Friends, I have become a little obsessed of late with red hair.
Did you know....
- Only 1-2% of the human population has red hair naturally?
- In Medieval times, red hair was thought to be a mark of beastly sexual desire and moral degeneration?
- On the first weekend in September in the Dutch city of Breda, Redhead Day is celebrated and redheads from across the globe swarm there?
Know which country has the highest number of born redheads?
If you guessed Scotland, you're right (13%)!
What I love about red hair is how you can create a wardrobe of colors to set it off. I'm always marveling at how redheads are styled in old color photos. How many of the ladies below can you name?
Yellow, I love a redhead in yellow.
Almost any shade of blue is striking on a redhead.
Red is also great for redheads -- who'd have thought?
And then there's green...
Perhaps my favorite color on a redhead is pink.
Some popular sewing bloggers are redheads. Does she...or doesn't she?
These days, my favorite search on eBay is -- I know it sounds weird -- "used red wig." This yields images that could give a grown man nightmares: proof that people will try to sell absolutely anything online.
Clearly these are styled to move.
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| Listing states "needs some combing" (!) |
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| There are no words. |
In closing, friends, three questions:
1) Are you now or have you ever been a redhead (natural or otherwise)?
2) If yes, did/do you take your hair color into account when planning your wardrobe? Do you have a favorite contrast color?
3) Can anybody pull off red hair, or does
Have a great day, everybody!
I stupidly dyed my beautiful blonde hair red last year, I was hoping for something quite Vixeny and I assume that with both my brother and sister being redheads that it would suit me!
ReplyDeleteThe reality?
It washed me out I had to wear makeup constantly, my root came through after 3 days! And it's still not gone!
Frankie
X
If you don't have the skin tone, you shouldn't go red. And most peeps with the skin tone also have the hair, naturally. Sadly.
ReplyDeleteNaturally a red head...gone ash brown in my 40's, so Ion Color Brilliance has been my saving grace. I prefer blues and green and of course black in my wardrobe. I've got no pink or yellow or red to speak of in my closet. Although I do like yellow on others...I think it does weird things to my skin tone.
ReplyDeleteNaturally a red head! I've never dyed my hair. My mother always told me I shouldn't wear red or pink, but those are totally my power colors!
ReplyDelete"Can anybody pull off red hair...?" Wigs, yes, and I know a few who can pull it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised lavender/periwinkle/violet wasn't mentioned. I usually associate red hair with a wardrobe in that color or green (with orange, the three secondaries, I suppose).
My favorite redhead might be Nicole Kidman. But that's just off the top of my head. *cough*
I'm a bottled HD red head and a normally a dark dishwater blonde. Works well with my skin coloring or so says my hairdresser! Yellows never worked and pinks don't work anymore. I wear a lot of greens, blacks and whites.
ReplyDeleteI don't think everybody can pull off red hair. I've seen some pretty bad skin tone/ red hair combos!
2 of my sisters and one brother are gingers. All that Scot/Irish background. I was a blonde, no I am MPB. Edith Head used fabulous colors on her redheads like Susan Hayward, violets, greens etc. A lot of those actresses in in old films, i.e. Katherine Hepburn had red hair. I used to have actress friend who called it titian to get better auditions.
ReplyDeleteI've dyed my hair auburn off and on for many years. My hair is back to its natural light golden brown now. I miss the red but not the monthly dye jobs and roots showing one week later.
ReplyDeleteI've gone red a few times, mostly in the auburn range. It works with my eye color (greenish) so there were not many adjustments that I needed to make. Really the only one was to adjust eye makeup colors a little.
ReplyDeleteI'm naturally auburn. I love wearing brown and other earth tones.
ReplyDeleteI never thought redheads look good in pastels, we're to pale and there isn't enough contrast, but you're making me rethink this.
Does Cathy have any British Isles or Viking in her background?
She did once own a Husqvarna serger....
DeleteWhen my son was born, my husband and I looked at his little head and said, "is that RED HAIR?" Now he's an adorable freckled strawberry blond. Proof positive that it was that rogue Irish gene that got me pregnant at 44.
