15 Copper Brown Hair Looks for Red-Toned Radiance
First came the Cowgirl Copper trend, then it was copper bronze, and now all shades of copper brown are catapulting to the top of lust-have lists. Red-tinted brunettes have never been more covetable than they are right now, and because they hit that sweet spot between vibrant and versatile, anyone can try the look. (Yes – anyone!)
So, whether you want just a hint of red or an all-out fiery mane, discover the perfect shade of copper brown for you. We've got all the inspiration you need...
Brown Copper Hair Color Ideas
Copper Glass Hair
Look Credit: @jhair_stylist
Golden Glass Hair is this season's hottest color-meets-care trend; a look that combines ultra-glossy layers of gold-tinted shades with the mirror-like shine of ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum. Head to your nearest Wella salon to get the look, and choose from a menu of six signature services, including this one: Copper Glass Hair. The luminous copper brown color you've been craving, it features Color Touch for the base layer, and SHINEFINITY Color Glaze for the glassy topcoat. Then, to finish, hair is set aglow with a few drops of ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum, which is smoothed through freshly styled lengths for hair you can (almost) see your reflection in.
Copper Auburn Hair Color
Image Credit: @jaripekka.wella
If you want a deeper copper shade, go for a hint of an auburn tone. This look oozes richness, with Illumina Color delivering radiant, youthful, 100% natural-looking color. It's the perfect permanent color for a long-lasting, warm copper shade, and comes with the bonus of up to 100% grey coverage – ideal for a root shadow. To add a little extra brunette depth, try keeping the root area a dark shade and ask your colorist to feather it into the copper for a flawless transition.
Copper Brown Color Melt
Image Credit: @byalexmk
Want super seamless copper brown highlights? Then head to your nearest Wella salon for a Color Touch Melt. Your hair colorist will create up to five brown tones and copper hair colors, paint them in alternating ribbons, and then melt them together. The result is a low-contrast, ultra-radiant take on copper brown, courtesy of Color Touch. It's our best-loved demi-permanent formula, which is now infused with Metal Purifier technology so you get true-to-tone vibrancy and shine, no matter your hair's condition.
Fiery Copper Brown Hair
Image Credit: @dereqc
Combining brighter copper hues with a dark brown base, this vibrant mane is the dream for bold lovers; the perfect option for anyone craving a vivid version of copper brown. With Wella, you'll discover a range of reds that feature warm undertones to help you achieve these copper highlights, and our permanent hair color, Koleston Perfect, is your go-to when you want pure, stunning intensity. It's the first and only professional hair color that combines uncompromised color performance with Metal Purifier and ME+ Dye Technology, so you get true-to-tone vibrancy, every time.
Brown Base with Warm Copper Highlights
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
With face-framing copper highlights in a warm, golden tone, this lit-from-within look shows the true impact of a SHINEFINITY Color Glaze. It's our zero-damage, zero-lift formula that veils hair in translucent color, so you get a glossy, glowing finish. For a copper brown like this, ask your colorist to add balayage with BlondorPlex first, our bond-strengthening pre-lightener that reduces breakage by up to 97%¹. From there, they can mix up your ideal blend of copper bronde (brown blonde), with golden undertones that give both skin and hair extra sparkle.
Light Copper Brown Hair
Image Credit: @gabbalan
For a lighter shade of copper, keep your root color dark and ask for apricot-red lengths. This is the bronde (brown-blonde) of the redhead world; a stunning shade of copper that feels warm, bright and sunny. Plus, because the root section is natural, this is a lower-maintenance look, letting you skip harsh regrowth lines and enjoy seamless radiance. Keep it extra glossy by booking in a Clear SHINEFINITY Glaze in between color touch-ups. In a flash, your colorist will give your hair added shine that's so silky looking, you can feel it.
True Chocolate Copper Hair
Image Credit: @sophieshairgram
A chocolatey base with a spicy pinch of chilli is the vibe in this copper shade, and the shine is next-level. Glossy, glassy and gleaming, thanks to the vibrancy of Color Touch. Don't forget to combine this look with ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum for a mirror-like glow of your own, and its shine-boosting blend of Squalane and Omega-9 will nourish hair in 30 seconds², keeping frizz at bay.
Brown Root Shadow with Copper Balayage
image Credit: @jeremy.colorist
Natural brunettes: this one's for you. If you're not ready to embrace full-on copper hair, keep your dark roots intact, and try balayage in a deep copper hair color. Another Color Touch Melt, this one is focused through the mid-lengths and ends to create a freehand-painted glow. So you still get a bit of depth, a ton of dimension, and a low-maintenance way to work red hues. You can dial this look up to a brighter shade by adding fine sweeps of cherry tonesor take it subtle with auburn highlights just a shade or two lighter than the base.
Copper Bronze Hair Color
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
Embrace a bronzy shade of copper hair to achieve this metallic glow. The brown is kept to the roots, while the copper-bronze blend burns bright through lengths and ends. If you're blessed with curls, combine the color with NutriCurls Curlixir Balm during your styling stage; a defining formula that gives ringlets their moment to shine, helping their shape and texture stand out.
