How to Darken Red Hair To Burgundy? Tips from a hairdresser

red haired woman thinks about darkening her hair

To darken red hair to burgundy, you simply need to apply a burgundy hair dye.
As your hair has a red base, the burgundy dye will darken it. Both colors belong to the same color family.
Alternatively, you could use a blue shampoo, although it’ll darken your red hair to burgundy gradually.
In my professional opinion, I’ll tell you the best burgundy hair dyes to darken red hair.

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Finally, a question I can answer by making things very simple for you!

If you want to darken your red hair to burgundy, you have to do three things:

Choose the burgundy dye you want to use to darken your red hair.
Buy that dye.
Apply the dye.

You’re probably surprised. But trust me, darkening red hair to burgundy is as simple as that. There’s no fine print, mysteries, or complicated colorimetric laws.

Why is it so simple to darken red hair to burgundy?

The reason is that your hair is red. I’m sure you’ve heard of the hair color scale. This scale ranges from number 1, which is black, to number 10, which is extra light blonde.

Red is at level 7 or 6 on the color scale.

Do you know where burgundy is on the color scale?

burgundy dyed red hair

Burgundy is at level 4 or 3. Therefore, you’ll only be going down the scale two or three levels. So, burgundy dye will darken your red hair. It’s that simple. You don’t need to bleach your hair. You don’t even need a color remover or a color filler.

It would be very different if your hair was blonde, for example. In that case, before applying the burgundy dye to your blonde hair to darken it, you would need to apply an intermediate dye or color filler to prevent the burgundy dye from fading in the first wash.

Which burgundy hair dye can you choose to darken your red hair?

Revlon burgundy hair color to darken red hair

– If your red hair is dry and damaged, I advise you to opt for the burgundy hair color by Garnier Nutrisse, 4.62 Dark Berry Burgundy. This brand offers a fruit oil ampoule you can include in the dye to moisturize your hair. Also, it’s an intense burgundy color that’s ideal for pale or very white skin.
If your hair is very gray, opt for Koleston’s burgundy hair color 4.6 Burgundy, which ensures longer gray coverage.
If your hair is dark red, I recommend you to opt for L’Oréal Preference’s burgundy dye 3DB Deep Burgundy, because its pigments are intense and cover your dark red hair.
If your hair is light red, you can give your hair an intense burgundy color with Revlon Colorsilk’s burgundy dye 3.4 Deep Burgundy.

How to apply burgundy hair dye to darken red hair

My first recommendation is to not wash your hair for at least two days before applying the burgundy dye. This way, the natural scalp oil will further protect your hair from the chemicals in the dye.

Materials:

Burgundy dye kit
Plastic container
Dye brush
Gloves
Hair clips
Shower cap

Application:

applying burgundy dye to red hair to darken it

Prepare your hair completely dry by dividing it into several sections. I always recommend four sections to ease the dye application.
Hold each section with a hair clip.
Place the developer and dye in the plastic container and blend with the brush.
Release one of the sections and apply the burgundy dye from roots to the ends. Continue with the remaining sections.
Gather your hair, cover it with a shower cap, and leave the dye on for 45 minutes.
Finally, rinse your hair with lukewarm water for several minutes.
When the water runs clear, use the after-care treatment included in the kit and leave it on for the indicated time.
Rinse and towel dry excess water.
Let your hair air dry

Remember that it’s important to record the number of burgundy dye you used so that you can apply the same shade when it’s time to touch up the color.

Other ways to darken red to burgundy hair

If you don’t want to apply a burgundy dye to darken your red hair, you can use a blue shampoo. Remember that violet is the result of mixing your red hair with the blue shampoo.

However, burgundy is achieved by mixing two parts red and one part blue. And since your hair is red, the blue shampoo will give it a slight burgundy tone. The more often you use the blue shampoo in a week, the more intense the burgundy in your hair will be.

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But I’m not going to fool you. Your red hair won’t darken to burgundy on the first application because the blue shampoo modifies the hair color gradually with each wash.

However, you’ll be able to control the intensity of burgundy to darken your red hair.

If you want your red hair to darken to a more intense burgundy, use blue shampoo three times a week.
Alternatively, if you want your red hair to darken to a less intense burgundy, use the blue shampoo once or twice a week.