ReplyDeleteThose wigs are hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI'm a natural red, but lost a lot of it with age. It is only red highlights now, so I have been attempting to dye it, but have not found my perfect color yet. My mother told me as a child that red was not a good color on me and that just stuck because I never wear red. I love light blue on my daughters who both have strawberry hair and blue eyes. I have brown eyes so it isn't quite as lovely, but most gingers have blue or green eyes, so those are the colors that I think look best.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience most natural reds have pale skin and freckles which I think looks good with red, though I have seen a good amount of people attempting it with other skin tones. Some more successful than others.
I always wished I had red hair, but it would look terrible on me, so I've stayed with my dark brown.
ReplyDeleteBorn a redhead. It darkened to brown over the years. Have used dye and henna for red hair. Henna was the best. You have to have the right skin tone to have red hair. I have never considered hair colour for wardrobe planning. I use skin tone for clothing colour choices.
ReplyDeleteI had gorgeous red hair from birth and it faded to russet by high school. I have always had red head coloring with fair skin, blue eyes, and freckles. Just wish my red was redder! Blue is my black. I wear it all the time.
ReplyDeleteI've been a redhead but am naturally light to medium brown. Have very fair skin and was told red hair looked good on me. Must be that Celtic ancestry. Mom was a natural redhead (auburn) and her favorite color was what she called "orchid" lavender. I think you have to go with your skin tone for clothing colors. Cathy should give it a try!
ReplyDeleteHello! Josy call me , I'm Brazilian . I saw your blog and your youtube channel that sought more information about the Singer sewing machine 221k Faetherweight 7 which is the most compact model white . I am delighted with the machine . Here in Brazil it is rare , little is known about it and many people have never seen this one . Thanks for the posts that discuss the machine and the videos that uses it.
ReplyDeleteI will make a video showing my sewing machine 221k for Brazilians to appreciate more this vintage Singer model . I do not speak English, but this week I started to study your language , English. Me and forgiveness for the mistakes of writing , I used the google translator . I hope we can keep in touch immensely . I have other antique sewing machines , one even has more than 100 years.
Big hug from Josy Petite
LOL, this was such a great post. great pictures, and the wigs! LOVE.
ReplyDeleteI totally take my hair colour in consideration when planning my clothes... and I do believe you need to be of certain skin tones so you can be a red-haired beauty.
WIGS! love!
My 21 year old daughter is a natural strawberry blonde, but she prefers the term "ginger", which I think was popularized by the South Park episode "Ginger Kids". It's a must see for anyone with red hair. She's been told that her hair could fetch up to $1000 for wigs, which really freaks her out. She looks awesome in every shade of green.
ReplyDeleteI was born a very pale redhead. Apricot really. The 2 times in my adult life, I've added a red tint to my blonde hair it really hasn't suited me at all.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post. I do think Cathy should try red hair!
ReplyDeleteI was a redhead in my teens. I am quite pale so I think it was ok. I wore a lot of red also then. Now I am more of a black clothing kind of girl.
ReplyDeletePeter, darling, I'm going to give you the unvarnished truth. I started out life as a strawberry blond-ish redhead. In my early years, my hair color turned darker, but still had red tones to it. Then in my 20s, just to piss off my MIL, I went blonde. In my 30s I decided to go more red, and I joked that "I used to be blonde with black roots, then was red with gray roots. Now I'm just gray. In retrospect, I find red hair to be very wardrobe and makeup limiting. But if you love it, go for it!
ReplyDeleteThat last wig that looks like a pancake looks like the one my cosmetology teacher used to wear. I used to dye my hair with henna to make it thicker and auburn. I like blue jeans and always enjoyed the red/blue combo. There are several shades/tones/hues if red. You got cool reds, copper reds, soft strawberry reds, dark chocolate reds, etc. Taking the skin tone, eye colour and face shape into consideration as well as what the pre-existing underlying pigment is will make selecting a red colour complimentary to the one who will wear it. The personality of the client as well as budget and how the colour is applied are something to consider as well. Even how the colour is applied will determined the final results. Red is actually in even if only in the very slightest amounts in practically every natural hair color. Red artificial pigments/tints/colour tend to fade sooner because the red pigment molecules are larger. In general depending on the desired result hair colour tends to look best if it is either two shades lighter or darker than the persons skin tone. More and more people have been wanting more red in their hair lately so it must be making a come back
ReplyDeleteMy father was known as "Torchy" all of his life. My mother was a dark auburn, my sister, myself, my oldest brother were all natural redheads and my youngest brother was a strawberry blond. My niece and nephew are redheads, and my nieces two children are redheads as is her husband. My nephew has one redheaded child. Yup, it runs in the family. When Penny and I were children, we could not figure out how our parents knew the mischief we got into. Everyone in town knew who we were. At 70 and graying for some time, I have taken to adding in, via my hairdresser, a weaving of red amongst the blond-like grey. I like it!
