Hair colour guide
Burgundy hair colour
Three different shades get called burgundy, they suit different skin tones, and they do not ask the same thing of you afterwards. Here is what separates them, so you can walk in and name the one you actually want.
By Emperor Anuku, founder of BurgundyBlend
What burgundy actually is
Burgundy belongs to the wine family of reds, and what sets it apart inside that family is violet. It carries more violet pigment than the reds either side of it, which is why it reads cooler and more jewel-toned rather than warm and coppery. That single fact explains most of the rest of this page: violet is what makes burgundy look expensive under good light, and violet is also the first thing to wash out.
It is worth knowing because "burgundy" on its own is not a specific enough request. Ask three colourists for burgundy and you can get three different results, all of them correct.
The three to ask for by name
Merlot
The most forgiving of the three.
Leans red-brown, with a velvety crimson depth. It reads as the softest and most natural of the wine shades, which is why it is usually the one suggested to somebody trying burgundy for the first time.
Plum burgundy
The one that photographs.
Lets more violet through, so it sits cooler and more editorial than merlot. It is the shade that goes moody under a camera rather than flat, and the one people mean when they say they want burgundy to actually look purple in daylight.
Maroon
The lowest maintenance.
Runs browner and earthier, with the least violet of the three. If the upkeep further down this page is the part that worries you, this is the shade that asks least of you between appointments.
Which one suits you
The usual guidance goes by undertone rather than by how light or dark your hair is now.
- Warm undertones
- Velvety merlots, spiced mulled wine shades and auburn-leaning pinot noirs sit with your skin rather than against it. A plum wine works too, but as deliberate contrast.
- Cool or olive undertones
- A brighter sangria, a bluer-leaning merlot, or burgundy proper. These are where the violet in the shade does the most for you.
- Neutral undertones
- Any of the wine shades, which is genuinely the answer and not a dodge. Choose on upkeep instead, using the section below.
Take this as a starting point for the conversation, not a verdict. Someone standing in front of you in daylight, looking at the colour already in your hair, will be right more often than any guide.
The upkeep, honestly
Reds fade faster than any other family, and burgundy fades in a specific direction: as the violet goes it drifts towards brown. None of this is difficult, but it is the part people are not told before they commit.
- Wash less than you think
- Around twice a week suits colouring in this family. Every wash takes some of the pigment with it, and red pigment is the largest molecule in the box, so it leaves first.
- Cool water, not hot
- Lukewarm to cool. Hot water opens the cuticle and lets the pigment out faster, which is the single easiest thing to get wrong at home.
- Sulfate free, plus a depositing wash
- A sulfate-free shampoo most of the time, alternating with a red depositing shampoo or conditioner to top the colour up between appointments.
- Violet conditioner for the wine shades
- If you have gone plum or another violet-leaning wine, a violet toning conditioner keeps the purple in it rather than letting it slide towards brown.
- Re-tone every six to eight weeks
- A re-tone rather than a full re-colour. This is the interval to plan around, and it is worth asking your colourist to put the next one in the book before you leave.
Why you are seeing it everywhere right now
This season the requests moved off blonde and onto red. Coppers, cherry reds and warm auburns are what colourists report booking out for, with amber undertones the most common addition to almost any shade. Burgundy sits inside that shift, which is why a colour that used to be a statement is currently closer to a default.
It is not only hair. Nail appointments this autumn are running on deep burgundies, glazed chocolates and smoky plums, and the tortoiseshell design that has led nail requests for a couple of seasons is often built on a burgundy base. If you are booking both, they are closer to the same appointment than they have been in years.
Looking for BurgundyBlend?
If you came here searching that name, you are in the right place and it is not a colour brand. BurgundyBlend is a beauty and style marketplace across Canada and the United States, where you find a professional near you and book them directly. We are named after this family of shades. We do not sell the dye.
See what BurgundyBlend is