Like Game of Thrones? Well here’s another epic life adventure story for you. Strawberry Blonde Hair: My Epic Journey From Too Blonde to Too Red and Everywhere In Between.
Anyone who has tried to color their hair strawberry blonde probably knows what I’m talking about. I’ve been too blonde, too red, way too red, too brassy. Then there have been times where I’ve used the same exact color and gotten a totally different result. Doing your color on your own can be frustrating, so I want to show what formulas and brands I’ve used and the results I’ve gotten, to hopefully help you skip some of that frustration.
Make sure you check out my latest Strawberry Blonde post, for my current (and all-time favorite) formula.
My hair is past my shoulder blades. I usually require two boxes to saturate my hair.
Also, my hair is about 90% grey. Yikes. I know! (Now you have ALL my secrets!) I started to go grey at 20, so color generally comes out a bit lighter on me than if I had no greys. If you have no or less grey in your hair, your color will probably come out darker or more red than mine.
My hair used to be a light reddish brown, level 6-7 before going grey.
If it’s your first time going strawberry blonde and you are either dark brown or platinum blonde, I highly recommend going to a professional colorist, who can color correct the dyed hair. From there, you can touch up your own roots going forward, but you’ll have a good base. For golden blondes, this post on transitioning from darker blonde to strawberry blonde hair might be helpful.
L’Oreal Excellence Reddish Blonde:
This was been my go-to color for years. It does come out more blonde than red on me. The red starts to really fade about 3 weeks in, depending on how much you wash your hair and what shampoo/conditioner you use.
L’Oreal Excellence Red Penny:
I decided that I wanted my hair to have a little more red in it, so I tried Red Penny. This shade came out just too red for me. It wasn’t as natural looking as the Reddish Blonde shade.
Update: Red Penny has been discontinued.
So…one day I decided to combine the two shades to see what result I would get.
L’Oreal Excellence Reddish Blonde mixed with Red Penny:
I loved it! It was a really pretty shade of strawberry blonde with just the right amount of red to blonde ratio for me. I combined the two boxes in a hair color mixing bowl and use a pin tail brush to apply the color.
After really mixing the shades up, I used the brush to paint the color on my roots. I ran it through the rest of my hair for the last ten minutes.
My favorite result from at home color so far!!
I have tried a lot of brands, but L’Oreal Excellence remains my favorite. It’s affordable and the color range is my favorite.
*Update* Full post on how to get this color at home {HERE}.
AGEbeautiful Color from Sally’s Beauty:
I tried the 7RC Dark Strawberry Blonde and was so disappointed with it. The color came out so, so dark. More like a light brown than a blonde. And the color had a metallic sheen to it. I wouldn’t have totally disliked the color if it had just been too dark, but the metallic finish was too much.
It’s hard to describe, in pictures it looks ok, but when my friends saw it in person they all said “woah, its SO red.” I tried to lighten it by using the 9RC Light Strawberry Blonde Blonde a few weeks later, but you can’t lighten color with color (which I knew but tried anyway because the HEART WANTS WHAT THE HEART WANTS.)
It’s a shame their reds are so metallic, because the hair dye itself made the condition of my hair feel amazing. It was really silky after coloring and didn’t feel dried out.
Wella Color:
I was a hair model for a stylist who used Wella color and I thought their line of color was really impressive. I don’t know exactly which shades she used, but it was a pretty, soft strawberry blonde.
*Update* I currently use the Wella Color Charm line, full details on my formula in this post.
Aveda Copper:
I was also a hair model for Aveda for a few of their hair shows. They colored my hair a medium copper. It looked pretty, but I personally like my hair a little more strawberry blonde than red.
Check out this post for a copper formula.
*Update* I have been doing my hair at home full time with the Wella Color Charm formula from this post.
I hope this post helps, whether you are considering doing your color on your own or just need some color inspiration for the salon. Let me know if you need any advice or have questions!!
Continue Reading: PART TWO POST! Updated with more colors & brands that I’ve tried.
Wondering which makeup shades look best with Strawberry Blonde Hair? Check out this post for my go-to products and shades.
SHOP STRAWBERRY BLONDE COLOR
Also, after years of not being able to find Strawberry Blonde hair extensions, I came out with my own line!
They are super silky, 100% human hair, and last twice as long as most clip-in extensions. Most extensions last about 3 months with normal wear and heat-styling. Mine last 6 months or more. The quality is amazing. And most importantly, the strawberry blonde shades were matched right off my own hair color, so you can find red extensions that match right out of the box!!