Golden Copper Brown Hair
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
Dark strawberry blonde hair meets light chocolate brown in this gold-flecked, ultra-luminous bright copper look, which was created using Blondor Freelights to lighten and Illumina Color to tone. You might not put much thought into the lightener your colorist uses, but trust us: you want them to use Blondor Freelights for balayage. It's specially formulated to elevate freehand coloring techniques and it gives you up to seven levels of lift. So, when you want your copper tones to pop against a brown or auburn base, it's the perfect formula. We've never seen a red-brown hue look so beachy and sun-kissed.
Bright Ginger Brown Hair
Image Credit: @dudugimenez
Hello, glow! This gingery, coppery hair color is a show-stopper, teaming a medium brown shade on the roots with wow-worthy brightness that fires up the lengths of curly hair. If you're the 'go bold or go home' type, this look was made just for you, and Illumina Color is the permanent product that's going to take you there. While Koleston Perfect keeps the root touch-up warm and rich, Illumina delivers just the level of youthful radiance you've been looking for.
Cowboy Copper Hair
Image Credit: @jessperks_hair
The cowboy hair trend isn't riding out of town just yet. With a tan brown twist, it ties in perfectly with the runway's recent nod to Western styling. Depending on the light, it switches from a medium copper brown to a deep auburn, giving you a softer way to work red-brown shades. Think of it as a 'beginner color' that lets you dip a toe into the copper spectrum. Here, it comes courtesy of Koleston Perfect for head-turning intensity. With wavy styling, every tone shimmers and shines as the hair moves.
Brown Hair with Copper Balayage
Image Credit: @calumtierney
If you're not ready to make hair copper all over but still want a hint of red, adorn your chocolate brown base with an auburn balayage that's focused through the face frame. SHINEFINITY is delivering all the glow through these BlondorPlex-ed highlights, and you can take the glossiness further with EIMI Glam Mist, sprayed evenly over the surface of freshly dried and styled hair.
Dark Brown Hair with a Touch of Copper Lights
Image Credit: @dereqc
'Obsessed' doesn't even come close to describing how we feel about this spicy look. Warm chilli red and copper highlights give the darker base some added pop with the most flawless balayage technique. Perfect for anyone who wants to go red without forgetting their roots, this keeps all the brightness on the ends, so the chocolate base still gets its chance to shine.
Brown Hair with Subtle Copper Ribbons
Image Credit: @______renyaxydis______
Take a look at the subtlest version of copper brown hair. This deep brunette features copper blonde highlights in hidden slices that reveal themselves as the hair moves. They're light, they're bright, and they glow thanks to the power of SHINEFINITY, which guarantees zero damage luminosity in a range of warm and cool tones. Here, you're seeing strawberry copper highlights with a rose gold edge. Make the color deeper to go subtler still or embrace lighter highlights for a pastel copper pop.
How to Maintain Copper Brunette Hair
1. Use Shine-Boosting Hair Care
Shine elevates the allure of copper brown hair, so make smooth, light-reflective lengths the goal of your maintenance regimen. The trick is to take down frizz with a smoothing, color-safe shampoo, like ULTIMATE SMOOTH Shampoo. The gentle formula gives color-treated hair the gloss it deserves, with a luxurious lather that gently yet effectively cleanses. It even features Wella's exclusive Metal Purifier, so metals from the air and water are neutralized with each wash. Follow with ULTIMATE SMOOTH Conditioner for lightweight nourishment or dial up the moisture with ULTIMATE SMOOTH Intense Mask for a deep conditioning hair mask with megawatt radiance.
2. Double Up on Nourishment
Healthy-looking hair is everything when vibrant dimension is on the agenda, so after washing, your aim is to not only repair damage but prevent future stress, too. Start with ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue. The revitalizing leave-in treatment is a viral sensation, with a blend of AHA and Omega-9 that repairs hair damage in 90 seconds³. All you have to do is mist it through your clean, damp hair and let it absorb for the full 90-second period. It's a suits-all-hair-types savior that gives straight, wavy, curly and coily hair deep hair.
Then, layer ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum through lengths and ends to enhance hair with shine. It's the ultimate glow-enhancing product, with Squalane and Omega-9 to veil dry hair in moisture. It nourishes in 30 seconds and gives you up to 3 days of smoothness², so you can work warm shades of copper brown with frizz under control.
3. Apply a Copper-Tinted Treatment
Whether you're working red highlights or an all-over color, it's easy to top up your tone at home with Color Fresh Mask in Copper Glow. The color-depositing conditioner injects your shade with a radiant refresh; all you have to do is smooth it through clean, damp hair and let it develop for 10 minutes. Use it in between salon appointments, when bold copper tones need a touch-up. Because it's packed with nourishing ingredients, you don't even need to use a conditioner or hair mask afterwards.
Looking for more hair color inspiration? Discover our round-up of this year’s most coveted hair color trends, from mocha mousse brunette to jewel-toned highlights.
¹ When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex, versus Blondorplex alone.
² If unwashed for 3 days, vs. untreated.
³ When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.