Red is one of those hair colors that everyone wants but few can pull it off effectively (without lots of professional hair help, that is). It's hard to obtain, and it's hard to maintain—if you have dark hair, you may have to bleach it before you dye it red, for example—and it can easily become to brassy or lose its vibrancy. Auburn can also look strikingly different depending on how the light hits it (including in photographs), which means it can be tough to know exactly which color you need for your skin tone, eye color, and so on. Luckily for us all, we have some famous celebrity redheads who have perfected the hue over their careers (some of them are natural redheads and some are not, but they all rock the color well). We have some very subtle red shades all the way up to the brightest of cherry hues. If you need to get some inspiration on the exact color red that's perfect for you, you've come to the right place.
Below, the 32 best examples of red hair on celebrities for you to show your hairstylist immediately.
Kaia Gerber
Kaia Gerber's brunette hair has just a touch of red here—which, by the way, is a great look if you're dipping a toe in the hair color—which adds warmth and dimension without committing to the upkeep of a full hair dye. It's a "starter red," if you will.
Emily Ratajkowski
This is a low-stakes red for a brunette—with just a little more auburn throughout, it's got subtle dimension that you can see most clearly when the light hits it (as with this EmRata street style photo). You have to have darker hair to be able to pull this off, but it's lovely.
Kendall Jenner
There really was a moment in the early 2020s when every major supermodel was experimenting with the color red—and Kendall Jenner was no exception. This strawberry color is a few shades lighter than her natural brown, and feels sun-kissed without looking damaged.
Blake Lively
If you're blonde and want to go for a strawberry blonde, as Blake Lively does here, that's an achievable goal. You're darkening and deepening your natural color, instead of lightening it as you would with brown hair, but you're also not choosing a hue that's so intense as to be a complete departure. Red for beginners!
Nicole Kidman
If you want to dye your hair in such a way so that it looks like your hair is actually red, this is your inspiration photo (as far as I can tell, this is Nicole Kidman's natural hair color). Think: light, almost brown, with some copper dimension, but not so much that it looks fake.
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa's given us many a cool hair color over the course of her career. But this cherry red might be one of my favorites, partly because it's a little ombre—darker at the roots, light towards the ends. It's not a color found in nature, obviously. but it's a cool hue to pull off.
Megan Fox
Bright cherry red is the kind of black-belt-level red hair color that you might not try as a permanent or semi-permanent color unless you've been working with hair dye for a while (see also: hair icon Megan Fox). An easy way to see if it works for you is to use a temporary hair dye that washes out quickly and go from there.
Julia Fox
If there's one word to describe Julia Fox, it's "edgy," and nowhere is that more evident than with all the cool hair colors she likes to play with. This cool ombre plum-to-burgundy color is not for the faint of heart, as it probably requires regular hairstylist visits, but when it looks that awesome (especially with a complementary lip color), who cares??
Florence Welch
Florence Welch (who's naturally brunette, FYI) has given us magnificent red hair colors. This bright version—that matches her signature red lip for an extra matching element—pairs perfectly with her light skin. You should experiment to make sure the exact shade you pick matches your skin tone, eye color, etc.
Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne is never afraid to change up her hair color, which means she gives plenty of inspo for the truly daring among us. This is dimensional as it gets, with an almost orange color at her roots and a deep cherry through to the tips. It's not for the faint of heart, but when it works, it works.
Hari Nef
Hari Nef's foray into red hair (it's a color she likes and has returned to in various shades) has made her one of Hollywood's signature redheads. The rich auburn is complementary to Nef's brunette eyebrows and roots, meaning this is a good option for someone who doesn't necessarily need their red hair to look like their natural color.
Alyson Hannigan
Back in the '90s, there was no cooler redhead on TV than Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Willow. Alyson Hannigan is naturally a brunette but went red for the role and kept it, since it looks awesome on her. So we've seen a variety of reds on her, including this deep almost-brown shade.
Alyson Hannigan
In the years after Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alyson Hannigan has given us more "natural" auburn colors to draw inspiration from (especially since it's not her natural color). This one is a rich red with lighter highlights, which are gorgeous for picking up the light and feeling dimensional.
Karen Elson
Karen Elson is naturally strawberry blonde, but the model's made her signature look a deep and beautiful auburn. This one falls into the category of "almost" natural looking—it's auburn, with added depth and shine to really help the red stand out.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid is a natural blonde, but when you're attending the Met Gala, you go bold with your styling—hence this dark maroon color (which is probably aided with some extensions here for length). This color was incredibly popular in the '90s and occasionally makes a resurgence—it's not for the faint of heart, because it requires regular maintenance, but it's a cool hue.
