Fancy a change? Here’s how to achieve Kendall Jenner’s red hair look

If Kendall Jenner's red hair is still dominating your Pinterest mood boards, we've got you. Here's what to ask your stylist for to recreate her exact coppery hue and once you have it, how to maintain it!

With a new year, comes that itch to change up your hair, whether that's with a fresh cut—like the butterfly trim—or a brand new shade to reinvent yourself. As far as the 2023 hair trend predictions go, it's clear that summer hues like ‘expensive blonde’ and 'vanilla almond butter' are being phased out, with gingery hues swiftly taking their place—which is a movement we can likely attribute to Kendall Jenner’s copper hair debut in 2022.

And despite the fact she's back to brunette again once more, her bronzy hair is still living in our heads rent-free! So if you’re looking to literally embody fall vibes, no matter the season—we’ve asked a stylist exactly how to copy Kendall’s viral look and how to maintain the vibrant color.

If you ask us, dying your hair copper is like a right of passage—it’s something we all need to try once and sometimes the experiment goes very very right. Please turn your attention to exhibit A…

While your brain might immediately think of vibrant orange when ‘copper’ or ‘ginger’ is mentioned, Kenny is proof that you can find some very natural and just drop-dead gorgeous shades to compliment any skin tone. You don’t have to go full pumpkin spice! And it might actually surprise you how much this warm hue suits you! 

So if you fancy a change, and want to enter your copper era, we’ve got all the info you need about copper hair thanks to stylist and Colour Director at Hari’s Salon, Francesca Dixon—who’s revealed exactly what to ask for at the salon and how to maintain your spicy new look.

Meet the expert in copper hair color

• Francesca Dixon is the Color Director for London's Hari's Salon, the official BAFTA partners and gave My Imperfect Life the lowdown on how to create this hair color after recreating it on her own clients.

How to recreate Kendall Jenner’s red hair 

Will Kendall's red hair suit you?

When it comes to figuring out if a gingery hue will look good on you, Francesca says: “Coppers can work on all skin tones,” but adds that what shade will work for you will depend on your skin tone and eye color.”

For example: “If you have a flatter skin tone it is best to go for something gold copper and if you have a pink undertone skin color it’s best to go for a soft subtle dusty Copper,” Francesca notes.

She recommends speaking to your stylist for advice about which shade will suit your skin and eyes, before adding, “copper hair and freckles are a great combination.”—we couldn’t agree more.

What to ask your stylist for

Francesca says that this comes down to personal preference and your hair's overall condition.

 She says: “This is personal to each person and how their hair is, whether it’s virgin, colored dark, bleached etc. I would always say pop in for a consultation to book in for the right thing before you book in for what you’re going to do. It might be an allover copper color, it could be a color change or it might be a tint and some copper Balayage.” 

She also suggests bringing an inspo picture with you, to show your stylist what you had in mind—so get that Kendall Pinterest board started!

Plus, if you really want to replicate Kendall's off-duty model look, you might also want to consider her bangs too. Like Bella Hadid—who just got wispy bangs—Kendall also debuted her copper hair with some cute side bangs. Some food for thought, at least, fringe hairstyles are having a major moment right now after all...

How to prepare your hair for transforming to this kind of color

Francesa explains that it really depends on your OG hair color, she says: “If you are blonde and you want to go copper it’s quite an easy transition. If you have all-over virgin hair this will be great to go all over copper.”

She adds that medium and light brown also usually lift well, however, if you’ve got dark hair or have been dying your hair dark, be prepared for the process to take longer. It can take a few sessions to lift old color and dye can sometimes become patchy—so brace yourself for that.

How to best care for and maintain your copper hair

With any hair color transformation, it’s a good idea to snap up some treatments—like the best Olaplex products or a hair mask like Coco&Eve’s Sweet Repair mask to nourish and hydrate your locks.

Francesa says to use a sulfate-free or color-care professional shampoo as copper is notoriously hard to maintain because it fades, fast.

She advises to, "not have the water too hot when you shampoo [your hair] and pop in for glosses in between colors to refresh. Stay away from cleansing shampoo as this will strip the color quicker.”

So, now you’re up to speed on everything copper hair, could it be time for a fall-inspired hair change?