The website for them is www.girlgetglamorousHAIR.com.
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Thank you for reading and being a part of the blog! – Molly
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View Comments
Molly! Thank you so much for this post! I have been NEVER been able to get the right strawberry blonde in the salon or at home. I am going to try the Red Penny and Reddish Blonde mixed next time! You have gorgeous hair - wish I could go see Jonathan! :)
Thank you!! I'm so happy you found my blog, hopefully it will help you!! I was getting so frustrated too, my hair was always coming out too blonde, not enough strawberry. Let me know if this combo works for you!
I didn't not to go to red wanted a soft strawberry blonde so I got Nordic blonde and Titan red. What do you think of this combo? Your input would fantastic.
Hi Jamie,
I've never tried this combo, but to get a less red finish, I'd only use at most a half of a tube of the Titian Blonde to a full tube of a Blonde shade. I'd swatch this combo first on a piece of hair from the underside of your head just to make sure it doesn't turn pink with the super light blonde shade. But definitely using less of the Titian Blonde will give you more of a strawberry blonde than a red shade :) I hope this helps and good luck!
Molly
* and by "to a full tube" I mean: mix half a tube of Titian Blonde with one full tube of a Light Golden Blonde of other blonde shade. I hope that's clear, I just realized it might not be!
Using the Nordic didn't give what I thought it would. It's not strawberry really it's a red shade. How would I fix it put a blonde over it or a toner? I'd dhow a pic but you can't on here. Thankyou for your advice. I love your blog and input!
Hi..we don't have the same hair colors here in the uk...so today I mixed a nice & easy 8wr (108) with 9g, I had just put a 8wr on by itself a good month ago..my roots needed doing so went for gold..mixed both boxes. .on the roots for 20min.then 5 min on the end...result brilliant a lovely strawberry blonde.that I've wanted for years...Thank you for you blog...mary
Hello! I was just wondering if after you tried to lighten it up with the level 9 color and it didn't work, how did you get it lighter? Did you have to bleach wash it? Mine is too dark right now want it more strawberry blonde than fake red. Ugh struggle:(
Hi Lena, I wish I would be more help, but my hair is naturally grey now, like 95% grey. So I'm not sure if you would have to bleach it. Maybe a higher level developer, a level 30, could lighten your hair. I'd check at Sally's, they usually have someone on the staff who is licensed to color hair and can help. xo - Molly
Does the loreal excellence nateral reddish blonde come in more blonde then red? It is abit of orangish colour it looks, I'm scared it will make my hair orange. I want it to be more blonde and have red highlights like your other picture after 3 weeks of fading!!! The box you normally use is more of a red colour is that just because there is more red in that box? And more blonde in the lighter reddish blonde box so that's why it looks more orange? I'm really scared to die my hair but I really want it to look just like your hair. Right now my hair is dirty blonde and has grey in it (a huge mix up, I had platinum hair and died it ash blonde but I geuss you cant with platinum hair because it will turn it grey!!! So I got another box a light brown colour and now hair is a dirty blonde grey :S I heard red cancels the grey out so I am gonna try strawberry blonde cause I've always wanted it to do it :)
I'm so excited to have found your blog! I, too, started going gray at age 20 and by age 38 was 90% gray --- which is approximately where I am now at age 60. At my daughter-in-law's urging, I tried becoming a redhead last year. I not only loved what it did to my complexion and outlook but best of all, my husband LOVED it! What I did NOT love was the horribly dramatic white stripe that seemed to appear within a week of my salon-applied color as well as the cost and time required for upkeep. I'm blushing to admit I didn't even CONSIDER taking care of the roots myself. It seemed to me that the red was such a dramatic change from my gray/white/blah and I assumed that only a professionally trained colorist could take care of it! Your blog has not only given me the final push I needed to try going red again but to take care of the roots myself. I am grateful for the inspiration you've provided!
The various tones of red you illustrated with your photographs were quite helpful to see. However, I must tell you that I truly think almost ALL the shades of red looked wonderful against your skin tone. In fact, the shade which your friends responded to as "WAYYYY too red" looked rather stunning to me! You are able to carry the "glamour" look in a way that is also very fresh, alive, and natural ("natural" in the sense that it seems to express your essence and personality). That you have worked as a hair model comes as no surprise!
Though I am older than you and I live a very different type of life (I am a decidedly UN-glamorous retired kindergarten teacher and author of children's educational materials! LOL!), I think the red shades of hair color seem to capture my own "inner self", too! My spirited, happy soul and inner exuberance seem perfectly at ease with the warmth and bright tones of strawberry blonde to which I aspire!
