Burgundy Hair: Which Skin Tones Suit Blue-Based Red and When to Ask for Cherry or Mahogany

Burgundy (level 3 to 5, blue-violet base)

The coolest dark red. Reads wine or plum in daylight with a visible violet shimmer. Suits cool and deep skin because the base echoes the blue in the complexion. The most dramatic and the most committal of the three.

Cherry cola (level 3 to 4, neutral red over brown)

A dark brown with a true red glow that shows mostly in sunlight. The neutral base lets it sit on warm, cool and neutral skin, which makes it the safest dark red for anyone unsure of their undertone.

Mahogany (level 3 to 5, red-brown with a warm lean)

Red and brown in equal measure with a slight copper warmth. The dark red for warm and olive-warm skin, because it keeps the gold in the face instead of cancelling it.

Cool undertones (pink, rosy, blue-based)

Burgundy is your dark red. Medium and deep cool skin can take the full wine depth, fair cool skin should keep it at level 5 so the contrast does not overwhelm the face.

Neutral undertones

Cherry cola over burgundy. The neutral base gives the dark red effect without pushing the skin in either direction. If you want more violet, ask for a burgundy gloss over a cherry base rather than full burgundy.

Warm undertones (golden, peach, yellow)

Skip true burgundy. Choose mahogany or a warm cherry so the red keeps a brown-copper base and works with the gold in your skin rather than against it.

Olive undertones

Deep olive handles burgundy well, the strong pigment in the skin balances the blue in the red and the result looks striking. Light and medium olive can look greyish next to it, so cherry cola or mahogany is the safer pick.

Fair warm skin

The riskiest combination. Burgundy raises the pink in fair warm skin until the cheeks and nose look permanently flushed. If you love the colour, wear it as a few face-framing pieces over a neutral brown rather than a full head.

Deep skin

Burgundy and cherry cola both look exceptional. The depth matches the skin and the red glow shows in sunlight without needing to lighten the hair much, which keeps it healthy.

Deep Winter

The home season. Full burgundy at level 3 to 4, as cool and glossy as the hair will hold. A dark berry lip finishes it.

True Winter

Clear and cool. Burgundy with a stronger violet base reads best, avoid anything with a copper warmth in it.

Bright Winter

High clarity. Cherry cola with a vivid red glow or a bright burgundy. Keep it saturated rather than dusty.

Deep Autumn

Deep but warm. Mahogany or a warm cherry rather than true burgundy, so the red stays on the copper side and the skin keeps its warmth.

Springs and Summers

Both are lighter and lower contrast. Burgundy swamps the face, so look at strawberry, light copper or a soft rose-brown for the red that suits you.

Slowing the fade

Wash in cool water, stretch washes to two or three a week and use a red or violet depositing conditioner every other wash. A burgundy gloss at the basin every five to six weeks does more than a full re-colour.

Staining

Fresh burgundy bleeds onto pillowcases, towels and collars for the first two or three washes. Dark bedding for the first week and a barrier cream along the hairline at the salon keep it off your skin.

Brows

Do not tint brows burgundy. Keep them a cool dark brown one or two shades lighter than the hair. Matching them to the red makes the face look costumed.

Lipstick

Burgundy hair pulls lipstick toward the cool side. Berry, plum and blue-red work, orange-reds and corals fight the hair. A neutral rose is the everyday option if you want the hair to be the focus.