Rihanna
Rihanna has, over the course of her long career, given us many red hues for inspiration (including with glorious extensions and wigs). I myself love this reddish-brown, auburn-brunette fusion that goes with her matching lip color. It looks rich and dimensional, but it's also a great everyday color too.
Debra Messing
Debra Messing, whose fiery curly locks were such an important part of her Will and Grace character, has given us a lot of red hair inspiration. My favorite is this dark dark auburn, which feels more "mature" then the brighter colors she favored when she was younger, without being boring.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman has naturally red hair (as we can see in some of her earlier movies where she's also rocking her natural curls). Whether this has the help of hair dye or not, it's a lovely lighter version of red (in some places it almost looks blonde). It's richer than strawberry blonde but still a "neutral" take on the color.
Jessica Chastain
One of Hollywood's famed redheads, Jessica Chastain told Refinery29 that it's her natural hue—and she doesn't dye it all that often because it's her signature. So this red doesn't have a ton of highlights or dimension in it because it's her natural hair color (or a version of it). So if you're looking to replicate naturally red hair, this is a good pic.
Amy Adams
Believe it or not, Amy Adams is actually a blonde—you might not know, given how natural this red looks on her (and how often she dyes her hair this color). The trick is to essentially opt for a single color without a ton of highlights, as we see here, and then continue with regular upkeep. No one will know the difference!!
Isla Fisher
Isla Fisher has naturally light auburn hair, but her chosen shade (this gorgeous rich auburn with lighter highlights) is so glamorous. It's got bright tones, it's got deeper tones, it's got dimension and layering: It feels like one of the more impressive reds on this list.
Julia Roberts
Even though Julia Roberts has naturally blonde hair, she has made red hair part of her signature look (see also her iconic Pretty Woman styling)—she often goes with a dark auburn, as it complements her skin, and is juuuust close enough to brunette as to look natural.
Julianne Moore
Natural redhead Julianne Moore said she felt like an outsider growing up—but it's now one of the elements that makes her look so compelling (and it's something she now appreciates about herself). This soft, dark auburn, with some natural grays peeking through, is her trademark shade.
Ice Spice
In case it feels like red hair only looks good on people without curls (and people with long hair), this look on Ice Spice shows just how great light red looks on 4C hair. Ice Spice has made the ginger hue an essential part of her look, and keeps it a warm but deeper color red. Keeping your hair shorter will help keep your hair healthy if you're constantly dying it.
Natasha Lyonne
A lot of Natasha Lyonne's characters have red hair (including her character in Russian Doll), and it's a color that looks incredible on her. Over the course of her career, she's experimented with different versions of it, but this rich, dark auburn works beautifully with her olive skin.
Christina Hendricks
Even though Christina Hendricks is naturally blonde, she's made red her signature color, most notably as Joan in Mad Men. She normally goes for a deep, dimensional red—and really commits by dying her eyebrows to match, in this case—that perfectly complements her blue eyes.
Madelaine Petsch
Madelaine Petsch has the same enviable (natural) red hair as her character Cheryl Blossom—mercifully, that's the only thing she shares with her character—and most people would give anything for that length and volume. You may need some extensions to assist you, but take this photo to your next colorist appointment if you want a rich red.
Zendaya
Zendaya's given us just about every color, cut, and style imaginable, often with the help of extensions and wigs. This ombre magic (which, by the way, is thematic since she's at a Spider-Man film premiere here) starts out as a deep deep plum and then ends as a gorgeous bright burgundy.
Sophie Turner
Sansa from Game of Thrones actually has blonde hair IRL, but Sophie Turner has embraced the red hue her character's known for even when she's not in front of the camera. This "modern" red color is auburn, but lighter and brighter than the '90s version that was so popular.
Eleanor Tomlinson
You'd never known that actor Eleanor Tomlinson's actual hair color is blonde—the Poldark actor looks like a real redhead! She said she wanted to keep it after she'd finished playing the role, and I can see why. The dye is bright but not overpowering or fake-looking as well as being incredibly eye-catching.
Emma Stone
Emma Stone is one of our most cherished Hollywood redheads (even though she's naturally blonde, shhh), and the trick is that she keeps the brightness out of her auburn dye. There are hints of brown here, as well as strawberry blonde, but what it doesn't have is any brassiness.
Phoebe Dynevor
This might be a bit deeper and brighter than Daphne's on Bridgerton, but Phoebe Dynevor (who's naturally a redhead!!) has some of the best hair in the business. This deep copper-y color is the perfect balance of bright and cool—everyone who wants red hair should print this photo out immediately.
