Ready for a red hair color upgrade? There's a trending shade for everyone, whether you crave cool-toned, burgundies and violet-red hues or warm, rich ribbons of copper, pumpkin spice and blood orange. So, let's explore 20 ideas to inspire your next salon visit, plus maintenance tips to help your red hair color go the distance...
What Makes Red Hair So Universally Flattering?
Red hair is so universally flattering because there's a shade for everyone, from strawberry blondes that suit fair, freckled skin, to ruby reds that pop against dark complexions. Warm or cool, light or dark; your shade of red can be carefully customized to your skin tone and eye color. Plus, shades can be worn all over, in highlights or balayage, so you can take your red as bold as you like.
Shades of Red Hair: From Strawberry Blonde to Burgundy
1. Strawberry Blonde Hair Color
Image Credit: @tuliorodriguees
Strawberry blonde is one of the most natural-looking reds, blending soft, peachy tones with golden blondes for a truly dimensional finish. A color like this deserves extra shine – especially as lighter hues don't reflect the light as easily dark reds. So keep a shine mist in your kit, like ULTIMATE COLOR Shine Spray, and spritz it over finished styles for instant glow.
Undertone: Warm, peachy-golden
Who it's for: Fair skin tones, especially warm or freckled complexions
Maintenance: Medium
2. Auburn Hair Color
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty | @hauptsachesonya
Auburn hair color is a lustrous, red-brown shade that keeps them guessing, drenched in rich, chocolatey warmth that shimmers from roots to ends. Ask your colorist to scatter in a few highlights to dial up the dimension, focusing brightness through the face frame to give your complexion a sunlit glow.
Undertone: Warm, red-brown
Who it's for: Medium and olive skin tones, or anyone looking for a natural-looking red
Maintenance: Low
3. Pumpkin Spice Hair Color
Image Credit: @jeremy.colorist
Pumpkin spice hair blends red, copper and brown tones into one fall-ready, multi-tonal shade So, if you're heading into the cooler months, consider injecting extra dimension into your red hair by adding an auburn root shadow and brightening up the ends.
Undertone: Warm, copper-orange with brown depth
Who it's for: Medium skin tones with warm undertones
Maintenance: Medium
4. Cherry Red Hair Color
Image Credit: @lindsey.wella | @mayssas_beauty_mark
The brightest, boldest, juiciest shade; cherry red is your head-turning choice. If you like to stand out, ask your colorist to paint it all over, or wear the trend in vivid highlights against a dark base. Think about how long you want it to last, too. If you're looking for a seasonal, low-commitment look, ask for a semi-permanent color, like Color Fresh CREATE, which fades true-to-tone over 10 washes. But if you want a shade that goes the distance, talk to your colorist about using a permanent formula, like Koleston Perfect.
Undertone: Cool-neutral, vivid red with blue depth
Who it's for: Fair to deep skin tones, especially those wanting a bold statement shade
Maintenance: High
5. Copper Hair Color
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
Copper is an orange-red hair color that’s endlessly versatile. Wear it with light golden ribbons for a copper blonde, rust-tinted and metallic for a copper bronze, or rich and tawny for a cowboy copper. Refresh your salon color with Color Fresh Mask in Copper Glow whenever your copper blonde needs a boost of warmth and vibrancy. It gives you visible results in just 10 minutes, leaving hair rich-looking, and salon-fresh.
Undertone: Warm, orange-gold
Who it's for: Fair and medium skin tones, especially warm complexions
Maintenance: Medium
6. Deep Mahogany Hair Color
Image Credit: @hair.bykevin | @jem.hair
Deep mahogany is a truly decadent red that borders dark brunette, with a mesmerizing medley of chocolate, red and violet tones. When they come together, they bestow naturally dark hair with 'blink and you'll miss it' dimension that catches the light. For low-maintenance regrowth, try wearing the shade with a balayage technique, so the red color is focused through the mid-lengths only.
Undertone: Cool-neutral, chocolate with violet-red tones
Who it's for: Olive and deep skin tones, especially brunettes wanting subtle red dimension
Maintenance: Low
7. Burgundy Hair Color
Image Credit: @timahairart | @jhonyveiga
Burgundy is one of the most coveted red wine hair colors of all; a deep cherry hue with a splash of vibrant violet keeps it eye-catching. It’s made all the more lustrous with Koleston Perfect, a permanent formula that’s ideal for this kind of bold shade, thanks to its rich shine and unstoppable intensity. Make it last with the ULTIMATE COLOR range; a salon-grade line that maintains color vibrancy for up to 10 weeks¹.
