20 Radical Styling Ideas For Your Red Ombre Hair

The color red enticed you, and now you are flaunting a red ombre – you probably want to show off your new hair color. So, here are some chic styling ideas for your red ombre hair!

An ombre is one of the hair trends that employ a gradient, where your hair is dark at the roots but gradually transitions to a lighter shade. Hairstyling and experimenting with more than one color when it comes to ombre make it perfect if you want to color your hair red. Red is not one shade; it has many beautiful tones, such as ruby, crimson, cherry, blood, and scarlet. And you can play around with these tones to achieve an ombre.

Scroll down if you want to learn how to pull off a red ombre hair dye. Keep reading to check out 20 various ways you can style your red ombre hair, from curls to straight hair, along with color suggestions!

Quick Hair Color Guide: Red Ombre Shade

How To Choose A Shade: Go for a lighter shade of orange red or copper if you have a cool skin tone and ruby or auburn shades if you have a warm skin tone.

Level Of Maintenance: High

Suitable For: All skin tones

Looks Best With: Blue or nude eyeshadow and sheer pink, red, or nude lip colors

How To Do Red Ombre On Your Hair At Home

The basic principle of an ombre is that the top color on the top half of your hair gradually fades into a lighter shade towards the ends.

While this is much easier to do on blonde hair as you can go straight in with your color, dark hair is a whole different ball game. You’ll need to bleach the bottom half of your dark hair before coloring it red.

What You Need

• Old t-shirt
• Paddle brush
• Hair bleaching kit
• Red hair color
• Bowls
• Rubber gloves
• Hair coloring brush
• Hair elastics

Note:

You may also want to keep a dark-colored towel handy, as red hair colors bleed more than other shades.

How To Ombre

1. Put on an old t-shirt that you don’t mind getting bleach and hair color stains on.
2. Put on your gloves. (Hair colors take forEVER to get off once it gets on your skin.)
3. Brush out all the knots and tangles from your hair.
4. Mix and prepare your bleach according to the instructions given on the box.
5. Part your hair down the middle and divide it into 2 sections.
6. Now, divide these 2 big sections into as many smaller sections as you want to make bleaching them convenient for you. Tie each of them up with hair elastics a couple of inches below your roots.
7. Start applying bleach to each section of hair, starting from the ends and pulling the bleach up with your fingers till right below your jawline.
8. Apply more bleach on the ends of your hair and gradually reduce the amount as you work your way up.
9. Leave the bleach on for the time duration indicated on the box, but keep checking the shade it has lightened to every 15 minutes. (Warning: Don’t leave the bleach on for more than 40 minutes as it could permanently damage it.)
10. Once your hair has lightened to your desired shade, wash the bleach off with shampoo.
11. Blow dry your hair completely.
12. Redivide and tie your hair up in the same sections as earlier.
13. Mix your red hair color in a bowl, following the instructions given on the box.
14. Apply the color to all the bleached sections of your hair, making sure to pull it up an inch above your fade line so that it blends seamlessly into your natural base color.
15. Leave the red hair color on for the duration of time indicated on the box.
16. Wash off the color until the water runs clear before shampooing and conditioning it with color safe products.

Note:

Please perform a strand test to check your hair health before bleaching your tresses. Drop a few strands of hair into a glass of water. If the strands float, your hair is healthy enough to bleach. If the strands sink, you should avoid bleaching your hair as it is weak. Please check your hair during the bleaching process. If your scalp burns, wash off the bleach with cold water immediately.

Quick Tip

Red ombre hair color can last up to 4-6 weeks if it is placed higher up in the hair shaft. It can last up to 6-8 weeks if it is placed lower on the mid-length and ends.

20 Totally Stunning Ways To Style Your Red Ombre Hair

1. Auburn Waterfall

When it comes to ombre color jobs, long hair is the best way to go about it. A rich shade of auburn melts beautifully down her chocolate brown locks to create this gorgeous red ombre effect. Just incorporate some subtle magenta tones at the bottom to add oodles of dimension to your hair. If you are looking for soft auburn hair color ideas, this ombre brings warmth and depth to your hair.

