This at-home hair color formula has been my go-to mix for Strawberry Blonde hair for over three years now. I am so obsessed with the color and results! For me, it’s the perfect balance of blonde and red.
I wanted to share this step-by-step video tutorial of how I mix and apply the color, as well as my strawberry blonde hair extensions. I get so many questions on the extensions! The Signature Strawberry Blonde {shade 31} was based off of the color results of this formula.
As a (friendly!) reminder, I can’t help anyone with a personal formula. I get so many emails with people asking me custom color questions. I’m not a licensed colorist, so I’d just be guessing and I don’t want to tell you the wrong thing. The only person who can give accurate advice is a licensed colorist who can assess your base color and your hair color history, as this can affect the outcome any new color.
HIT PLAY
CURRENT FORMULA
This is my current formula, which varies slightly from the video above. As I discuss in “tweaks” below, I like to keep trying new formulas with small changes, to try and get the perfect Strawberry Blonde.
Links to shop all of the hair color formula are below.
Roots Formula
Mix thoroughly in the bottle by shaking the bottle for a few minutes (with one finger over the cap). You want to make sure it goes from looking like candy corn to an even golden blonde solution, so that the color is even on your hair and not patchy.
Apply to your roots and once you are done applying, start the timer on your phone for 30 minutes.
Then I mix up this formula in a clean, 2nd color bottle for the rest of my hair, which is already Strawberry Blonde, just to refresh the color.
Body of Hair Formula
I mix this up in the bottle, then apply to the length of my hair. I leave this on for 10-15 minutes.
PROCESSING TIME
If you have grey hair like me, your total processing time will be 45 minutes.
If you don’t have any grey hair, you can leave the roots formula on for 20 minutes and the body formula for 10 minutes for a total processing time of 30 minutes.
Then I hop in the shower and rinse the color out. Once the water runs clear, I shampoo twice with this color safe shampoo (I’m on my 3rd bottle) and then use this protein conditioner that makes hair instantly silky. The next time I wash my hair I do a moisturizing deep condition.
Related Post | The Best Shampoos + Conditioners for Strawberry Blonde Hair
Shop Strawberry Blonde Color
If you do my formula above, you will need 1 tube of 7g, 1 tube of 8RG (I always have an extra tube of 8RG in my closet though, just in case I use too much by accident on the roots formula), and 2 tubes of 8G. You will need at least a 6oz bottle of level 20 and another 6 oz minimum bottle of level 10 developer.
- shade 8RG ebay | amazon (select shade from drop down menu on shopping website)
- shade 8G ebay | amazon
- shade 7G ebay | amazon
- bottles (pack of 3)
- Level 20 developer
- Level 10 developer
- gloves
- jojoba oil
- pin tail hair color brush
Related Post | Strawberry Blonde Hair for International Readers
BASE HAIR COLOR
My hair is grey now, but my hair color ” base level” prior to going grey was a level 7. Knowing your base level is important, because it will affect how the formula looks on your hair.
You should aim to use hair dye within 2 levels of your original color. A Level 1 is the darkest (black) and Level 10 is the lightest (platinum blonde).
This formula works well for me because I am a natural level 7 and using a mix of dyes that are level 7 + 8.
FORMULA TWEAKS
It took me about 10 mixes of trying different amounts of each shade to find a formula that works for me. After almost a year and a half of coloring, I finally felt like I had my perfect combo.
Definitely play around with using different amounts of each shade if it doesn’t come out totally perfect on the first try!
Try increasing or decreasing amounts of each shade in the mix by .25 oz increments to see how it works for you.
- Adding more 8G Golden Blonde or using less 8RG Red Blonde will make the results more blonde
- Adding more 8RG Red Blonde or using less 8G Golden Blonde will make the results more red
- Adding more 7G will make the results darker
STRAWBERRY BLONDE HAIR EXTENSIONS
My girlgetglamorousHAIR extensions are one of my most favorite things I’ve ever done. I’m so proud of them, I could burst. The color is absolutely perfect.
Prior to starting gggHAIR, I would try and find extensions and they were always too blonde or too red. I spent almost two years getting the color of these that just right mix of blonde and red that makes Strawberry Blonde. I also made sure the hair was high quality “remy” hair, so that it would last longer than any other clip-in brand that I had tried. I’m proud to say that I have gotten a ton of emails from customers with compliments on the quality of the extensions.
To find the ideal sizes for each weft, I measured on my own head until I found the perfect sizes. I wanted each piece to fit comfortably and be multi-use. They can be worn down as a full set or with just a few of the smaller weft pieces in updos and braids.
I can proudly say, my gggHAIR extensions are the best extensions I’ve ever worn. I love them!
Strawberry Blonde hair extensions | www.girlgetglamorousHAIR.com
FORMULA RESULTS
My results with this formula and my girlgetglamorousHAIR extensions in shade 31, 16″ length.
