Brown to copper hair before and after

Colorist Joel Warren of Warren-Tricomi calls it "golden copper;" Lucille Javier at Sally Hershberger describes it as "vibrant strawberry red;" we call it the prettiest shade to keep popping up on the red carpet and tempting us to step out of our color comfort zone.

How do you make sure your stylist understands what you want?

Lucille Javier: I think it's important to bring visuals to your colorist. I love when my clients bring in pictures of two different reds—one they love, and another they absolutely don't like. I believe 80% of the time a client leaves unhappy, it's because of the consultation. Everyone has different lenses on and what is beautiful to one eye may not be to another.

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Brown to copper hair before and after

How hard is this color to maintain?

Joel Warren: It requires a bit of upkeep and is slightly harder than if you are dark going to blonde. When you're dark going to blonde, you're removing all color molecules from the hair. With red, you have brown molecules incorporated that tend to wash out faster, which is why there's more maintenance.

What's the process like if you're going from dark brown color to this?

LJ: To achieve this color on a natural dark base includes bleaching and lightening that could possibly dry out the hair depending on previous color history. I'm keen on keeping the integrity of the hair and if it needs to be done in a couple processes, I will do this to make sure I don't do damage to the hair. If a client is realistic, hopefully they'll understand.

JW: Taking your hair from dark brown to golden copper is not difficult and will take either one hour or two depending on whether or not your dark color is natural or dyed. If it's your natural color, all you need to do is apply the color, let it sit and voilà. If your hair is colored dark, you'll need to remove it to some degree which is not a big deal because it helps with the redness. It may take an hour to remove, and then the process is the same.

If you're a blonde?

LJ: If you are already a blonde, it's a lot easier. When you are darker, you have a lot of darker pigments that needs to be lifted out, but depending on how blonde you are, you may be able to just tone the hair. I describe this as a watercolor: Since the hair is lightened, the red tones are able to attach on to the canvas much easier.

JW: Very easy. You apply the high-lift color, let it sit for 35 minutes, rinse it out and you're done.

If you're already a redhead?

JW: If you're already a redhead, getting this color is very simple—all you need to do is go to the salon, have color applied, let it sit and rinse it out.

What should you know post-process?

LJ: I would say Davines Red Shampoo would be the best to use. Not using hot water and washing less are also key. If you went from dark to light, your touch-ups will require a single process for the roots or lightening with bleach depending on the darkness and tone. If you're a blonde naturally, you'll need a root touch-up and a gloss.

JW: The most important thing is to use shampoo and conditioner intended for color-treated hair. And keep in mind that this color will require significant touch-ups as the shade has a tendency to fade. Be prepared to go to the salon more often than usual.

Alexandra Tunell is the Senior Digital Beauty Editor at Harper's BAZAAR, where she writes beauty features and covers industry news, health, fitness and wellness trends. She began her career in the Lucky beauty closet, then went on to work at Allure. When she's not testing the latest skin care treatments, the Los Angeles native is searching the city for the best Mexican food, binge-watching Bravo and escaping to the beach as often as possible.

Photo: Marc Piasecki/GC Images.

Based on appearances alone, colouring your hair unicorn pink or mermaid blue may seem like a magical endeavour, but it's actually pretty straightforward, especially if you're naturally brunette. Generally, the process involves spending hours lifting your dark hair to light blonde, depositing bright colour to your bleached strands, layering a gloss on top, and boom — you now look like (the cooler, grown-up version of) My Little Pony.

On the other hand, going red as a brunette doesn’t feel that simple. The colour is complex, and if your hair is naturally dark, going scarlet red (like Madelaine Petsch) or creating copper tones (like Lindsay Lohan from back in the day) may seem way out of reach. But the pros say otherwise — and not only is your lifelong dream of trying out life as a redhead actually attainable, but hours of bleaching and damage may not even be necessary to get you there.

Ahead, we asked the experts to break down everything there is to know about transforming your strands from brunette to brick red — and every shade in between.

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Can you put copper over brown hair?

JW: Taking your hair from dark brown to golden copper is not difficult and will take either one hour or two depending on whether or not your dark color is natural or dyed. If it's your natural color, all you need to do is apply the color, let it sit and voilà.

Do you need to bleach your hair before dying it copper?

If you're after a shade that's more than two shades lighter than your existing colour, such as a vibrant copper or warm blonde, you'll need to bleach your hair before dyeing it red.

Is copper hair difficult to maintain?

Copper is a very high maintenance colour that involves a lot of dedicated care. Copper is a fragile colour that washes out more quickly than other shades and so it will not last as long as other colours such as brunette. You must commit to having regular in-salon toners and treatments every 6-8 weeks.

Does copper hair fade fast?

Does copper hair fade quickly? Because copper is such a vibrant hair color, it can fade quickly. To preserve this shade, don't wash your hair everyday. When you do wash, try to rinse your hair in cooler water and use color-safe shampoo and conditioner.