Blake Lively and Scarlett Johansson, two of Hollywood's most in-demand blonds, recently became redheads. Though both ditched their straw-colored strands for movie roles—Lively for Hick and Johansson for The Avengers—it got us thinking about going red, just for the heck of it. Are you thinking the same? Here's what you need to know before you tint your tresses!
Go for a Layered Look
Single-process color can appear flat and one-dimensional. To avoid this, Lively's and Johansson's colorists layered several variations of scarlet over each other: "It reads as one color, but it's full of texture—it doesn't feel like a block of red," says Lorri Goddard-Clark about Johansson's new hue. "I mixed one color for her scalp area and a lighter version of that for the rest of her head. I then added fine brownish-red lowlights throughout and put subtle highlights on her ends so that they don't look too inky."
"I never go with solid color," agrees Rona O'Connor, Lively's colorist. "I like to see lightness on top—flecks of golden tones and bright coppers—with darker reds underneath to create depth."
Don't Overdo It
"Scarlett's cherry-red hair isn't a natural statement," says Goddard-Clark, noting that the brazen hue was necessary for "the next incarnation" of her Black Widow character, who was introduced to the screen in Iron Man 2 and originally appeared as a comic-book cartoon. Given Johansson's normally dark blond hair, Goddard-Clark says a warm golden copper would have been the organic choice. For a believable red "you want to stay within your natural base color," she explains. "If you're a dark blond, golden copper is good because there are undertones of that in your hair already; if you're a light brunette, opt for copper; if you're a medium brunette, think auburn."
To find her perfect red, Lively turned to family—her niece and nephew, to be exact. "She brought them to meet me, which was so sweet. They're both redheads," recalls O'Connor, adding, "there's nothing prettier than a child's sunny copper hair—it has so much dimension."
Bring Out Your Eyes
"Instead of choosing hair color based on someone's skin tone, I focus on their eyes," says Goddard-Clark. "If you have yellow in your eyes—a golden brown or hazel—think warm reds; if your eyes are black-brown or pale blue, go cooler."
Goddard-Clark's reasoning for playing up peepers instead of skin: "A lot of natural redheads have a pinkish complexion, but then others have a more golden one. People always find ways to modify their skin tone, whether it's tinted moisturizer or self-tanner."
For the ideal eye-enhancing shade of red, O'Connor recommends holding different colored hair swatches up to your forehead. Then, once you decide on your favorites, have your colorist do test strands. "You always want to play it safe," says O'Connor. "When I worked with Blake, we did a lot of test strands before we found the right shades."
Fade Back to Your Natural Hue
Red is one of the most difficult colors to keep; it fades ultrafast, so you'll want to use a pigment-protecting product with UV filters (try Oribe's new Masque for Beautiful Color). And, says Goddard-Clark, it's also one of the most difficult colors to get away from. "Red tends to leave a residue, especially on blond hair," she says. "Be willing to stay with a warmer version of whatever your color was before. Even if you were originally a brunette, you're going to have an underlying red tone for a bit."
While infusing your hair with red takes a few hours, Goddard-Clark says stripping it away is a far longer process. "Wait until your hair has faded before going to the salon—you want Mother Nature to help you get back to where you want to go," she says. Once you finally do visit the salon, Goddard-Clark says the colorist will start with a gentle professional product to take the red out, then have you come back in after a day or two to apply a more intensive chemical remover.
When taking Lively red, O'Connor was sure to use shades that would "fade back up" to her signature blond. "I didn't want to do anything that would compromise her initial color," says O'Connor. "I kept the reds rose-gold and coppery so that she can easily return to blond after she wraps the movie."