Undertone: Cool, violet-red
Who it's for: Olive and deep skin tones
Maintenance: Medium
8. Vibrant Ginger Red Hair Color
Image Credit: @christo_hairbeauty
Vivid and vibrant, ginger hair pulls in sunny orange tones for an instant serotonin boost. Just looking at this color makes everything feel brighter. Demi-permanent Color Touch would be our hair color product of choice for this shade, as it veils your hair in true-to-tone vibrancy and shine, no matter your hair's condition. It's a true glow-getter.
Undertone: Warm, fiery orange-red
Who it's for: Fair and medium skin tones with warm undertones
Maintenance: High
9. Ruby Red Hair Color
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
Ruby red hair is a bold, bright, blue-toned shade. Here, it melts with magenta in a masterpiece created with Color Fresh CREATE's boundlessly vibrant rainbow of shades. If you're looking for a fling with bright red, the semi-permanent formula fades true-to-tone in up to 10 washes. So you can switch up your look from season to season, moving from one bold to the next.
Undertone: Cool, blue-based red with magenta tones
Who it's for: Deep skin tones, or fair complexions wanting high contrast
Maintenance: High
10. Cherry Cola Hair Color
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
Cherry cola hair is brunette first, red second – and it’s fizzing with dimension. While in some lights, it appears brown, in others, it reflects flashes of crimson, making it a great first introduction to dark reds. It’s also a shade that thrives on shine and was virtually made to sparkle, so give it extra glow and nourishment with a lustrous hair oil, like ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum.
Undertone: Neutral-cool brown with cherry-red tones
Who it's for: Medium and deep skin tones, especially brunettes wanting a subtle red tint
Maintenance: Low
11. Blood Orange Hair Color
Image Credit: @harishair | @byalexmk
Blood orange turns up the heat with a juicy blend of fiery copper, vibrant orange and bold red tones. It's brighter than copper, bolder than ginger, but softer than cherry red, making it the perfect middle ground if you want a statement shade that still feels wearable.
Undertone: Warm, fiery copper-orange
Who it's for: Fair and medium skin tones with warm undertones
Maintenance: High
12. Red Velvet Hair Color
Image Credit: @laura.saunders_wella
Red velvet hair color is like cherry with an extra twist of berries, featuring bluish undertones that suit cooler complexions. Pair it with a polished blow-dry to help the richness of the tones stand out. We love prepping with ULTIMATE SMOOTH Shampoo and Intense Mask for silky-soft, sleek styling.
Undertone: Cool, berry-red with blue undertones
Who it's for: Fair, olive and deep skin tones, especially cooler complexions
Maintenance: Medium
13. Monochromatic Copper Hair Color
Color drenching has been all over the catwalk, with monochromatic wardrobes showing how striking matching tones can be. But it's not just a fashion trend; monochromatic hair is making a splash in Wella salons, too. This look is all about blending colors in the same tonal family into one masterpiece, so every ribbon works in harmony yet offers a gentle contrast. Copper lends itself flawlessly to the monochromatic trend; a shade with so much tonal versatility, anyone can carry it off.
Undertone: Warm, multi-tonal copper
Who it's for: Fair and medium skin tones, especially warm undertones
Maintenance: Medium
14. Rose Gold Hair Color
Image Credit: @giadagalassi
Rose gold hair color marries a subtle touch of copper with golden blonde and pink tones. Ask your colorist for a SHINEFINITY Acidic Color Glaze to achieve this look, as it serves up the perfect palette of pinky-golden blondes, with a high-shine finish for that almost metallic glow.
Undertone: Warm-neutral
Who it's for: Fair skin tones, especially light warm complexions
Maintenance: High
15. Crimson Red Hair Color
Image Credit: @cardon_adeline
Crimson is a bold yet dark red hair color; a shade that's similar to auburn, but with the saturation turned up. We love styling this hue with perfectly imperfect, tousled waves, so the multi-tones can dance in the light. Get your own texture boost with EIMI Ocean Spritz, a salt spray that gives hair guts, no matter the weather.