2. Cherry Red Delight

Curls have the ability to amplify the look of any ombre color job. So, of course, they work just as beautifully on red toned ombre styles. This bright cherry red hue adds a mega pop of color to monotone brown hair and creates a look that can only be described as punk rock chic.

3. Magenta Toned Red Ombre

Jet black hair is the perfect canvas for any bright colored ombre you might want to try out. And it works especially well with fiery shades of red. Go for a red ombre with a slight magenta undertone to it on straight black hair to transform into a total bombshell.

4. Coral Red Obsession

If bright red hair shades are not up your alley, then a subdued orange toned red can do the trick for you. This coral red ombre starts quite high up on medium length brown hair and descends into some voluptuous curls. I don’t know about you but I sure can’t keep my eyes off of this color look.

5. Maroon Madness

Maybe bright red is not your thing. Maybe you’d like to stick to earthier tones. Whatever the case, here’s a red ombre look that will meet all your needs. Maroon is that understated color that has a beauty all of its own. Go for an ombre in this shade on your mahogany brown tresses to create a totally sophisticated color look.

6. Spicy Scarlet

Just because you’re going for a red ombre doesn’t mean you have to opt for an in-your-face look. Keep things low-key with this dark scarlet shade that blends beautifully with any naturally dark hair color. This is one of the most iconic dark ombre hair color ideas that can give your hair a subtle yet striking appearance. All you need to complete this stunning look is to style it in some low curls.

7. Reverse Ginger Ombre

Flip everyone’s idea of ombre over its head and go for a style that is literally the opposite of what everyone thinks it should be like. Start off with a rich auburn at your roots that gradually fades into a luxurious gold hue towards the ends. This color scheme will also pull the eye downwards, thus creating an illusion of length.

8. Red Chilli Rendezvous

Transform like a butterfly with this bangin’ red ombre look that is one for the ages. What makes this particular ombre look stand out is that the vibrant chili red shade starts pretty high up on her long dark hair and flows down in dramatic waves.

Celine, a blogger, got her hair colored red ombre for the first time. She wanted to go for a complete cherry red hair but later decided to get a red ombre: “I actually told my hair story to John [hair stylist] and he said that it’s better that I opted for the red ombre instead of the full on cherry red hair. He said that he’s done full red before but it got boring real quick. He also told me that ombre looks better since it’s not plain so it’s not boring to look at.” She loved the final results, as she describes in her blog, “I just love how the color shines even better when the sunlight hits it. So lovely (i).”

9. Vivacious Carmine

Bold and beautiful are the exact words that come to mind when you behold this look. The bright but elegant carmine red shade stands out brilliantly against deep brown hair when done in an ombre color style. Keep things simple when styling this look to focus all the attention on the pretty red ombre. Hair braids or hair twists sure would look amazing on this!

10. Red Edged Ombre

Mix up your red ombre look to stand out from the crowd by going for a bit of color only on the edges. This bright red ombre is perfect for a long bob that you don’t want to be overshadowed by too much color. A jet black base will also act as the perfect canvas for this ombre hair color for a short hair look.

Quick Tip

Alternatively, you can also experiment with your hair with an undercut red ombre to provide the appearance of an ombre without the look of harsh lines.

11. Ruby Red Revolution

Handpainting hair color has been taken to new heights with this red balayage ombre style that looks like someone’s fantasy brought to life. With a luxurious ruby red shade sweeping through dark brown hair, the multidimensional look of this style knows no bounds. Just style this hair in some loose waves to make the most out of it.

12. Ginger Gorgeousness

Fall (or autumn, for those of you across the pond) may have you excited about beautiful fallen leaves and pumpkin spice lattes. But another major thing you get to look forward to is fall hair colors! This down-to-earth yet oh-so-gorgeous ginger red ombre that melts seamlessly down from auburn tinted brown locks makes for the perfect color look to be sported during this lovely season.

13. A Song Of Ice And Fire

Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. Whichever one it may be, all I know is that these two elements can blend beautifully together to create an ombre hair look that’s one for the ages. A silver tinted icy blue flows down magically to end in a fiery red shade, thus creating a stunning contrast of colors that is one for the ages.