ReplyDeleteI can send you a red wig, Peter. Bob cut. It was used once for a costume and has been boxed up ever since...
ReplyDeleteI guess my hair has been sort of a strawberry blonde from time to time and that looks good. I tried to dye it a darker red once and it turned out kind of purplish, which is probably not a good look on anyone. Emergency trip to the hairdresser to rectify that mistake...obviously I should have started with the trip to the beauty salon. But I think my skin tone has too much red in it for the auburn I always longed for to work.
ReplyDeleteIn my far-off youth my brown hair had a lot of auburn in it, so the overall tone was a kind of chestnut, and throughout the middle '80s I boosted that into a New Romantic orangy-red via an elaborate triple-process. Sadly, the auburn was the first to go as the gray took hold.
ReplyDeleteAs for Cathy, I think she could be a dazzling Greer Garson lookalike, although I do believe such a look would necessitate a significantly more elaborate makeup scheme - not really a low-maintenance look for the mother of a toddler...
So nice to see positive comments about redheads - they often get pelters here in Scotland. I think they are beautiful though, especially with the trademark luminescent skin. I was white blonde as a child, in NZ where the sun bleached my hair. Now I'm an ash blonde that is steadily turning mousy brown/gray.... Maybe you'll start a revolution with this post! Rachel ☺
ReplyDeleteRed hair and pale skin is one of the most beautiful combinations! I'd love to have it, but it obviously wouldn't suit me so I went with blue.
ReplyDeleteI have dyed my dark blond hair red a couple of times. The first time was after dye removal (from black, not a good colour on me!) had to be evened out with red. And later I used henna, which I really loved. Now I'm growing my own colour out again, but itching for the red locks now and again. We'll see how long my determination to go blond lasts... :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't have any power colours, pretty much used the same tones I used with my natural hair. The only things I noticed that really didn't go with the red hair were two of my vintage dresses. One is a beautiful heavy 50s jacquard dress in cream with some mossy green flecks, that looked really awful with henna red. The other is a burgundy red faille dress that combined with red hair was a bit too much auburn on me. Bright red on the other hand looked fabulous!
There are so many red tones one can have from strawberry blond to the deep auburns, that I think there is a red tone for everybody. So far I think henna is a pretty good dye for everybody - it doesn't lighten or darken the hair and the undertones will affect the final colour so in my experience the result is usually very becoming.
I am a brunette on the lighter end of the spectrum, and my hair was chestnut/auburn as a kid. In the 90s I had sunset red strips in it which I loved. I've also henna treated it a lot. My colouring is cool but low contrast so I suit a dusky cool deep palette of colours. I have a real appreciation of pale skinned gingers with freckles, I wish my husband was a ginger. So sexy.
ReplyDeleteI'm a 'strawberry blonde', so something between red and blonde and I've always hoped my hair would get a bit darker and more red. I'm also Dutch and I didn't even know about that redhead day in Breda. Obviously, I'm too blonde to get the memo ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures you showed but bear in mind that not every redhead can wear all of those colours. There are different shades of yellow and (even among natural redheads) skintone can vary as well. For me, yellow is an absolute no-no.
Over my years of sewing, I've slowly started to use more and more colour and yes, I try and pick those which set off that hair colour.
Oh, and you can nearly always tell the natural redheads from the artificial ones. People who dye their hair red tend to go for unnaturally intense and/or dark shades which probably makes sense because those might work better with their complexion. I think that's always the thing to keep in mind: Fake or natural, hair colour should work with the colour of eyes and skin. Cathy looks great with dark hair so she might try auburn or a deep red but I think she should stay away from the more natural orange-y tones.
