Seeing Red

Just because the weather’s dull, it doesn’t mean that you have to be! If you want to add a splash of colour to your life, try going red this winter

As the dark winter nights drag on, we look at colouring your hair the brightest shades of red!

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge to go red, you need to choose just how bright you want to go. There is a myriad of gorgeous shades of red, from the subtle to the bold.

For the brave, there are super bright options such as Superdrug Ultra Brights, non-permanent ultra-vibrant hair colour, in Rebellious Red and Outrageous Orange. These are two super-juicy, vibrant, non-permanent hair dyes help to condition locks and are ready to use, imparting a vibrant colour, which lasts six to eight weeks. Go bold all over, use on sections or dip dye. Available at Superdrug for £3.99.

Colour crazy

For really bright colours, go for Stargazers' range of reds, in Hot Red, Foxy Red, Golden Flame or Rogue, to achieve really vivid shades. These are semi-permanent hair colours, free of ammonia or peroxide, and can be applied to natural, dyed or bleached hair – the lighter the hair, the brighter the result. You can also get subtle hints of colour if you use these dyes over darker hair, but always do a strand test first.

You can’t beat Crazy Colour for vivid colours; they have a dye for every colour of the rainbow! For reds, pink or orange hues we suggest Fire, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Coral Red, Cyclamen or Vermillion. These work in a similar way to Stargazer dyes and won’t damage your hair, but please remember, the colours are bright and not for the faint-hearted!

Color Psycho is a fantastic new range of semi-permanent bright colours that is available in seven luscious shades, including bold pink and red. You can also mix these colours with the Colour Tamer, which allows you to make your own custom pastel colours.

Daring brights

The intensity of the colour using these dyes depends on several things, including the original colour of your hair, the dye used and development time. Usually, the lighter or blonder your hair is, the more vivid the colour, so if you want it bright, go light!

But please note, some of these dyes don’t work on grey hair so do check before you buy.

A lot of these types of hair dyes are semi-permanent which means they will fade as you wash your hair, so you will need to keep applying colour to keep your hair vibrant. Some don’t contain any nasty ingredients that can damage your hair, however do check individual brands as this can vary.

It’s recommended that you always do a strand test before applying the dye to your hair, as results vary, depending on your initial colour and hair type.

These dyes are quite easy to apply at home, but beware, the dye will stain anything that it comes into contact with! The instructions vary from brand to brand, but generally, you wash and towel dry your hair, then, wearing rubber gloves, massage the dye into your hair, leave for 15 minutes and rinse off.

Doing it yourself?

• Always wear rubber gloves to avoid stained hands
• The colour of the dye in the bottle isn’t always an indication of the colour it will be once developed – use the colour chart
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions
• Do a strand test to check for any allergies and to see results, as these vary
• Leave dye on longer for a more vivid result
• Use old towels as colour will most likely transfer onto anything it comes into contact with

The Sneak’s favourite bright red hair dyes

• Color Psycho: Wild Rouge, Wild Fuschia, Wild Cerise www.osmo.uk.com
• Stargazer: Hot Red, Foxy Red, Golden Flame, Rogue www.stargazer-products.com
• Superdrug Ultra Brights: Rebellious Red, Outrageous Orange www.superdrug.com
• Crazy Colours: Orange, Coral Red, Fire, Vermillion Red www.crazycolor.co.uk
• Directions: Fire, Pillarbox Red, Poppy Red, Rubine, Tulip, Apricot, Coral Red, Flame, Mandarin, Tangerine, Vermillion www.lariche.co.uk/directions-hair-colour
• Bleach London: Tangerine Dream, I Saw Red, Awkward Peach www.bleachlondon.co.uk
• Fudge Paintbox: Clockwork Orange, Red Corvette www.fudge.com/en-gb/

Colour pop brushes!

We love these mini, colourful hairbrushes from Less is More. Detangle and brush your locks with these mini pneumatic brushes, made from beech with natural rubber cushion and heat-resistant rounded nylon pins.

They're available in 10 juicy colours and sourced from FSC certified sustainable forestation. Colours include; Azur, Ocean Green, Lime, Honey, Orange, Tomato, Fuchsia (pink), Blueberry, Black and Milk.