight golden or peachy pink undertones) should select equally warm red shades like copper or burgundy. If you have cool toned shin (your skin tone has bluish-pink undertones), then go for a cooler shade of red with a bit of ash or purple to it, like cherry red.

Finally, you’ll want to consider your natural hair color. This is especially important if you’re worried about light or dark roots, since these can really stand out with red hair. If you don’t want to visit the hair salon for frequent touch-ups, try to pick something that’s three or four shades away from your base color– someone with naturally blonde hair will look great with strawberry blonde locks, for example, while someone with brown hair might choose a deeper ginger shade.

How To Look After Red Hair

If you want to keep your bright red hair looking fabulous, there are a few things you can do to extend the lifespan of your new hair color so that you don’t need to visit your hair stylist too often (apart from what’s necessary for regular touch-ups, of course).

Wait at least 72 hours after your color appointment before washing your hair. This is especially important if you’ve dyed your hair a dark shade or a very bright, fiery red. You can extend any hair color’s lifespan by waiting to wash it and allowing the hair’s cuticles to close.

Don’t overdo it when you wash your red hair. Any hair color will fade if you wash it too often. Ideally, you should wash your colored hair every three or four days as needed, and use a dry shampoo in between.

Use color-safe styling products, shampoo and conditioner. This helps your hair to retain its brighter hue for longer. Ask your salon for recommendations specifically for red hair.

Stay out of the sun (or wear a hat). UV rays from the sun will dry out and damage hair, and colored hair is especially vulnerable. Protect it the same way that you would protect fair skin from burning on a sunny day.

Use a color-protecting hair mask. Do this at least once a week, unless your hair is naturally oily. This will enhance shine and lock in moisture to help keep your ends healthy.

The Hottest Red Hair Color Ideas

There are red hair colors out there for all skin tones, and we’re excited to help you find the right shade for you. There’s a reason that the red hair trend keeps coming back- it’s such a vibrant, fun and versatile color. Check out our favorite ideas for red hair.

Dark Red Hair With Purple Highlights

The contrast between these two colors looks spectacular- it’s so eye catching, and we love it. The purple tones add some coolness to the red, making it a great choice for almost any complexion, whether you have dark or fair skin.

Bright Red Highlights

If you want to add a vibrant touch to your base color, why not put in some red highlights for the fall? Even natural redheads can give their hair color a boost with additional highlights- this adds dimension and can be as bright or as subtle as you want.

Vibrant Crimson Hair

Crimson works well with both dark and fair skin tones, since the effect is equally dramatic and fun. If you decide to invest in this color, make sure to use color-protecting hair products to keep it looking its best.

Light Brown Hair With Copper Highlights

Red highlights look gorgeous on light brown hair. In particular, natural brunettes with warm complexions might want to check out this color. It’s a wonderful way to brighten up light or mousey brown locks.

Dark Ruby Red Locks

Anyone with green eyes will love this deep red hair color, but women with all eye colors can wear it. We think that it looks best on warm, dark skin tones.

Classic Strawberry Blonde Hair

This light red hair coloring ideas are very flattering for people with pale skin tones, since it’s delicate and subtle. It can also make people look like a “natural” redhead, which is great for anyone who wants a subtle change.

Bright Red Hair Color With Blonde Highlights

If you love both red and blonde hair, there’s good news- with this color, you won’t need to choose just one of them. Blonde highlights really stand out against bright red hair, making this a fun and dramatic choice.

Subtle, Red Brown Hair Color

If you want something more subtly red, then try tinting your brown hair like this. Red and brown are both warm colors, so they go well together. As an added benefit, this color is very low-maintenance.

Dark Brown Hair With Light Auburn Balayage

There’s a reason that balayage highlights are so trendy- everyone loves their sun-kissed appearance and how easy it is to customize them for each client. Ask your stylist to add more highlights in the front for a face-framing effect.

Burgundy Red Hair Color

This is another classic red hair color, although it’s definitely not one that you can grow naturally. For a casual touch, wear your hair in loose waves and let this color catch the light.

Ginger Red Hair Color With Blonde Highlights

This natural red hair color is fun and bright. Unless your own hair is on the lighter side, you’ll want to plan regular salon visits to touch this color up, since your roots will start to show very quickly.

Blood Red Bright Red Hair Color

This is one of the boldest red hair dye colors, and one of the most “punk” options available. If you want to make a dramatic and sexy statement, then we suggest trying blood red hair. It works best with warmer skin tones, since the red is very intense.

Dark Brown Hair With Light Auburn Highlights

Dress up your dark hair by adding a light auburn hue. There’s no need to give up your natural brown shade, since you can enjoy the warmth of auburn hair with some flattering highlights.

Mahogany Dark Red Hair Color

This shade of red is almost like chestnut brown, it’s subtle, warm and flattering. Mahogany is also a more neutral shade, so anyone can wear it well. Plus, it’s not very high maintenance, so it’s a good choice if you’re too busy to go back to the salon for regular touch-ups.

Dark Brunette Hair With Copper Highlights

Make a statement by adding vivid red highlights to your dark brown hair. You can add them all over the place or go for a few face-framing “money piece” highlights, just for fun.

Purple Red Hair Color

This color is incredibly eye-catching and looks amazing on anyone with cool toned skin. Some people prefer a lighter shade of red, while others wear their hair almost pink. It’s up to you.

Dark Red Brown Hair Color

If you have naturally dark hair, adding a bit of red can help to warm it up. Reddish brown is also the perfect shade for autumn, since it matches a fall wardrobe perfectly. Plus, it’s not too hard to maintain, as long as you protect your locks from the sun.

Blood Orange Hair

This color looks absolutely amazing with blue eyes, since the dark orange brings out the blue hues and makes them extra noticeable. Don’t let the name fool you- blood orange looks nothing like actual blood- it’s gorgeous and juicy.

Deep Auburn Hair Color

This intense auburn shade is perfect for anyone with a wavy or curly hair texture, since it catches the light so well. Plus, it’s very flattering on people with darker, warm complexions.

Light Blonde Hair With Red Lowlights

If you have a warm skin tone and blonde hair, consider adding some deeper red lowlights for extra dimension. This is a good way to darken your color a bit while still keeping elements of your hair’s natural shade.

Medium Brown Hair With Ruby Red Ends

For anyone who loves a ruby red hair color, but doesn’t love it enough to dye all of their hair, dipped ends are a great compromise (and super fashionable). This works best with shoulder or mid-length hair.

Warm Chestnut Red Hair

This shade of reddish brown hair is wonderfully rich and very flattering for warm or medium skin tones. Like auburn hair, it’s easy to maintain and a perfect shade for cooler weather.

Red and Black Hair Color

Here’s a very fun color with a lot of contrast. You can vary the shade of red that you choose based on how visible you want it to be. We think that cherry red and black hair are an awesome and powerful combination.

Ombre Auburn Hair

For a fun twist on the classic reddish brown hair, try adding a subtle auburn ombre color to your locks. You can do this if your base color is blonde, too. Experiment and have fun.

Recommendations

After looking through your options, we hope you’ve found a couple of different red hair colors that you’re excited to try out.

If you’re considering red hair, make sure to pick out a couple of your favorite shades and styles. That way, you and your stylist can discuss which option will work best for you.

Citations

Hair color and wages: Waitresses with blond hair have more fun
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article

The Effect of Hair Color on the Incorporation of Codeine into Human Hair
https://academic.oup.com/jat/article/27/8/545/872220

The biology of hair care
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs