How to get red hair?

If you want bright red then unfortunately you need to bleach. If its more of a natural dark red then you might be able to use a box dye but these will lighten your hair anyway as they color.

Yep, whatever you do it'll involve bleaching/lightening. There are very safe ways of doing it though. Your best bet would be to lighten it a couple of shades with a bleach bath, which is a diluted form of bleach. They do little damage but should give you enough lift to get a nice red with direct dyes. It'll even be a bit red to start you off. You can even bleach with coconut oil in your hair which goes a long way to protect the hair while it's being processed. It's not all about bleaching the hell out of your hair! 🙂

If you have ever used a box dye then you have bleached your hair. Just want to give you perspective on how bleaching isn't always a bad thing.

Many people are scared of bleach because they instantly think of crispy yellow hair. They don't realise that you can bleach lightly, to a red shade if that is what you want, and you don't have to damage your hair to do so. Permanent dyes also bleach your hair, it is impossible to make hair lighter without some form of bleaching.

I still think that bleach is a bad idea, but maybe in a few years?

What sort of red do you want? If you don't want to use chemicals you can put a red direct dye over your dark brown, but it will only glow red in bright light.
You get some lift with permanent dyes, you can achieve a dark red with one. You could also use a high lift red, but they are pretty damaging. It depends why you are anti bleach really.

You see, I hate to think of all the damage bleaching will do to my hair, otherwise I would think about it.

I actually have put a temporary red dye over my hair, but like you said, it only shows in the sunlight.

You don't have to damage your hair with bleach.
Especially if you are only lifting a shade or two to go red. There is no need to use strong peroxide or leave the products on for long, you just want minimal bleaching for minimal lift which will result in minimal damage.

There is one other way to achieve red without any damage at all on virgin hair, and that is henna. It may be the perfect solution for you, it is all natural and actually conditions as it colours. It is totally permanent though, you won't be able to remove it or even dye over it, it will need to grow out. If you are up for the commitment, it could be a great choice for you.

I don't understand the attached poll; are you asking which color would look nicest on a person with dark hair? Are you asking what I would do to my hair if it were dark? And "bleaching" isn't even a shade of red, it's a lightening process... ???

Yeah, I know bleach isn't a shade of red, but I was just thinking "How to get my hair more red".

I think I will use henna, I only don't use permanent dyes because of the damage they do to your hair. But what shade would make my hair the reddest?  *thx*

I think I will use henna, I only don't use permanent dyes because of the damage they do to your hair. But what shade would make my hair the reddest?  *thx*

I don't think you are going to get the red you want with henna. I'd suggest doing an internet search for some images; the reds are quite a natural ginger shade. If your hair was very light you could get a more vibrant result, but not over dark hair I'm afraid.

I have red hair now! It's like copper-ish! Thx for all your help guys!