Wait — is reddish hair really a thing again? After having been red-hot for a while (remember the Rihanna with vivid ginger locks from her “Loud” era?) it slowly disappeared, to be replaced by ash and cool blonde. Blame it on balayage and beach hair looks. But now, we all want a little bit more warmth. And the newest hair colour obsession — via TikTok, of course, where all viral trends are now emerging — is Cherry Coke red!
If the last few seasons hair colour was a bit more neutral, with “rich brunette” and mushroom blonde trending strong for celebrities, TikTokers and cool girls IRL, warmer tones of copper and reddish brown are finally making a comeback. “Also, when we look at trends in interior design, we are once again seeing bolder colours and less grey and beige tones,” says Heidi Kenney, an award-winning hair colourist and salon owner from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
What shade is it, really?
Sometimes referred to as black cherry hair, cherry Coke hair is a very dark brown or black shade with red, burgundy, and even violet undertones — a bit similar to a cool and fizzy cherry Coke. “It’s a dark shade of red on a brunette base (sitting between a level three and six) with red and red-violet tones,” Heidi tells Fashion Beauty Runway. It’s usually not too bright, though it can vary from red with a bit of brown. And the great part about this exciting new shade of red is that it’s entirely customizable. Which means that, depending on your skin tone and personal taste, you can intensify it with more red pigment or add a tinge more brown to tone down the fire.
Although trending, it’s not the type of colour that you should try to create on your own, at home, since it’s about adding red shades to a darker base colour, a complex and delicate process. A professional hair colourist will adapt the red to really bring out the best of the shade, depending on your original hair colour and skin tone, with all the skill required to produce a stunning result that suits you.
Cherry Coke red is a perfect balance of warm shades, working as a nice complement to darker skin or more fair skin if you want an edgier style. “We love it because it can suit every skin tone by moving either towards more red brown (auburn) for warmer skin tones or more red violet tone for cooler skin tone. It can also move into more vivid violet tones for the clients that prefer more flash,” says Heidi.
Why is it trending now?
We saw a lot of copper hair showing up to red carpets and on TikTok in the last year. Combined with the retro vibe fashion is feeling at the moment with all things nineties and Y2K nostalgia, when fiery hair started showing up, it just makes sense. Add that the fact that celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion started rocking the spicy hair colour last summer, and everything is in place to make the trend explode all over our social feeds.
If you’re thinking of dipping your tresses into the vibrant look, just remember Cherry coke hair will require a bit of upkeep since these high-octane colours tend to fade easily — particularly if you’re in the sun a lot. Hair experts like Heidi recommend the right products to maintain the cherry; otherwise it will just look like cola. Her personal choices are Biolage Color Last shampoo and conditioner (“with a cool rinsing,” she adds), Biolage Color Balm in Red Poppy (a pigment-rich mask) and Biolage Thermal Active heat protection “to have full circle protection for longevity and maintaining those beautiful red tones.”
Now, have sizzling fun with your punchy new hair colour!
CREDITS, FEATURED IMAGE: Hair: Robin La Chance, Makeup: Florencia Taylor, Photo: Paula Tizzard
