Although I’m a natural redhead I often dye my hair red or ginger to make it even brighter, as my natural ginger has quite a lot of dull brown tones. I started off with bright red Florence Welch hair colour at the hairdressers, then went bright ginger and used semi-permanant tints at home.
My hairdresser friend Steph dyed my hair a lovely deep copper colour yesterday so I picked her brains about how to dye hair red, from blonde, brown, ginger or black, and how to know which shade of red to pick. I’m not a hairdresser so this is just to help you choose/understand red hair dyes – you should speak to a hairdresser about your own hair.
Your base hair colour
I’ve used the L’Oreal Majeril colour chart here but other professional dyes will follow similar principles. First you need to pick the closest match to your base colour from the chart below and note the number.
Usually blondes = shades 10-7, Ginger = 8-6, Brunettes = shades 6-3, Black = 2-1 My natural red hair has lots of brown so my base colour is 7. You have two choices – either add copper tones (to dye it ginger) or red tones (to dye it red).
Dying hair ginger
Using your base colour, you can then look what shades to dye it. The chart below shows how the base colours look with copper colours. For example if your hair is dark blonde (shade 9) you can dye it to look like 9.04.
The copper and red shades range from 4-9 so if your hair is really dark e.g. 1-4 jet black you’ll probably want to lighten it and then dye it one of these shades to get a bright copper, if it’s really light e.g. 9-10 light blonde you’ll need to semi- permanent dye it a bit darker then dye it a permanent copper shade.
- My base colour is 7, so I could’ve chosen 7.4, 7.43, 7.44, 7.45 or 7.46 etc. My colour this time was 7.44.
Red hair dyes
Alternatively you can go for one of the reds – see the bottom of this chart.
How to dye light blonde hair red / ginger
- Your hairdresser will probably dye it a semi-permanent copper first to darken the hair/add warmth and then dye it a permanent copper, depending on your hair condition.
How to dye ginger hair
- You can go for shades 6-9 depending on your base hair colour.
How to dye brown hair ginger
- You base colour will probably be 4-6 so you can go for any of the 5.XX or 6.XX colours on the Loreal majeril colour chart.
How to dye black hair red / ginger
- Red hair is a lot lighter so you’ll need to lighten the hair to an orange shade before dying it red. If you have natural black hair your hairdresser will probably bleach it a few shades lighter, then dye it a copper or red. If you have dyed black hair they’ll probably use a colour remover first depending on the condition of your hair. You don’t have to bleach it unless you want a bright copper. Otherwise it’ll be more subtle.
I hope this was useful! Any questions, please ask! x
*update: I’m currently off travelling for a few months – see my rtw travel blog so feel free to post a question but I may not have time to answer it, sorry!*
Into The Red 
The brightest ginger/orange on that chart is the colour I have :D but disaster… My ends are badly damaged so they turned out a diff colour :S ha
Chop off the ends?! :)
I am a natural brunette (my exact shade is a 4) and I dyed it about 5 months ago with a L’Oreal box color to a mahogany shade, a 556. almost 2 months ago, I went to the hairdresser to get it reapplied. The dye matched the shade exactly, but I want to bring my hair lighter into a bright copper with darker copper brown roots. I know that it will take a substantial toll on my hair, but I know how to bring bleached hair back from the dead. I hope that my hair isn’t too damaged afterwards, but i am also getting my hair cut in the same appointment, so damaged parts can be cut off, given that I’m lopping off about 2 inches or so.
I am a natural ginger and my hair has faided over the years and is now lighter than I would like. I want to try to darken it a bit, but still want to have it look natural, more like it used to be. What would you suggest I try?
Hi Stephanie
I would suggest getting a natural colour. Depending on your natural base colour which is probably between 6-9 you can choose any of the colours in these ranges. Use 3% peroxide to avoid lightening the hair.
find a good hair stylest..stop being cheap.. pay some money and get it done…. it makes a huge difference if you do it yourself or a have a professional do it.. that is why they go to school
Oh yes because we all have money all the time. What are people supposed to do when their roots grow out leave it or do it themselves?
Hi, I just wanted to ask about my hair. It’s naturally black/dark brown and a month ago I used blonde hair dye to try and make it a copper colour but my hair is now dark brown and lighter in the light. How can I make it a subtle copper like 7,44 from 4,0?