14. Garnet Magic

If your workplace does not allow you to go for crazy colored hair (booo!), then here’s a lowkey hair look that will not scream for attention but will definitely raise some eyebrows (in a good way). This jewel toned red ombre in a deep garnet red creates the slightest bit of dimension and looks breathtaking on long dark hair.

15. Berry Red Bonanza

Blunt-edged hair is one of the perfect haircuts to showcase an ombre color job in all its glory. And when done in a rich berry red shade, there’s no stopping you from becoming the center of attention in every room you walk into. The gradual transition from black at the roots to a berry red at the ends looks like her hair was dipped into a vat of crushed raspberries.

16. Homage To Wine

Who doesn’t love having a glass of wine at the end of a long day, huh? So, pay homage to your favorite beverage by going for this luxurious red shade on your hair. The wine red flows beautifully down in curls from jet black roots to create a stunning hair look.

17. Red Velvet

Red velvet cupcakes have become such a huge sensation around the world that they’ve inspired their very own color look. The rich red at the ends and dark brown at the roots are reminiscent of a yummy red velvet cupcake topped with some delicious chocolate ganache frosting.

18. Copper Crush

Metallic tones in hair colors are all the rage right now and it’s about time you got on the bandwagon too. Start off with a bold copper red shade on the top half of your hair and fade it down to a light rose gold at the bottom. Take a narrow barreled curling wand to your hair to complete the princess vibe of this already breathtaking look.

19. Fuel To Fire

Get the mesmerizing effect of a campfire on your hair by going for this red and blonde ombre look. From mahogany to auburn to golden blonde, this three toned ombre has been handpainted beautifully onto her hair to make her look like the goddess of fire.

20. Blink And You Miss It

Practice some minimalism and try out this dark red ombre. It is the very definition of the blink-and-you-miss-it look. Ombre the very ends of your naturally dark hair with a deep shade of merlot red that comes to life when hit by light. Take the whole look up a notch by styling it in poker straight.

21. Red Ombre Locs

Red ombre locs lend your hair a game bold and fiery flair. This vibrant style is sure to turn heads at any event you go to. Whether you are going for a subtle crimson shift or a dramatic scarlet cascade, red ombre locs offer a wide range of possibilities to express your personality. This trendy look involves a gradient transition from your natural or base color to a striking red hue, making for a stunning visual impact. Embrace the sassy and confident side to you with this versatile color choice. You can rock these locs loose, style them in braids or buns, or even accessorize with beads or cuffs.

Infographic: Top 5 Styling Ideas For Red Ombre Hair

Nothing says “fierce” like a red ombre. This versatile hair color trend can be done in a number of shades to suit every skin tone and hair texture. Whether you have a bright red ombre or a deeper shade, you can style your hair to suit your hair color. Check out the infographic below to find out the top styling ideas for red ombre hair.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Is red ombre hair hard to maintain?

Yes. While ombre is versatile and low-maintenance, maintaining the perfect red hue may be troubling. Red relies on its vibrancy to make your tresses pop. However, after a certain amount of hair maintenance, this color tends to fade quickly and may lose its charm.

Is ombre still in style?

Yes. An ombre can be a subtle transition or a fun, vibrant component that elevates your look. This low-maintenance method can transform your locks with different colors and hues.

How can I protect my red ombre hair from damage?

Use cool water to wash your hair, protect your hair from harsh UV rays that may bleach your hair, opt for a color-protecting shampoo, and use hydrating hair masks to maintain the glossy look

Can I add highlights or lowlights to my red ombre hair?

Yes! Both highlights and lowlights complement red ombre hair and make it appear more vibrant and attractive.

Illustration: Radical Styling Ideas For Your Red Ombre Hair

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Ready to rock a vibrant and head-turning look? Check out this step-by-step DIY red ombre hair tutorial video that will guide you through the process of achieving stunning and fiery locks.

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Madison DufourBarber & Cosmetologist

     

Madison Dufour is a licensed and practicing barber and cosmetologist with 10 years of experience, as well as an entrepreneur running several hair businesses, including MadisonD Barbering and The Exquisite Find Hair Blog. After working behind the chair for several years, she felt the calling to start the non-profit Barber in a Bag that teaches basic hair cutting skills in street and slum communities in South America.

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