Purple hair is the new red. Or is red hair the new purple? How can we choose between the two!? The good news is, thanks to the new hot trend of rocking red AND purple hair, you don’t!
Knowing how to mix these two hot colours to create an uber-blend of sassy style is what this guide is all about.
If you’re thinking of taking the plunge into this trend, here are some ideas to get you started!
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Table of Contents
- 1 What is red and purple hair?
- 2 Does red and purple hair go together?
- 3 Will red and purple hair suit me?
- 4 Which hair colours suit me?
- 5 What hair color suits me?
- 6 What hairstyles suit red and purple hair?
- 7 Soft ombre
- 8 Bold balayage
- 9 Subtle highlights
- 10 Half and half hair
- 11 Hair streaks
- 12 Solid colour
- 13 Can I get red and purple hair at home?
- 14 Best red and purple hair dyes
- 15 What happens if you mix red and purple hair dye?
- 16 Does purple hair dye cancel out red?
- 17 How to care for red and purple hair.
- 18 Parting words.
- 19 Author
What is red and purple hair?
These two perfect shades make a sensational colour combination.
Red hair is everywhere right now and this colour combo is definitely the most creative and interesting way to get your redhead fix.
It takes the rich darkness of deep purple hair colours like burgundy, plum and maroon and mixes it with brighter, vibrant reds like ruby, mahogany, rose and even copper.
It’s an easy-to-wear dye job for any fiery-haired fan! Anything goes if you find a combination of colours for you.
The spectrum of these two colours work so well together because the vibrancy of the red hues compliments the deep tones of purple.
Blended together, they create their own unique red-purple colour hues, shades and styles that are sassy and fun.
It’s a colour combo that can be worn in so many different ways depending on your style and mood. It’s dramatic and eye-catching and fills you full of confidence.
Check out the latest looks for ideas and inspiration.
Does red and purple hair go together?
Let’s take a look at the colour wheel. Red and purple sit together as complementary warm and cool colours. Which means they should go well together, right? The answer is yes!
These two colours can be used in any combination to make a great style statement.
But if you’re going with these complementary colours as your hair colour choice for this season, it’s important to know that red and purple don’t always work on their own without some help from other shades.
We recommend adding lighter tones of blues to create an icy hue that will balance out the deepness of both shades.
You can also warm it up with pinks as an accent shade – like a streak through your fringe or around the ends of your hair.
Whatever hairstyle you have or whatever mood you’re in – there’ll be a shade for you.
Will red and purple hair suit me?
Knowing whether red or purple hair will suit you is a matter of knowing your undertones and whether you suit warm or cool colours.
These shades lean more towards suiting those with warm undertones. This is because most shades you’ll find for your hair will have a red or orange tones.
That’s not to say you can’t cool them down with purples that have more blue undertones like blackberry or maroon.
Use our checklist to find out if you have cool or warm undertones.
If you have cool undertones:
- Your skin tone is pink or pale.
- You blush easily!
- Jewel and pastel colours are so your thing.
- The colour yellow washes you out and does not look good on you.
- You have blue not green veins in your wrist.
- Pearls and silver jewellery look awesome on you.
If you have warm undertones:
- You have red or golden tones in your natural hair.
- Your skin tone is golden, tan or olive.
- You might have freckles.
- You have green not blue veins in your wrist.
- You suit bright or rich shades better.
- Gold jewellery looks awesome on you
Which hair colours suit me?
You can also find out which hair colour will suit you by taking our quick quiz!
What hair color suits me?
Try on some virtual colours with these hair color apps!
What hairstyles suit red and purple hair?
Soft ombre
The ombre technique of a gradual blending from dark to light works perfectly with these fiery colours.
Start with darker purple roots at the top in deep plum, maroon or burgundy and blend out to violet or cherry red hair color.
It’s a low maintenance colour combo that gives a classy, glossy look. You can also mix it in with black ombre styles if you want a shadowroot style with fewer root touch ups.
Bold balayage
On-trend balayage is all over our hearts and head this year. But it’s not just blonde and brunettes that can have all the fun with this style.
Balayage hair is a trendy way to change up your look. It involves hand-painting colour in sections which works fantastically with these two shades.
The result adds dimension without any harsh lines or solid colours because it mimics sun-bleached tips.
