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Dyeing my hair from blonde to red was inevitable. My obsession with red hair runs deep. As a kid I would always pick out red-haired dolls, and my favorite character in any TV show was always the redhead, like Blossom in the Powerpuff Girls, Bloom from Winx Club, and of course, Disney princess Ariel. Despite my love for the color, I never tried it—except for a misguided foray into “rose gold” senior year of high school—and instead stuck to my natural blonde (plus some bleach every four months or so).
I was always been most comfortable as an amped-up blonde, but the allure of red hair has never left me. I’ve admired gingers from afar—both natural and artificial—and associated red hair with Fantasy Bella, a red-haired version of myself that could exist in the maybe distant future.
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But it quickly became apparent that the time to go red is now. Every It girl—Zendaya, Gigi Hadid, Squid Game’s HoYeon Jung, the list goes on—is adding shades of peach, copper, and auburn to their strands, making red the official color of 2021 (trailed closely by Expensive Brunette, it seems). I like to think of myself as ahead of the curve, but at my core I’m a total bandwagoner. Once I saw how good everyone else looked, I booked my appointment ASAP.
I’ve officially been a redhead for three weeks now and I’m hooked. However, it was more of an adjustment than I originally thought, and there are a few things I wish I’d known before taking the plunge.
Since it’s the season of giving, I’m sharing everything I learned about going Hot Girl Red. Read on for everything you need to know about going from blonde to red hair.
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“I like glosses for everyone, but mostly for people who don’t want to, or aren’t quite ready to, fully commit,” says Perry. “Glosses are not permanent, there is no damage to the hair, and they add shine and depth. It’s also good for in-between coloring and for refreshes—it stretches the longevity.”
While we discussed the shade, I told Perry that I’ll most likely want to go back to blonde in a few months. Even with red’s reputation for fading, returning to my original level of blonde would be a huge undertaking, so we settled on a gloss. Not only did this allow Perry a ton of freedom with mixing colors—she started with a copper gloss and added a violet-red one on top for extra pop—it also calmed my nerves about trying the shade, since I knew it would slowly fade in about six weeks or so. Glosses are a great way to try the shade if you’re unsure, and you can always add a demi-permanent dye on top if you fall in love. If you have darker hair, a gloss is also a fun way to add a red tint to your existing shade without having to touch bleach.
When you’re not using a color-depositing product, wash your hair with a sulfate-free, color-safe shampoo and conditioner (Perry likes the R+Co Primary Color Shampoo and Conditioner and the Living Proof Color Care collection). There are also tons of at-home glosses on the market (Kristin Ess makes a great one for only $14) that you can use to amp your color and shine between salon visits.