Hi Sapphire,
Tint doesn’t lift tint, so if you put another colour on top, it would only go darker! I suggest:
1. Use a Colour B4 hair remover to remove your current tint.
2. Leave it a few days before applying any other colour.
3. As your hair is a 4, you need to bleach your hair 3 shades lighter to make it a 7. So ask your hairdresser for a bleach bath. (This is a less harsh way of lifting the hair using bleach and shampoo.) It won’t take long and it’ll lighten your hair because it’s on top of your natural hair colour.
4. The bleach bath will take your hair to a base colour of 7, then apply the 7.44 to get the desired copper shade.
I’m so confused my hairs a 4 so how do I get dark red? Help :( xxx
Hi Nina,
Well you can go for any of the 4.xx reds, so maybe try 4.6? If you want to go for a 6.xx or 7.xx red you’ll have to bleach your hair first to lighten it up to a 7 or 6. You can then pick from any of the 7.xx or 6.xx shades with red tones.
My hair is naturally a light blonde with bits of red at the front, I went bright kind of like the 6,66 kind of red. It has started to fade out I would like to go 8,43 without causing my hair too much damage any tips? Thanks :D
Hi Rianoa,
Basically you’ll need to bleach your hair two shades lighter, so try the 8.43 colour with a 9% peroxide to lift it up the two shades. Make sure you then use intensive conditioning treatments regularly to repair any damage.
Hello,
Thanks for such a helpful article! I was wondering if you could recommend any semi permanent copper/ginger dyes? I am only looking to enhance my natural colour (and get rid of the odd grey hair) but can’t find a shop bought semi permanent that is copper (orange) as opposed to red for love nor money! I used to use Movida copper gold in the past but am failing to find a replacement as that was discontinued years ago. I really don’t want to go down the permanent route if I can help it (or go to the hairdressers as this is ££££ and I have a pathological fear of them!).
Thank you in advance for any advice you can give….
Hi Azzurra
I’ve used L’Oreal Feria in Intense Mango Copper before, it’s definitely a ginger rather than red dye and works really well.
There are lots of new ginger dyes out – we’re in fashion! Like Garnier Nutrisse intense Copper 7.64, Superdrug Vibrance Maroon Red 6.45 or L’Oreal Casting Creme Gloss Amber 6.45 The numbers on the packs follow the same scale as the permanent dyes.
Another option I’m keen to try is henna paste, which should brighten up your natural colour. Hope this helps and thanks for reading :)
Oooh fabulous, thank you so much! Are the ones you’ve mentioned above semi permanent? I don’t really want to go down the henna route if possible, as that’s permanent isn’t it?
Yes, about time us gingers were in fashion! xx
I think most of them are permanent, but as red hair dyes fade quicker than any other, they don’t tend to last that long anyway! Henna will enhance your colour in a natural way.
I had bleached blonde hair and after pre-pigging with dark blonde I put on 7-46 and its red and not copper I was after, its way redder than the chart.
So I was thinking of 7-4 and adding in some of the bright 7-40…would that work?
Thanks
S
Hi Sara
Any colour on top of bleached hair will be bright. I’ve had my base colour bleached to give me a lighter, brighter strawberry blonde right now! Just go for a more coppery tone for the .XX that you add on after.
Best wishes x
Hi there…I am a natural redhead (ginger) but fading rapidly I am now 55 yrs but hair still looking reasonably good. I have been using perfect 10 now for about 12 months but the last few times I’ve used it , it has made my head very itchy and a little spotty in places so I am looking for something else but can’t find a colour that matches…the colour I’ve been using is 6R light auburn. Please advise on another colour . Thank you very much….love this site. Well done , kind regards Marianne
Hi Marianne
I’ve just written a new post about all the red and ginger dyes available – see best hair dyes for red and ginger hair There’s a light auburn 6.0 by Nice and Easy on the list, so maybe you could try that?
Thanks for reading! :)
Thank you very much…I will try that one . Marianne x
Hi there! I really want to dye my hair red/copper but I’m naturally brunette, about a 5. I ended up using a colour remover to get rid of a previous bright red dye and my hair went to a shade 8. What type of dye would you recommend to get it copper? X
Hi Robyn
You can use any of the .4 colours to get a copper tone, so if you’re an 8 you could use 8.4X or 7.44 to get a copper colour.
Best wishes, Emma
I have dyed my hair black for years. 6 months ago I bleached it all out and put a brown on. I felt like going red the other day and put a box of red on. Big mistake. Now I have a ugly red on my roots and dark brownish red on bottom. How can I fix this to just be a medium red?