I'm a natural redhead but being over 50, all the beautiful natural red pigment is gone, I now dye it back to as close as the natural color as I can get it. I hated my red hair and freckles growing up, kids back then were unbelievably cruel to me about it, but now it seems to be in "vogue" to be red. I prefer to wear earth tone colors, I think they warm up my face, as opposed to jewel tones, which are a bit harsh on me.
ReplyDeleteI used to hate having red hair when I was a boy. Hairdressers and other mothers used to say how beautiful it was but I wanted darker hair and complexion.
ReplyDeleteAs I've got older the red is less intense, more blond. I rarely wear black because it washes my features out and I find purple tones the worst, they make the hair look orange and my face red!
I don't mind green if it's the right tone but sometimes the contrast with the hair is too much.
I have "gone red" a few times in my life. Obviously, I have the color for it. I was a model at a cosmetology show once when it was red. The stage artist commented on how lucky I was to have such a wonderful shade of red naturally. (ha!)
ReplyDeleteI have a niece who has natural red hair. I can not get her to wear red. Her wicked stepmother convinced her that redheads can NOT wear red. Perhaps I should gather a collection of redheads in red on Pinterest for her. ;)
I think Cathy would look great in red hair. I would take her shopping for a red wig to find out.
Oh, if only you lived closer -- she could use the help!
DeleteI have been a bottle redhead since i was 14. Last I knew, my hair was dark blonde. Though more likely light dishwater brown these days. Never let my roots get long enough to tell.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much wear whatever color I feel like. but I have pretty neutral skin tone.
I am a brunette. (now with just a bit of silver) When I was a little kid I desperately wished I was a redhead but I have never dyed my hair. Too much work and expense to maintain and I couldn't bear to have different colored roots showing, even a tiny bit. I keep waiting for someone to invent a pill that will change your hair color.
ReplyDeleteI have been dying my hair red for probably 13-15 years. When Natural Instincts #16 is discontinued I shall be distraught. I had dark blonde hair as a kid, which turned into light brown blah. I like it, and it seems to work well with all that pasty white Northern European blood I have in me. People look at my blond kids and wonder why they didn't get any of my red hair. O.o
ReplyDeleteNatural red head, blue/grey eyes and loads of freckles. Now in my late 40's I dye my hair to its former colour.
ReplyDeleteI am more of an earth tone sort if gal. True red, black and white make me look like death warmed over. Blue enhances my eye colour.
I wear lots of bright yellow, orange and every shade if green.
Olive drab is my neutral.
I love red hair, and have always envied those who have it.
ReplyDeleteI have very pale skin, green eyes, and now mostly silver hair. When I was younger, it was medium to dark brown--no red at all. I used to dye it a chestnut or auburn colour at times because I loved the effect and it worked with my skin and eyes. The trouble was keeping at. As more than one colourist explained to me, of all of the artificial hair colours, red fades the most easily and quickly. As more and more of my hair went to silver, I stopped bothering to dye it at all.
I don't know if I take my hair colour into consideration specifically, but I do tend to choose colours that set off my hair and eyes.
Many wonderful comments here, I add one (squealed):
ReplyDeleteMIDGE!!!!!
Yes!
ReplyDeleteI've always been a redhead, and I don't think I take my hair color into account when choosing clothing any more than anyone else. I'm probably more concerned about what works with my skin tone which, although *very* pale, is more cool toned than most peachy redheads.
I think red hair works on a wider variety of skin tones than one might suspect, but it's really all about the quality of the dye. An unnatural red is just fine if that's what you're going for, but it won't fool any natural redheads!
Natural redhead here, although now it is silver/white. I do miss being a redhead sometimes. Sigh. Although now everyone thinks I look blond. Red hair that grays is too hard to keep dyed. I always looked great in blues, but now I have a much larger color palette to work with.
ReplyDeleteNatural redhead, blue eyes, freckles, sunburn too easily. My ex-husband is a brown eyed redhead; our daughter is a blue-eyed strawberry blond. I love fall colors, but periwinkle, coral and turquoise are excellent with my coloring. I always consider my hair color and complexion when choosing clothing. Hairdressers used to ask me what I used on my hair - nothing. At 64, it has certainly faded, but I'm fortunate to have very little gray.
ReplyDeleteNatural medium readhead here with green eyes. My entire life people have asked me if my hair was "real". I want to come back as a brunette in my next life, so I can wear purple, fushia, pink, red. In the mean time, I'm happy who I am.
