24 Ravishing Shades of Red Hair

Red holds the title for the most emotionally charged color there is. It signals aggression, danger, passion, desire, and sex. It gets our heart pumping, makes us hungry, and demands our focus. If your internal system isn’t stimulated by the color red, you might actually be a zombie.

No other naturally occurring hair color is as unique as that of the rosy persuasion. Below, we’ve rounded up 24 shades of red hair, running the gamut from the lightest strawberry blonde to the deepest auburn. Not all of the colors below are natural, but that’s good news for anyone who’s grown weary of their current hair color and is ready to be reinvigorated with a bold new shade. Not all of the colors will complement every skin tone, but you’re sure to find one that’ll look smashing on you. So go ahead—survey the spectrum of cherries, wines, and gingers, and relish in the intoxicating effect of these sultry red hues.

1. Strawberry Blonde Hair

This subtle shade is a cross between blonde and ginger, and it looks darling against this woman’s fair skin. Her soft, sleek hair is only slightly layered, but it’s well angled at the front to draw attention to her face.

2. Soft Ginger Red Hair

The orange tones in this color have been punched up, resulting in a luminous and soft ginger shade. The addition of face-framing layers add interest to this cut, which extends several inches past the shoulders.

3. Light Copper Red Hair in a Braided Top-Knot

We’re head over heels for this color of red: a shiny-new-penny type of color that you’re lucky to have if you were born with it. Those who weren’t naturally gifted with this lovely color can visit a salon to obtain the look; it’ll jibe best with lighter skin tones. (It won’t be cheap, but it’ll be worth it.) We’re also digging the curving top-of-the-head braid and fluffy bun.

4. Carrot Red Hair with Long Waves

This bright shade takes the orange tones up even more, but it appears fiery and radiant, not brassy or harsh. The layers in this woman’s long hair are highlighted perfectly by gorgeous waves.

5. Deep Orange-Red Hair

A redhead with a cute lob? There’s nothing better. Again, this shade serves up a generous helping of orange tones, but it works well with this woman’s fair skin. The side part and face-framing layers allow this mane to really move.

6. Long Auburn Red Hair with Ginger Ends

This auburn head of hair allows more brown tones to come through, meaning all women on skin-tone spectrum could try out this color. The slight ombre effect introduces more strawberry blonde into the ends of the long, messy, slightly layered hair.

7. Multitoned Tangerine Red Hair with Natural Waves

There are multiple shades peeking through this messy, naturally wavy, medium-length hair. The dominant color is a rich tangerine, but some seriously deep fire-reds are vying for attention at the crown of the head.

8. Naturally Kinky Rust-Red Hair

This gorgeously thick, kinky-curly auburn hair is to-die-for. The length helps to draw attention to the sumptuous texture. Because of the color’s depth, women with a variety of skin tones could rock this shade.

9. Long Side-Swept Fire-Red Hair

This radiant fire-red/almost auburn color looks stunning on this woman’s fair skin, but a color this rich would work well with skin tones a number of shades darker, too. A side part and pulled-over-the-shoulder style add to the look’s sweetness.

10. Mauve-Brown Base with Carrot-Red Highlights on a Wavy Bob

Here’s another multidimensional look that can pretty much only be achieved at the salon. A seasoned expert will be able to give you dynamic highlights like these carrot and ginger ones, which burst through but play well with the base color. Even though this woman is fair skinned, this layered color would work on just about any skin tone. The tousled waves complement the length of this bob.

11. Shimmery Amber-Red Long Hair

This woman’s long, straight hair wouldn’t be as striking if it were awash in a different shade. The robust amber color not only looks charming on its own, but it also plays off her gorgeous freckles, punching up their collective beauty.

12. Deep Fire-Red Hair

This woman’s very fair skin is set off by the rich, incandescent color, but this specific shade would work well on women with darker skin tones, too. It’s got plenty of depth, which means it won’t look too harsh.