I posted some photos of my initial foray into life as a redhead on Pinterest. I'd welcome your input and will share the address if you are interested. In the meantime, this morning I'm going to make a "first appointment available" at a well-respected, local salon and plan to start the new year as a redhead once again----and THIS time, I will NOT give up and go back to gray!! (fingers crossed!)
Your comment made my day! Thank you!! So glad to have given you color inspiration. I found your Pinterest, please post a pic when you go back to red, I'd love to see it!!
Hi I live in uk I love your hair colour but the problem I could find the colour here in uk can you please give me advice for another hair dye mix strawberry blonde thanks
Hi there, I'm not sure the different brands in the UK, but you could go to a beauty supply store that sells color and ask for a natural or golden light blonde and a shade that is a red blonde and mix the two for a perfect strawberry blonde. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much for this post! You have the most gorgeous hair! My hair has been just about every color under the sun, and I have had it done in the salon as well as on my own from a box. I would LOVE to try this gorgeous cocktail of Red Penny/Reddish Blonde, but I have a question. I went to Loreal's website and they seem to have a Medium and a Light Reddish Blonde. Any idea what the exact shade is? Thanks so much.
I'm so glad this helps!! I use Reddish Blonde and Red Penny. I've tried the Light Reddish Blonde and it's so pretty but ultimately the Reddish Blonde (8RB is the number on the box) just fits my complexion the best. :) I just filmed a video on how I do this, hopefully I can get up edited soon!
I have naturally strawberry blonde hair, but in high school wanted a bit more red to it so started dying it once I got to college. I've been through a ton of bad dyes and bad salons in order to find the right color! This is so hopeful and I wish I would've found it sooner! Now when I dye my hair, my roots come in super blonde/gray since my hair has been bleached to get bad red dye out. My hair was so damaged and is finally returning back to healthy. I'm trying not to dye my hair every few weeks like I (stupidly) did before. But now, my roots are terrible. The rest of my hair is still a beautiful color though. So tonight I would like to purchase some color to touch up my roots and this will be my first time. I'm going to go with your use of Reddish Blonde & Red Penny! Do you have any advice/recommendations for how I should apply the color to my hair, how long I should leave it on, and if I should pull it through the rest of my hair? I also have extensions that are almost exactly my hair color. Should I let the color sit on them for a while also?
Thank you for the help! And your hair is beautiful!
I'm so glad this is helpful to you!! 1: You might want to try the root spray I reviewed here. It helps me stretch time in between coloring so my roots don't look gross and my hair gets less damage from coloring. This spray has been a life saver for me!
2: I just filmed a tutorial on how I do this coloring, editing it now (editing is not my strongest suit - could take a while!) I bought a hair color mixing bottle from Sally's Beauty ( I think it was $3 and it is reusable, just rinse it after use). It looks exactly like the kind that comes in a coloring kit, except it's twice the size, because it has to hold double the amount of color. I poured the developer bottles from both boxes in there, then added both tubes of color. I shook it up for almost a minute straight to really get the color mixed well. Then I did my roots first and pulled the rest of the color through during the last ten minutes. I would pull the color through your extensions as well for the last ten minutes. Also, after you wash the color out, this combo can look more reddish than strawberry blonde, but if you wash it once or twice, it settles to the perfect shade (for me at least).
Also, I always buy 2 boxes of Reddish Blonde and 2 boxes of Red Penny at a time (and when they are on sale I clean out the shelves - lol). That way, in case I need more color (my hair is thick and when I had extensions I always used a ton of color to get all the extensions saturated). Just mix two boxes first, and if you don't need the second ones then you are all stocked up for next time :) It's my safety net!
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions about how I do this color. And thank you for the compliment, that is really sweet of you to say!
Molly
wow I cant tell you how excited I am that I found this post!!!!! I myself have used the lighter reddish blonde but the color just wasn't rich enough for me but I was too scared to used the darker one but I will definitely try mixing it with red penny. I just recently died my hair with one of their warm blonds I cant remember the name but all the warmth is washed out. I was wondering if it would be okay to just try this combo right away or if I should wait a bit and if I DO go ahead and dye it now should I do my roots first and my ends for ten minutes or just put the color all over for the full 30 minutes?
I'm so glad you found this post helpful!! This combo seems to really work for me. Hopefully it will for you too! I would try 15 minutes on your roots and 15 pulling it through the ends for 30 min total. It comes out more red than strawberry blonde the first couple of days/washes then it is a beautiful strawberry blonde. Mine needs to be colored really badly right now and it's a very light strawberry blonde. I hope all this helps!!
