The unexpected, but very welcome, return of the sun at the start of September had many of us thinking the dark nights and grey skies were still way off. But, as we creep through the month and the thermometer starts to tumble, it’s clear there’s no getting away from the changing of the season…

But it’s not all doom and gloom! Autumn is a wonderfully colourful season, when nature shows off her finest displays for us to admire and enjoy. The artist’s palette of intense colours taking hold across this otherwise green and pleasant land, inspires many of us to choose a warmer, richer colour for our hair.

So how about one of our newest shades, the 3NV Deep Radiant Red? It certainly encapsulates the rich and vibrant reds of the new season!

What kind of colour is it?

Well, the easiest way to describe it is like a reddish-violet version of the 3N Dark Chestnut Brown – it’s a rich and intense shade that’s a level 3, so just two lighter than our very darkest colour 1N, but the radiant red tones that run through it catch in the light, giving it an iridescent feel which on some, can make it look a little lighter than other level 3 colours. And as for those radiant rich red tones, think purple-red rather than cherry red, but not as plum-like as our mahogany colours 4M and 5M.

Can anybody wear this colour?

Pretty much! As it’s one of our darkest colours, we don’t have to worry about it being too light for some hair shades, but it is definitely worth considering whether your skin tone and facial features will suit such a rich colour. Each to their own, as we say, but if you are naturally very fair and this is a much darker colour than you are used to, you might want to consider if the colour will work with your current make-up styles too – you might want to switch up your eye makeup, to make sure those peepers still pop!

If your hair is naturally dark, it’s a great way to add a new colour dimension without completely changing your look and it suits olive, tan and brown skin tones beautifully.

How do I care for it?

With such a dark shade, the key to ensuring that radiant red really, well, radiates, is by keeping your hair glossy and smooth – picture the ‘line of shine’ you get with super shiny, dark and rich hair colour, but with that vibrant red shining through – stunning!

So, to maintain the shine, make sure your hair is super hydrated by treating it to an intensive mask once or twice a fortnight – the Naturtint Hair Food Purple Rice Mask is ideal. Designed to deeply hydrate the hair, leaving it silky smooth, this will add the reflective gloss you are looking for. Alternatively, take a look at the Goji Hair Food Mask, which revitalises from deep within, for a brilliant, mirror shine.

As for maintaining the colour itself, like all red shades it does need a little extra TLC. The molecules that form the red pigment are much bigger than in other pigments, so they can’t penetrate as deeply into the cortex of the hair and can leach out more readily when it’s washed. Reducing the frequency of washing your hair can help, as can ensuring you’re using the right products to wash the hair (hello Colour Fixing Shampoo and Protective Conditioner!).