13. Berry-Red Hair in a Cute Pixie Cut

This gorgeous berry shade looks incredible set against this woman’s glowing skin. Her thick bob, complete with choppy layers and oh-so-trendy baby bangs, is a great complement to her oval face. (Women with oval or long faces will be best suited to these bangs, since the blunt length will create a sharp, face-widening line.) We love how chic this bob looks even when paired with a casual tank top. That’s a haircut success story, if we’ve ever seen one.

14. Mauve-Red Hair in a Straight Lob with Bangs

You tend to see lighter reds and auburns more often than this rusty, burnt red color, so if you’re jonesing for a shade of red that’s unique, you’d do well to emulate this look. The timeless cut—blunt bangs and a pristine long bob—allows this woman’s fluffy, thick mane to take the spotlight.

15. Shiny Burgundy-Red Pixie Cut

Now we’re getting into the deeper, richer hues, the ones that dazzle the eye but also look a little less natural. The color of this short ‘do is a hair darker than the previous pixie cut, but it still looks stunning on this woman’s super-fair skin (though women with darker skin could definitely shine in this color with ease). Major style points also go to the red lipstick—less adventurous souls might have thought it overkill, but it has a knockout effect on us.

16. Long Wavy Crimson-Red Hair with Bangs and Fire-Red Ends

If you’re digging these slightly messy waves, long bangs, and above all killer color, take heart. While you may have to book a visit to your nearest salon to get the cut and color done, the bedhead texture is supremely doable.

17. Burnt Sienna Red Hair in an Awesome Faux Hawk

Ladies and gentleman, we’ve found the coolest coiffed mane there is. This look is bold, daring—it’s a shape for a style renegade who can’t allow their hair to be boxed in with bobs or lumped in with layers. Try this one out if you’re itching to subvert the status quo—and spend a fair amount of time in the bathroom primping. If you need something more low-maintenance, at least consider wearing this funky burnt-red shade, which is perfect against this woman’s skin tone.

18. Reddish-Brown Hair with Gorgeous Curls

If this look didn’t make you go weak in the knees, you’d better check your pulse. This shade is a total redhead classic: the tried and true reddish brown, which will work wonders on those with fair skin. We’re also loving this woman’s wavy-curly locks, which would complement just about any dressy nighttime look exquisitely.

19. Brick-Red Hair with Lots of Volume

Va-va-voom! We’re digging the lift and movement in this woman’s hair. Also stealing the show is her color, which has a generous amount of brown but also soft touches of berry and ginger. Women with just about any skin tone will stun in this shade.

20. Dark Reddish-Brown Hair with Copper Highlights

Though this color is so imbued with brown it’s almost out of the red camp, there’s still enough of sultry red undertones for it to satisfy our criteria. What we really love about the shade is how multidimensional it is, with its shiny copper highlights, and how well it could work with most skin tones. The gorgeous, thick waves bring out the robust coloring even more.

21. Wine-Red Hair with Lots of Layers and Texture

There’s a million things to love about this look: the long, choppy layers; the thick texture; and of course the lustrous, multitonal color. The base is set with a deep wine color, and many of the top, sun-facing strands have taken on a lighter hue. This shade would work swimmingly for women with darker skin tones, even though it also looks beautiful set against pale skin.

22. Naturally Curly Ruby-Red Hair with Two-Toned Effect

Let’s put aside, for a moment, our feverish love for this woman’s medium-length curls and goddess-level volume. Instead, focus on the color of this hairstyle. The ruby red at the top half, buttressed by her natural deep-brown color at the bottom, is one of the more distinctive and arresting dye styles we’ve seen to date.

23. Super-Long Bright Scarlet-Red Hair with Curly Ends

We imagine that this is how Rapunzel’s hair might look if the iconic character ever had a quarter-life crisis and decided to become a redhead. These long luscious waves and bright red hue are the stuff of fantasies.

24. Electric Cherry-Red Hair with Subtle Undercut

OK, so this one’s obviously not natural. You got us. But who cares if this bold statement color is faux? We love it. If you’re looking for a five-alarm color to complement your fierce personality, look no further. The undyed undercut peeking out from the rumpled locks is a subtly hip touch.