Undertone: Cool-neutral
Who it's for: Fair, olive and deep skin tones
Maintenance: Medium
16. Chocolate Cherry Hair Color
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
One word: delicious. Cherry chocolate hair is the definitive red-brown color, giving brunettes a deeper auburn option with irresistible shine. Ask your colorist to use Illumina Color if they're creating this look; the one-of-a-kind color formula is packed with MicroLight Technology, allowing light to enter the hair shaft and illuminate it from within.
Undertone: Neutral-warm, brown with cherry-red tones
Who it's for: Medium and deep skin tones, and natural brunettes
Maintenance: Low
17. Burnished Copper Hair Color
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
Burnished copper hair features a scattering of copper red, tan brown and rust tones, giving you a dose of rich, cool-season depth. And, if you're blessed with curls like these, give them the definition they deserve by (very lightly) scrunching NutriCurls Curlixir Balm from root to tip. The nourishing styler gives you frizz control, bounce and light hold in one.
Undertone: Warm copper, rust and tan-brown tones
Who it's for: Medium and olive skin tones with warm undertones
Maintenance: Medium
18. Copper Blonde Hair Color
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
Copper blonde is the dream hybrid hue for blondes with red ambitions. It combines warmth and lightness in a beautiful shade that looks and feels just like sunshine. Maintain it with Color Fresh Mask in Golden Gloss for a warming boost when you need it most. In 10 minutes, the tinted treatment will have your copper blonde looking rich and salon-fresh.
Undertone: Warm, golden blonde with copper
Who it's for: Fair and medium skin tones, especially warm complexions
Maintenance: Medium
19. Violet-Red Hair Color
Image Credit: @violaparrucchieri_viacecati_ | @hausoflt
Violet-red hair is a dark, plum-cherry shade for anyone who can’t choose between red and purple. The colors melt seamlessly into one – especially when teamed with an ombre technique. Ask your colorist to have the colors graduate into a moody kind of sunset, keeping your darkest shade at the roots and your lightest through the lengths. Or, wear the two shades melted together in an all-over violet-red hue. Whichever technique you choose, one thing is certain: your hair is going to turn heads.
Undertone: Cool plum, violet and cherry
Who it's for: Olive and deep skin tones, especially cooler undertones
Maintenance: High
20. Copper Bronze Hair Color
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
Copper bronze exudes sunlit warmth with a blend of two red-brown metallics in one shade. Fiery in summer, cozy in winter, it's a red hair color that stays seasonal year-round, making it beautifully versatile.
Undertone: Warm copper with bronze-brown tones
Who it's for: Medium, olive and deep skin tones, especially warm complexions
Maintenance: Medium
How to Choose the Best Red Hair Colors for Your Skin Tone
Not sure which red is right for you? Start by identifying whether you suit lighter, warmer shades or deeper, more dramatic tones. Use this quick guide to find your best match:
For Fair Skin Tones:
- Your best shades: Strawberry blonde, rose gold, copper blonde or soft copper.
- For a bolder look: Vibrant ginger red or cherry red.
- Why they work: Light, warm reds add a boost of brightness without overwhelming fair complexions.
For Medium Skin Tones:
- Your best shades: Auburn, copper, pumpkin spice or burnished copper.
- For a richer look: Chocolate cherry, cherry cola or copper bronze.
- Why they work: Medium skin tones can balance both bright copper shades and deeper red-brown blends.
For Olive Skin Tones:
- Your best shades: Deep mahogany, auburn, copper bronze or violet-tinted reds.
- For a statement look: Burgundy, crimson red.
- Why they work: Rich, dimensional reds complement olive tones and bring out their natural warmth.
For Deep Skin Tones:
- Your best shades: Ruby red, burgundy, red velvet or cherry red.
- For a subtler look: Chocolate cherry, cherry cola or deep mahogany.
- Why they work: Deep complexions look striking with saturated jewel tones and glossy red-brown shades.
Trending Red Hair Colors for 2026
The hottest reds for 2026 sit on two ends of the spectrum: you've got your warm, rich, radiant copper and bronze shades, and your cool, deep, moody burgundies. So, if you want to make sure your red hair color is trending right now, choose one of these looks...
Mahogany and burgundy hair colors: Deep, dark yet never muted, these moody hues are stunningly striking, with hints of violet giving lengths a head-turning twist. If you like cooler-toned reds, these are great options.