(Pin These for Later!)
SHOPPING LINKS
- shade 8RG ebay | amazon (select shade from drop down menu on shopping website)
- shade 8G ebay | amazon
- shade 7G ebay | amazon
- bottles (pack of 3)
- Level 20 developer
- Level 10 developer
- gloves
- jojoba oil
- pin tail hair color brush
Shampoo + Conditioners
- best color safe shampoo
- best color safe hydrating conditioner
- keratin shampoo + conditioner (I use every 3rd wash to put protein back in my hair)
- deep conditioner
- keratin deep conditioner ( I use right after coloring)
- hair extensions
These are my affiliate links and I really appreciate when you use them. It costs you nothing extra to use them – your prices stay the same! It helps support the blog and make future posts possible. Thank you!
READ MORE
- The Best Shampoos + Conditioners for Color Treated Hair
- Help My Hair Came Out Red
- Strawberry Blonde Hair | International Edition
- The Best Shampoos for Redheads
- Makeup for Strawberry Blondes
- Hair Extensions for Strawberry Blondes
SOCIAL LINKS
- Instagram @girlgetglamorous | hair extensions @girlgetglamorousHAIR
- Pinterest (join millions of other monthly viewers)
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel + turn on video notifications (make sure your phone settings have youtube notifications turned “on” too!)
Thank you for reading and being a part of the blog! – Molly
Kate Mullin
Friday 11th of June 2021
I love your hair, and am trying your idea BUT I have ALL WHITE premature hair since I was 19, and am tired of coloring it blonde, how do I start this when I have no pigment in my white hair? PLEASE HELP
Maddison
Saturday 20th of March 2021
Anyone that's a platinum blonde and wants to do this lovely color check out my steps below! I was full bleach bleach blonde and basically became obsesssssseedddd with Molly's color here and I am so grateful she shared an exact formula to do red hair at home. Box dyes are either carrot-colored or dark burgundy.
1. Get a box dye filler color in a golden medium blonde color. Or if you're feeling professional you can use a wella color and mix it, but I just bought some box dye. Opt for a lighter shade than you think and something with WARM tones since you're going to a warm red color. Change the developer that comes in the box with a level 10 developer from Sally's. You don't want to lift your color anymore, you're just depositing more color. I left this on for 45 minutes and then rinsed.
2. Wait a couple days and then color your hair with a very light red color. I bought a clairol box dye super light red color. This is going to give you the red base you want to then transition into the color Molly outlines here. Again, swap the developer for a level 10 developer. IMPORTANT: Put this on the lengths of your hair first and then the roots last so you don't get hot roots. (Bright redder roots because your roots will process faster.)
3. Apply Molly's color. I used the body hair formula she outlines with level 10 developer. I found that it was a teensy bit pinker than in her photos but it did look very close. I bought her hair extensions (Which, are amazing) and they blended pretty well. If you see the extensions in person you can see that they're a very natural warm strawberry blonde, so the (very light) pinkness of my own hair made it look like I had highlights. Which, wasn't a bad look! The roots of my hair looks exactly right so it think it will just take the bleached ends growing out.
Tips: Olaplex and deep conditioning will SAVE your hair. Do not use the red protein filler from Sally's. That is a CLOWN red and it will make you too red to get the strawberry blonde color. I did try a clear protein filler and I don't feel like it did anything for me. I also use a color depositing shampoo in red between dyeing to keep up the color.
I am on my second processing of the red color (About three weeks after the initial coloring), I will say because my hair was previously bleached you might have to re-apply the color a little more often at first because it will wash out quickly.
Anyways, a huge huge thank you to Molly for this blog!!! I have wanted to go red at home for awhile but didn't know how it would be possible.
Samantha
Friday 12th of February 2021
Thank you for sharing your color formula with us! I have not been able to color my hair in 2 years. Between health and then covid, my hair color was the last thing.
I came across your blog and decided to go for it! My hair color turned out beautiful! My hair is a natural dirty blonde shade. This formula freshened my blonde and added just the perfect amount of red.
Gwendolyn Carson
Friday 24th of July 2020
Hi Molly, I just want to say thank you so much! I’m a natural strawberry blond. My color is what I see you have in your pics. I’m 66 now and have white hairs coming in. There is no match for my color, in box colors. But with a mix of 3 parts 8G and 1 part 8RG I have found a very close match. Thank you for inspiring me to keep the flame burning! Love your blog.❤️
Dee
Monday 11th of March 2019
I’m trying 8rg and 8 g in just a few minutes. Hopefully it will turn out a bit darker on my hair since it is stripped of color. Last month I used the lightest red brown I could find and it turned my hair almost black! This was after using color oops. I waited a bit over a month. My natural color is a medium auburn. Although when I cover my gray I use light auburn shades. So here goes. Fingers crossed.