ReplyDeleteNaturally my hair is sandy blond, but I dyed it red for years (Iike from the time I was 14 to the time I was in my mid 20's). I loved to wear pink with it for the shock value and because I felt it looked great. There are a wide variety of reds to choose from and I believe there is a shade for everyone. I am very light olive in skin tone and choose a copper colored red that was amazing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am a witch. It use to be believed that people with naturally red hair were gifted in the magical arts.
Cousin Cathy's long lost twin sister Jane Russel looked ravishing as a brunette, blonde, and redhead, so there must be a flattering shade for almost everyone, the trick is finding it.
ReplyDeleteFor wardrobe planning I am most fond of blue and jewel tones since I am a natural redhead with long hair, supple skin, and blue eyes, and I also have a beauty mark on my cheek. Eat your hearts out!
My hair has a noticeable red undertone to it, and it photos it comes out almost black cherry. I have dyed my hair many shades of red, from fire truck red, to subtle strawberry blonde. My husband had an obsession with red heads for a while, although he called it ginger (like the British do). He has since gotten over that obsession so now my hair is back to its natural cherry black,/brown color.
ReplyDeleteI relaxed into my natural white hair quite a few years ago, but before that, I had my hair dyed red for maybe a 15 years. It was not a loud red, but more of a light-ish red-brown - until I changed hairdressers. Somehow I mis-remembered the correct "number" of the dye my previous lady had used and when we were done I was a *BRILLIANT* redhead - we had been so busy yakking while she did her magic, I hadn't noticed. I was FLOORED - but then just laughed and laughed - and you know what? I LOVED that bright red hair! It felt liberating somehow. I kept it for quite a few years. I never worried about clothing - most of my wardrobe was jeans and tee shirts anyway (being a field biologist). My son had gorgeous copper-red hair until his teens, since then it's become brown-red.
ReplyDeleteYep! a strawberry blonde, which is a variation of a redhead!
ReplyDeleteI'm a redhead with fair skin and dark brown eyes as well as my daughter and grandson. After having children my hair turned a mousey brown so i dye it back to my original color. I look best in clear colors favoring pumpkin oranges, brown, warm greens and turquoise. I look terrible in pastels and gray is like death to my skin. I always consider fabric colors and hold the bolt up to my face and check the mirror in fabric shops.
ReplyDeleteI was a redhead briefly in college... loved it, although it didn't look so hot with my naturally dark eyebrows!
ReplyDeleteNo red hair in my life, though lately I have been noticing more redheads. Many years ago Clairol had an advertising campaign with the slogan "every woman should be a redhead at least once in her life". I knew it would never work for me.
ReplyDeleteYep, spent my teen and young adult years as a strawberry blonde. And I birthed two gingers. Love it!
ReplyDeleteMy friend has gorgeous dark red long wavy hair and green green eyes. She wore a beautiful emerald green dress and it was stunning on her. She is of Scottish ancestry.
ReplyDeletedo you know I only just realized that Cathy is actually YOU? And only then because the last line in your post was odd and I went back through your archives. LOL I feel very silly for not realizing sooner, as well as very amused. You are so coy!
ReplyDeleteI teach in an elementary school. We might have 1 our 2 read heads in a grade level. This year I have five red heads and the other class has 2.
ReplyDeleteI have dyed my hair red quite few times. I couldn't decide if I wanted dark hair or bright red so I went from dark to red and back every year. I used to dye my hair red for summers in particular cause then I felt really like a fire ball and ready to take the world. I didn't really change the colors I wore according to my hair color. I have a quite fair skin so some colors just don't work on me. I love people with red hair but I think(?) that I'm going to stick to my current hair for now. It has a bit of a red undertone to it so I guess it's the perfect combination of both hair colors I like.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you didn't show or discuss men with red hair. Do you think them less gorgeous than red headed women or because only girls come to mind when you think of red hair? Every male red head I know has been teased for their hair colour, as if it is unmanly.
ReplyDeleteKelly, here's one guy who thinks red haired men are stunning. I am seriously considering relocating to Scotland, for the ginger gents, the accent and the kilts! My first love was a ginger boy in my class with amazing freckled alabaster skin and deep brown eyes. That complexion still throws me for a loop today at 40!
ReplyDelete