I’ve had an obsession with red hair for as long as I can remember, and it can be traced back to one woman: Julia Roberts. The moment I saw her unruly red waves in Pretty Woman, I was immediately filled with envy that never really let up. If anything, it’s just grown with time. And as a born chocolate brunette, I never thought crimson hair was much of a possibility … not the shade I wanted anyway. Like Roberts, I wanted natural, auburn strands that appeared to grow naturally out of my head. Up until now, my one and only brunette-to-red-hair attempt was about 10 years ago and came out an almost plum shade, making look more otherworldly superhero-adjacent than au naturel redhead. So, for some time, I laid my dreams to rest, submitting to a life with deep dark brown hair. That is, until Tracey Cunningham entered the chat.
After years of hearing rumblings of the queen of color’s particular gift for red hair, I decided to give it another shot, putting my thick mane in her more than capable hands. As it happens, I’m not alone in my red obsession. The hair color has been steadily rising in popularity over the years. “I’ve been seeing it for years now, which is great,” said the naturally redheaded Cunningham, whose high-caliber clients include Lindsay Lohan, Lana Del Rey, and Mariah Carey. “When I was growing up, you were like a redheaded stepchild. You were [called] Little Orphan Annie or Ronald McDonald, which I was. But there weren’t a lot of great role models that were redheads, and now we’re seeing so many with Lindsay Lohan and Emma Stone.”
Another reason for red’s recent boom? Its versatility. “I think anybody can find the right color tone,” said Cunningham. “Especially now where people are more savvy with their makeup, probably because we have so many tutorials on YouTube and there’s Instagram.”
In planning this fateful day, I know I was going into a lengthy process. Cunningham, who is the U.S. Creative Director of Color & Technique for Schwarzkopf Professional, instructed me to come to her Beverly Hills salon Meche bright and early at 8 a.m. and told me to plan to be there until closing (6 p.m.). Naively, I still believed she was overestimating for good measure and that I’d be out in six hours or less. Oh, how wrong I was.
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My pre-transformation hair. Angela Melero
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The inspo: Julia Roberts is always the moment. Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images
The Process
With a hot cup of coffee in hand, I happily bounced into Cunningham’s chair first thing in the morning, as instructed. The first person in the salon, I reveled in the quiet and calm before the storm hits the salon, when the uber-popular space fills from wall to wall with clients, who often have to line up for a turn at the shampoo station. Cunningham immediately inspected my dark brown hair, contemplating the right first course of action. She used Schwarzkopf Professional IGORA ROYAL to pre-lighten the hair, using a 40 volume. This developer method pulls warmth, meaning it exposes the natural red and yellow pigment in the hair, including dark hair. Then she went in with BLONDME Premium Lightener 9+, which is a true bleach lightener that lifts up to 9+ levels and it also incorporates bond protection technology to minimize hair breakage during the lightening process.
It took about four applications and washes to get my hair lightened to Cunningham’s liking. Time-wise the heavy-lifting — pun intended — took about four to five hours to complete as you have to allow lifter to set for 20-30 minutes each time before washing it out (I also had to have my hair blowdried here and there between applications). After this process was complete, Cunningham then went in with a bright orange foundation formula, which is often used before a base to enhance and achieve a richer color of red. This requires another 30 to 45-minute setting time, so I took the opportunity to sneak in some lunch while my hair marinated.
Once I was rinsed and shampooed for about fifth time that day, it was time to give my roots some extra TLC before moving on to the base color. Cunningham applied Schwarzkopf Professional Igora Royal permanent color to cover the regrowth, or roots, blending three shades of blonde within the collection, mixing them with 10-volume gentle-strength developer to even out the tone and blend without causing damage. (Because roots are more natural in terms of color they often react differently in how they grab color, so there’s always a unique root formula applied.)
After this, it was finally time for my all-over color, which we finally got around to at about 4 p.m. in the afternoon. For my special cocktail of warm red, Cunningham used a mix of five colors from the Schwarzkopf Professional Igora Vibrance Tone on Tone Coloration collection, ranging from a deep copper and warm blondes to pure copper and gold concentrates.
As a final step, the color pro wanted to add some highlights for a hefty dose of dimension, so my red hair was shaded and foiled for an additional hour. Because my brows are a natural deep brown, Cunningham’s team quickly dyed my arches a slightly lighter shade while I waited and squirmed in my chair with excitement, like a kid waiting for Santa Clause on Christmas Eve.
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Base color in the bag!Angela Melero
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Highlights are the homestretch for this 12-hour transformation process. Angela Melero
The Results & Upkeep
After one more final blowout, the moment of the big reveal arrived … and it didn’t disappoint. The airy — and natural-looking — luminescent rich red Julia Roberts hair I had always wanted had been achieved. And while I secretly worried the color would be too extreme of a change, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked with my skin tone. I literally said out loud to Cunningham and her team, “This just feels like me.”
The final look!Angela Melero
In the days that would follow, I received validation of this as close friends and family gushed at my mid-summer transformation, commenting on how complementary and natural it looked. I’ve been so comfortable in my new look, in fact, that I can see myself keeping this shade for the long term. For upkeep, Cunningham suggested coming in every three to four weeks for a root touch-up and gloss treatment to keep the color in tact. “Upkeep is easy,” she explained to me. “[Today] was just about removing the existing color. But how often you touch-up depends on your root threshold. If you have a line of demarcation, are you going to freak out? Are you one of those people that can rock a root or not? That’s the question.”
As for retaining that radiant shine and color in-between appointments, that’s pretty simple, too. “We put a lot of color in your hair,” explained Cunningham. “So first of all, let’s start with your water. I would say definitely avoid hot water because it will open up the cuticle. Kind of like fish scales, they swell up, and then release some of the color that we just put in.” Retaining moisture is also a high priority, so I’ve since prioritized hydrating shampoos and conditioners as well as regular hair mask sessions to keep my strands healthy and super soft.
Now that I have my marching orders, I’m ready to take on this new hair chapter that’s already feeling so good. Yes, I think the red-headed life is definitely for me.
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