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How Do I Choose the Best Red Hair Highlights?

A. Rohlandt
A. Rohlandt

When choosing the best red hair highlights consider your skin tone first because this should determine the undertone of the color you choose. Once you've established your skin tone, decide what shade of red you'd like the highlights to be. Other considerations include the thickness of the highlights, their placement, and whether you want to use a second hair color in combination with the highlights.

There are cool and warm skin tones, and you could fall into either one of these categories. There is a relatively easy way to find out what your skin tone is, and it involves looking at the color of your veins. Stand in natural light, and look at the color of the veins on your arms and hands. If the veins look blue, you will fall in the cool category. If the veins look greenish, you'll fall under warm skin tones.

Skin tone should be considered when choosing red hair highlights.
Skin tone should be considered when choosing red hair highlights.

If you fall into the cool skin tone category, you'll find that hair color with cool undertones will suit you best. The best hair colors for cool skin tones are those with blue or green undertones. If you have a warm skin tones, you could get away with red hair highlights that are more golden in color or that have a yellow undertone. This includes coppery hair colors as well.

Red hair colors range from natural-looking to bright fire-engine red.
Red hair colors range from natural-looking to bright fire-engine red.

There are a wide variety of red hair highlights available, so you won't be restricted to traditional ginger or coppery colors. Red hair color can range from something that resembles naturally red hair, to bright fire-engine red. If you want a natural result, you should go with a more natural red, but if you want more contrast, a brighter red might work best.

Red hair highlights can be done in various thicknesses, and choosing the right thickness is important in getting the end result you're hoping for. Using thinner strands of hair gives you thinner and more subtle highlights. Thicker strands give you chunkier highlights and a more dramatic end result. You can also use red hair highlights to create hidden colors, using the bottom layers of your hair. You could also opt for the dip dye technique where highlights are applied to the tips of the hair only.

The placement of the highlights may be important as well, and can affect the overall result. Highlights can be placed at the front of the hair only, so that they frame the face. This technique tends to bring out the eyes and facial features. Highlights can also be placed evenly throughout the head, but start out with a few and see if you'd like to add more.

You should also decide whether you want to use a second hair color in combination with the red highlights. If you keep your natural hair color, the highlights you choose should go with this color. If you are set on using a specific red and it doesn't really go with your hair color, choose a second hair color. It's also best to stick to hair colors with the same undertones, so if you choose golden red hair highlights you should choose a base color with a warm undertone as well.

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    • Skin tone should be considered when choosing red hair highlights.
      By: mettus
      Skin tone should be considered when choosing red hair highlights.
    • Red hair colors range from natural-looking to bright fire-engine red.
      By: Marina Karkalicheva
      Red hair colors range from natural-looking to bright fire-engine red.