I’m always scared to advise when this happens! I honestly think it’s worth going to the hairdressers to get them to fix it. You can always start dying it yourself again after that?
Hi,
Great piece! I recently dyed my hair from blonde (highlighted) to ginger – it ended up going a pinky/ ginger colour and I actually really liked it! But now it’s faded and basically back to blonde.
How can I get the colour to lock in and stay vibrant? I can’t really afford to go to a salon!
Thanks x
Hi Georgie
Unfortunately dyed red hair fades like nothing on earth! My only tips are:
a) use colour shampoos and conditioners
b) wash it less! Like, not every day
c) Use the Superdrug colour effects conditioner (see earlier post)
You will have to dye it a lot!
Hi, I Am A Natural Ginger & I Have Dyed My Hair A Really Dark Brown Colour But My Roots Come Thru So Quick!
I Want To Go Blonde So I Bought The ‘Colour B4’ Today With A Box Of Ash Blonde Hair Dye But I’m Actually Afraid To Use It Incase It Goes Wrong :| Would This Work? Any Advice? :)
Hi Mikki
I had exactly the same problem and went from dark, dark brown to blonde in a salon. Given you want such a drastic change I’d say go to a salon for it. They will bleach bath your hair to lighten up all the hair, then highlight it to make it go blonde. Basically there’s a lot of bleaching involved which could really damage your hair so I wouldn’t feel comfortable advising on how to do it yourself with packet dyes.
Hi- I’m a blonde and dying underneath, but my hair is more of a dark blonde will there just be a brand that is for that color so that I don’t need to dye it before dying it red? Thanks =)
Hi Julia
Just look for a coppery colour that matches your base colour, which will be between a 7-10.
Best wishes x
hi, im naturally dark brown and have been blonde for a little while now. I have to pre lighten my hair when i do my roots otherwise it does not take. I recently decided to try going ginger, i was planning on going quite a vibrant ginger, like Bree from desperate house wives, but i have a problem, the top took pretty well but the bottom stayed blonde, any advice on what i should do to get that lovely colour, thanks x
Hi
I’d advise getting your all over base colour the same before dyeing it copper on top, then it should take evenly. Best wishes, x
Hi! I was looking for answers and came across your article! I was wondering if you could help. I am a dark red – auburn maybe like the 7.44 in your first picture and I am looking to go a little lighter for the holidays, maybe like the 8.43. I bought an 8.0, what do you think will happen with my hair? In the past I have never EVER been able to loose the red tone of my hair, and that is not my intention now, just want to go lighter, do you think it will work? Hope you can help! happy holidays!
Hi
It may go a bit lighter, though it won’t be as bright as the colour shown. For that you’d need lighter hair.
Hey, my hair is currently between a medium to dark brown. If I were to dye it auburn, would it give be a dark auburn or will it have no effect so I should lighten it first? Thanks :) x
Hi Lucy,
It will go a red or copper toned auburn. If you want a lighter, brighter red you’d need to lighten it first.
Hi! I’ve been searching everywhere for a post like this! It’s very informative, but some of the pictures cannot be displayed, so I cannot fully understand the shades and colours… I wanted to ask you something: I’ve been dying my hair mahogany red for a few months at the salon (I’m naturally a brunette), but I cannot afford it anymore so I’ll be dying it at home from now on. How do I proceed? I want a rich, quite dark copper colour. Please, will you give me a hint?
Hi Vassia
I’ve fixed the images now so hopefully it will make more sense! You should read my best hair dyes for red and ginger hair post for ideas on dyeing hair red at home.
x
Thanks a lot dear!
Hi! I need your advice as it sounds liek you’ve been on the same sort of journey as me, but with rather more successful results. As a natural ginger I had my hairdresser start to enhance my shade years ago using L’oreal range (not sure of the name). I couldnt afford to keep going (my hair grows very fast and needs the roots doing every 3 weeks) so I sneeked a look at my notes and found the equivelant from the boxed brands: L’oreal Excellence in 7.3 and 8.34 mixed 50/50 in the supplied mixer gve me a vibrant but natural colour that made people stop and ask me about. Obviously L’oreal discontinued its 8.34 and I’ve been through every commercially available “ginger” in Boots: they all just turn my hair strange, far from natural and very unflattering colours. I use Colour B4 to get back to my ginger but cant get anything to do my small amount of grey roots. I went to my local hairdressing supply shop who were very helpful but i still cant get it to work: its just too dark and too dull. I’m using the Majirel range (15ml of each) and 6% peroxide. So far i’ve combined 7.34 & 8.04, too dark. Stripped hair again and tried 7.3 & 8.33 and its still too dark. Do I need to just use one colour? Should I use a stronger peroxide? HELP!!!