Here you can use blackberry or mahogany purple as your base and add ruby or scarlet red for accents of colour.
Subtle highlights
Purple highlights give your hair some extra pop. They’re where you get lighter strands of colour in different places throughout your head, giving it a natural gradient effect that goes from dark to light or vice versa depending on how the stylist does them.
Half head highlights are perfect for these shades as your hair will look neither too much of one colour nor the other – but a perfect blend of the two.
We’re loving a blackberry base with subtle crimson or maroon colour highlights. Alternatively, you can go for a red base with purple lowlights for a truly unique vibe.
Half and half hair
Half and half hair is an edgy colour combination in a stand-out style.
This statement look involves dyeing one side of your head one colour, and one side another.
You need to be committed (as well as brave!) if you want to nail this style, it takes a lot of upkeep. But if you can pull it off, there’s nothing like it.
Pair up pillarbox red with a hint of purple pastel like mauve or lavender.
Hair streaks
Streaks can add a zap of flair to any look. Hair streaks happen when a few strands of hair are coloured from root to tip to create a stripey or streaky effect.
You can go bold with a mix of streaks all over or keep it subtle with a few peekaboo strands.
This style is amazing on blonde hair as the contrast between the purple, red and blonde really lift the overall colour and make it glow.
Pastel purples and gold-reds like rose gold or strawberry are perfect for this look.
Solid colour
Mixing these two shades together creates a gorgeous, shimmering multi-dimensional all over colour.
Here you can dial it up or down to make it more cool or warm depending on your skin tone and eye colour.
If you’re on the warm side– let the vibrancy of the red hair spectrum bring out your fiery side. Black cherry and deep violet are the shades for you.
If you have cool undertones – you’ll want a base that contains more purple and blue than red. Stunning colours like burgundy, maroon and plum will make your hair appear healthier and thicker.
Can I get red and purple hair at home?
This delicious duo is easy to get at home as there are so many brilliant permanent and semi-permanent hair dyes to choose from.
The trick is knowing what colours go together and what style your heart desires. As always, the colour your hair is now will make a big difference.
Always check the colour chart on the box of hair dye you choose to match it to your colour now so you can see the results.
And make sure you do a strand test to test out the colours before you go dyeing your whole head a new hue!
Best red and purple hair dyes
| Hair dye | Looks like | Best for | Buy it now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schwarzkopf Permanent Hair Dye, Ultra Violet |   | All over colour | |
| Garnier Color Sensation Vivids Fiery Burgundy |   | Red shades | |
| Garnier Nutrisse, Intense Lilac |   | Purple shades | |
| Garnier Olia Violet Hair Dye Permanent, Deep Violet |   | Purple-red shades | |
| John Frieda Precision Foam Colour, Deep Cherry Brown |   | All over colour | |
| Garnier Color Sensation Red Hair Dye, Intense Ruby Red |   | Red shades |
What happens if you mix red and purple hair dye?
If you mix these two colours together as hair dye, you’ll probably end up with a burgundy, maroon or red wine hue.
But you’ll need to mix these two hair dye colours before you apply them to your head!
It won’t work if you just dye your hair red, and then purple for instance.
Also, why would you? There are plenty of great burgundy hair dyes you can buy straight off the shelf that will give you the perfect hue.
Does purple hair dye cancel out red?
Purple and red are different shades from the same colour family. This means, no, they won’t cancel each other out.
If you want to cancel red or purple hair, you need to apply opposite toners and colours on the hair colour wheel. This shows you which opposite colours tone and neutralize each other to get rid of unwanted tones and brassiness.
The hair colour wheel can tell you everything you need to know about hair colour theory and which cool or warm colours will be right for you.
How to care for red and purple hair.
When it comes to hair dye, both of these colours are unfortunately shades that fade fast.
So you need to do all you can to care for your colour and keep it look on point.
A colour shampoo will help prolong the life of your colour so look for ones that are sulphate free.
Once a week, use a hair mask to moisturise and nourish your locks.
And as always, make sure you follow the best advice in How to look after coloured hair and keep it luscious for longer.
Parting words.
So what are you waiting for?
Get on board with the hottest trend this year! You will be so on trend with these gorgeous colours. And who doesn’t want to feel like they have a little more fun in their life?! We all need that, right?
Good luck!
