Autumn 2011: The right shade of red

Rossetti Fazio's Mistress 1863

This autumn’s hottest hair trend has already taken off. From carrot, to ground ginger, shiny auburn or polished rust, multi-tonal red is the colour du jour.

Pre-Raphaelite artists Rossetti and Holman Hunt, celebrated auburn haired beauties. Their works lovingly rendering full red lips and porcelain skin. Anyone who caught the V&A’s beautifully put together ‘The Cult of Beauty’ exhibition will have left with a latent infactuation with autumnal tones.

Eternalised in beautifully lit sensuality, creamy patches of pale skin contrasting with the shocking vibrancy of their auburn manes, Leighton, Rossetti and Sandys inspired a generation of women to grow their hair long and go girdle-free in romantic figure skimming attire.

And whilst these whimsical connotations persist, the mention of red hair dye can still conjure up the bitter smell of henna, pagan-esque earth women, and rebellious teenage dalliance with home-kits, thankfully today’s toffee hues are for the more sophisticated.

Look to Vogue’s July ’11 edition, which has Vanessa Paradis as their copper haired cover girl; a scramble of strawberry curls tumbling like a halo around her, her skin radiant. In embroidered Chanel, chunky studded boots and posing with an impish grin, she epitomizes what red haired beauty means today.

Auburn, adventurous. Edgy yet chic. Classic but quirky. It’s no wonder red headed pin-ups are cropping up like poppies, Katy Perry has opted for gingerbread tones, Lily Cole and Christina Hendricks have gone back to their roots, and Emma Watson has a rosy warmth through her crop that sets her apart from Hollywood’s clones.

For there is something undeniably sensual about red hair, the colour play, and the way that different lighting can reveal a plethora of firey highlights. With flame-haired fashion icons Grace Coddington, Patricia Fields and Nicole Farhi dictating fashion trends, it’s no wonder that their long championed hair colour has caught on.

How to get the perfect red hair:

To try out the right shade of red for your skin-tone, you’ll need an expert colourist. Paul Bingham (himself a red head) is Colour Director at Lockonego and really is a miracle worker.

Friendly fires: Fekkai colour care

Chose a colour that will enhance your natural skin tone. This means working with what you’ve got.

Strawberry blonde looks striking on pale skin whereas a coppery hue can complement skin tones with a yellow under tone. Black skin tones can rock cherry red and paint box orange for a statement look.

Paul Bingham says: “When colouring your hair you have to take into consideration the colour that you have already put on your hair, as this will affect the final colour.”

Sometimes stripping the colour from your hair with a pre-lightener will help to brighten up colour build up, leaving you with a more obedient canvas to work with.

In an attempt to recreate Pre-Raphalite hues Paul lightened my hair from the mid-lengths to the ends before dying my hair with a block colour (light auburn in case you were wondering).

My time in the chair with Paul revealed these precious gems of colour advice…

Red low-lights and slices are good ways to introduce red tones to your hair, but remember that the colour fades quickly and unless there is a big contrast between your predominant colour and your slices or sections, they can get lost.

Keep your colour fresh with a colour conditioner – and use salon professional products where possible – they work harder and deliver more glossy results.

Try Fekkai Salon Technician Colour Care Shampoo, £33, which leaves hair in silky smooth condition.

To avoid colour fade wash your hair twice a week if you can – and prolong your look. A dry shampoo can revive tired roots.

Who is your favourite red head? Leave a comment and let us know.