Hi S,
Maybe you could dye all your hair to get it a consistent base colour first, then dye it copper on top? I wouldn’t combine colours, and be careful about using colour removers too much as they’ll be bleaching your hair too!
Best wishes x
If I were to submit pictures to you of A) the committee I’m trying to achieve B) the color I’m currently at and filled you in on where I started from would that be too much trouble? I have a good idea of what color I want to use and I was planning on ordering the actual brand that you have shown by Loreal, the Majeril. My husband is graduating from the Air Force, I had our first son 8 months ago, I just lost about 40 lbs, and I’m currently working on the last 20… So this is kind of my transformation color. It’s a shot in the dark but I thought I’d ask. Thank you!
Hi Mikal
Well done on the weight loss, that’s awesome! Sure go ahead and send me pictures. But… Your colour doesn’t always show up as its true colour in pics and I’m not a hairdresser… but I will of course try to help :)
Sorry to bother you, but a question: my hair is currently completely covered with l’oreal feria’s scarlet power, which is a 6.7. If I were to use feria’s mango intense copper (7.4) over this, would it take? Or would my hair still need to be lightened? The 7.4 works perfectly with my natural hair and roots, so that’s not a problem. Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi M
I don’t know I’m afraid. It will probably take, but be a lot darker if your base colour is currently darker. I often dye on top of dyed hair and it works, just not the same way as it looks on the packet!
I just dyed my older sisters hair red. We bought a dye that was more ginger red, but it turned out bright taki red! She hates it n shes in her room crying. I feel really bad…is there any way to dye over it to make it more orangyy?? Were really tight on money so the cheapest option that works would be best. Thnx!(:
Hi
Best option is to wash it out as much as possible. Red dye fades quicker than most colours anyway. Other option is to buy a colour remover which will take most of it off. It’s available from most shops, next to the hair dyes.
And remember, it’s only hair! It’s not permanent :)
Hey there i am like a bit darker strawberry blonde and i want to dye my hair blonde but like the 28 wash ones, ive ben researching but i dont know what my hair colour will turn to if i dye it since its different for eveyone
Hi Cassidy
If you’re hoping to go lighter than your current colour you will have to bleach it.
Best wishes x
hey I would like to dye my hair copper, maybe the Feria mango intense from l’oreal, and I am a light chestnut (my hair have a natural copper reflection in them, I tried the amber colour from Garnier but it only made my shiny copper more shiny, not much difference there), so I went to a salon and asked about the process and they recommended to bleach first to the lightest shade… but how much should I really bleach? could you advise me?
Hi
I don’t do home bleaching, I thing there’s too much risk of damaging my hair, so it’s best left to the salon. You only need to bleach it first if you want to go really night and bright. Just use a better dye, maybe a Schwarzkopf XXL super bright dye.
Best wishes, x
Hi!!! I love how helpful your blog is! My hair is kind of a dull strawberry blonde and I want to redefine the red roots. But of course my mom is skeptical (I’m 16), so I was thinking a temporary dye. Some of my friends use boxed dye because its less expensive than professional dye. What do you suggest?
Hello! Thanks for the information!
I am a medium brunette – I have my natural hair color which in places is a 6.31 and a 7.31 with some hint of a red tint (mom is a natural red head)
I want to color to be a 8.43. What are you suggestions for working with those base colors and do I use different developers to work with the 6 parts and 7 parts ? or should I be considering using 2 different dyes for the roots (usually darker) and the light parts – mostly from the sun.
Thanks!
Sai
Hi there i am a natural red head and my red is showing through the dark brown i had in when i was 14 I’m now 15 turning 16 and i had an extraction done at the salon but they dyed my hair a dark red it came out like a dark brown and i have managed to fade it but is there any ways i could fade the artificial colour as next year i want to go a copper red like a lightish red but i dont want my hair going dark if theres hair dye in my hair
okay, maybe you can help. I just got my hair done professionally and she used Majirouge 7.64 lumax and 6.34 (6GC) but my hair is more of a violet or pinky red. I looked up both colors and they both say copper, so what happened? Any ideas of what should change to make it more of a Julianne Moore color, or will it fade?