Have you ever gotten your hair colored and turned out kind of orange? Mine is pretty vibrant orange right now. I'm going to California in a week and I would like it to shift to a soft strawberry blonde.
I sometimes think mine comes out a too orange (the base is red-orange) but I haven't had vibrant orange. I might do a consult with a hair dresser and maybe have them do the strawberry blonde for you, then you can keep the roots up yourself. Just so it def comes out the shade you want for your trip. I wish I could be more helpful for a do-it-yourself route, but I also want it to look great for you and I don't want to tell you the wrong thing!!
I just recently used the Reddish Blonde dye in my hair (thank you for the suggestion) and absolutely love the color! My hair was pretty much platinum blonde before I dyed it. I was just wondering what your suggestion would be as far as shampoo to use and how often to shampoo in order to preserve the color. I've been red before and had to redye my hair like once a week in order to keep the right color.
I'm glad the Reddish Blonde worked for you! I'm working on a whole post about preserving hair color, but for shampoos and conditioners I really like Kerastase and Living Proof products. On the drugstore end, I really like Suave Professionals Natural Infusion Anti-Breakage shampoo and conditioner. And I use medium to medium-cool heat water. I hope this helps!!
I was wondering how long you go between coloring?
I go anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks in between coloring, depending on how much my color has faded. In the summer, with the sun being so intense, I do feel like I have to color every 4 weeks. I use Rita Hazan root spray in between, when my roots start showing.
I currently have bleached blonde highlighted hair with about an inch of dirty blonde natural roots coming through no grey..I want to use you're exact combo so should i follow your directions exactt and pull color through my ends the last ten minutes? The bottom half of my hair is kind of dry and pourus
I posted a question but I don't see it so I'm trying again...I want to do your at home strawberry blonde..I currently have bleached blonde highlighted hair with about an inch of dirty blonde roots my end are dry and pourus so should I do 20 mins then put the rest on my ends after ? Or all at once and start timing from whe I put color in
Hmm. I am not a hair colorist, so I'm kind of stumped on this one and don't want to tell you the wrong thing!! The last two times I colored my hair at home, I put coconut oil (I get it from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods) on the last two inches of my hair because my ends are really dry. It soaks into the ends, then for the last ten minutes I pull the color all the way through. So I'd recommend that, and doing 20 min on your roots, then the last ten minutes on your ends, but the coconut oil will help so that your ends come out conditioned and healthy looking. I hope this helps!
My roots start showing after a week and a half, by the end of week two O can't take it anymore. What exactly does the Rita Hazan spray do?
I know, roots drive me nuts too. It's like - whats the point of coloring if everyone can see my roots?? The Rita Hazan spray is just a temporary spray cover up. I part my hair and spray it on the part so the greys are covered. I did the full review with pics here: http://girlgetglamorous.com/?p=1419 . Also, that post has some tips on how to use the spray the best way. I hope it helps!
Thank you! Love the color!
Hi,
Beautiful hair!!!
I have always admired strawberry blonde hair color. I would like it on myself but I'm not so sure it would be a good idea for a few reasons. Wondering what you think...
1.) natural hair color is light ash brown
2.) my eyes are light grey-blue
3.) my skin is very fair with a few freckles on face
I'm rather cool-toned. It seems half articles I've read from even stylists say if you're cool always stay cool hair. The other half says soft warm tones for pale cool tones. And then there are the ones that say the only red hair for me would be strawberry blonde. I know not to rely on that but still confusing. I have looked ok in golden browns before so I don't know.
I'd be going to a salon but I'm sort of scared if they mess it up or make it too brassy ... I've held up swatches to my face before and they haven't looked bad. I'd be going after something dark or medium blonde level.
Any thoughts on it? I mean without seeing me.
Thanks so much. You are so gorgeous and your hair is such a nice color!
Ok so I took the plunge And got the same colors for your strawberry blonde....all I can say is wow! I was super nervous I've never been anything but blonde...this is my favorite color on earth....it brings out such pink/peachiness in my face...I looke alive! Awesome combo...thanks so much for your advice!
I'm so glad it worked out for you!!!! Hashtag a pic #girlgetglamorous on Instagram if you have Insta, I want to see a pic!
What is the color on the first picture on the right? I LOVE it
Thank you!! I love that too, it was a salon color, not sure which brand of color they used. Sorry! But it was a single-process strawberry blonde, if that helps at all. :)
Hm thanks for the help :)
Happy to help! :)