Bold takes on copper hair: From copper blonde to copper brown, no take on this warm, rich hue is off the table. So, wear it light and bright or deep and dimensional, keeping it fiery with Color Fresh Mask in Copper Glow.
Cherry cola hair color: Somewhere in between copper and mahogany, cherry cola draws on the best of both trends. It's got the depth and the vibrancy, giving dark brunettes a fun way to work a pop of cherry red.
How to Maintain Red Hair Colors
1. Wait 48 hours before your first wash. Giving the cuticle time to close helps lock in fresh color. When you do wash, use a sulfate-free, color-safe shampoo like ULTIMATE COLOR Shampoo to gently cleanse while protecting color vibrancy for up to 10 weeks¹.
2. Condition after every wash and boost nourishment with a leave-in treatment. ULTIMATE COLOR Conditioner helps reduce porosity, so color molecules can't escape as easily, while ULTIMATE COLOR Miracle Leave-In Mask delivers moisture and UV protection, while minimizing fading by reducing the need for rinsing steps.
3. Wash with lukewarm water. Avoid hot water, which can open the cuticle and speed up color loss. Cold water won't work either, as it doesn't remove residue effectively. Warm water is always best.
4. Refresh your color in between appointments. If your red starts to look dull, Color Fresh Mask can revive the tone at home in just 10 minutes. Choose Peach Blush for peach or strawberry blonde shades, Copper Glow for copper and ginger tones, or Red for vibrant cherry and scarlet hues.
5. Always apply heat protection before styling. ULTIMATE REPAIR 5-in-1 Protective Leave-In helps shield hair from heat, as well as other dulling, damaging factors, like UV exposure, breakage, frizz and mechanical damage.
6. Prep hair before swimming. Wet hair with fresh water first, then apply ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue as a leave-in barrier to help minimize the effects of chlorine and salt water.
7. Book a glossing service in between color appointments. An in-salon gloss can revive faded reds, boost shine, and refresh your tone without the commitment of a full color service. We love SHINEFINITY Acidic Color Glaze, a translucent veil of color which leaves your red up to 3x shinier².
Red Hair Color FAQs
Can You Go Red Without Bleaching Your Hair?
It's possible to achieve a red hair color without bleaching, but whether that's the right process for you depends on your base color and goals. If you have light blonde hair already, almost any red shade can be layered over the top, or if you have medium brown hair and want mahogany, that may also be possible without bleaching. However, if you have dark hair but you want to reach a lighter red, like a cherry or ginger, your Wella colorist is likely to advise pre-lightening your hair first.
What's the Difference Between Burgundy, Auburn and Maroon Hair Color?
The difference comes down to the undertones. Burgundy is a cool, red wine hair color with violet tones, auburn is a warm blend of red and brown, and maroon is a deep red-brown with more muted, brown undertones. Burgundy is the boldest, auburn the most natural-looking, and maroon offers rich, understated depth.
What are the Best Red Hair Color Ideas for Dark or Brunette Hair?
Enhance already-dark hair with deeper shades of red. If your base is warm, layer tone-on-tone with cherry chocolate, deep mahogany or cherry cola hues. But if your hair is naturally cooler in tone, lean into reds with a blue or purple undertone, like burgundy, violet-red and cherry.
Find Your Perfect Red with Wella Professionals
Ready to find your perfect red? Your Wella stylist will help you choose and reach your dream shade. Use the Salon Finder to discover your nearest Wella salon.
¹ With regular use of Ultimate Color regimen from salon to home.
² Vs. pre-damaged hair in an instrumental test.
- Ultimate Color Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Ultimate Color Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Soothes the scalp while gently cleansing to minimize color fade, moisturizes and detoxes hair from color-distorting metals.
- Ultimate Color Conditioner
Ultimate Color Conditioner
Adds moisture, helping reduce porosity to seal pigments in. It revitalizes colored hair and reduces hair breakage.
- Ultimate Color Miracle Leave-in Mask
Ultimate Color Miracle Leave-in Mask
Color vibrancy and revitalized hair, 3-in-1 formula moisturizes, provides UV protection and up to 4x more resistance to breakage.
- Ultimate Color Shine Spray
Ultimate Color Shine Spray
Spray that adds smoothness and shine to color-treated hair.