Hi I had my hair dyed from a 5.6 to 7.4 using a bit a bleach! I love the color but my roots start showing n I don’t have time to dye my hair every 4 weeks so how can just dye my roots back to 7.4? Can I just buy 7.4 hair salon dye!? Thanks
My hairdresser always assumes what I want instead of listening to what I say.
now I have a red that’s more mahogany than off the boat Ireland and what I really wanted was auburn.. basically brown and orange or I think 6.43
It doesn’t look dull, it looks faded. It doesn’t look like a red head it looks like a punk teenager. I want something that would grow out of my head!
Why do hairdresser assume crayola kool aid is better than natural?
:****(
Ps I won’t even leave the house. I look stupid.
I meant 7.43
sorry
Hello.
I’m a brunette but I’ve always wanted to be ginger! Lately I’ve been coloring my hair with L’Oréal Récital 7.43 Shangrilla which makes my hair kinda ginger (but still in the brown end of the scale). I would guess my natural hair is around 5.3 on the scale, do you have any suggestions as to how i get my hair more ginger (around 8.43) without having to dye my hair. Is it even possible?
My hair is quite fine, and I fear it would damage my hair too much if i had to both dye and color it frequently.
Hope you can help me!
Cheers from Denmark
hey my name is yuritzee and my hair is a really faded black so basically dark brown. and under my bangs are a faded maroon. so how could i get a really orange color.
Hi, just after a little advice really seeing as you have so much experience dying your hair orange. I had a highlighted blonde hair for years (natural hair colour being mousey brown. I dyed it a dark auburn colour but wanted it a more powerful copper so got another dye the following week, the dye was a bright copper but it ended up more red/ orange than the orange intended. I think this was down to my hair being a dark auburn and freshly dyed. I like it but would eventually like to go the copper similar to your pics. Should I wait a few weeks for natural fading of my now reddy hair and then put that same bright copper on and hope it turns more like the colour on the packet (I got two of the same dyes because it was on a deal). Would really like to avoid bleaching as I know it reeks havoc with the condition of your hair. Advice greatly received. Thanks in advance.
I love this – well done you for the high maintenance it must be answering everyone’s questions! I’m going red tomorrow but only with a wash in was out shampoo at the moment!
Hi I have a naturally dark brown hair colour, i died it recently in a salon dark ginger with highlights ….i dont like it , how can i change it into very light brown or caramel brown please ? thanks a lot xxx
Ok, so..I have a dilemma. .I bought two different loreal brand reds.(I know boxed colors aren’t the best, but its what I can afford right now! ;-)..anyway, I decided that id like to mix both colors for a brighter , more vibrant color..one is a feria blowout burgundy, and the other an excellence creme light auburn. .I have searched everywhere to see if I can safely mix the two for one application, but have found nothing! ..and the hotline isnt available on wknds!..any advice?..or have u tried this before? I know that ppl will say no, just bcuz of liabiy issues..but just had to ask anyway before I end up bald! ;-)
Hello I have naturally ginger hair but have bleached it to platinum blonde can you give me advice on getting back to my natural colour without ending up with an over the top orange thanks
Hi
Well, avoid the bright dyes and go for something deeper, like a shade 6 or 7 based dye.Or you could dye it a brunette base and then add copper tones.
Hello! I have been using a hair dye over my natural brunette hair that I love called “Red Raspberries” and the brand name is “Splat”. I absolutely LOVE the results. It is a brilliant deep red. However, it stains my skin and scalp really badly & it is embarrassing everytime I refresh the color! I use baby shampoo or rubbing alcohol to try to get as much of it off my skin as possible. I really hate that! I am looking to change brands and would love any suggestions you may have. I can’t afford to go to the salon to have my hair colored every 6 weeks either. I would love something that is more permanent than that if possible.
Hi there. I’ve been dying my hair with the same Majirel colour for years. 6 base then 6.45 colour. I would like it to go a little bit further towards ginger, but not much and subtly overtime. Can I add a bit of 7.43 to the 6.45 on the same 6 base? I’m not sure if you can mix more than two things!
I think the 7.43 is a gorgeous colour but possibly too big a shift for me. I’d just like a little more copper…
Thank you! Jane
Thanks for sharing this information.
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