Ginger Hair Colour Ideas for Winter: 13 Warm Shades From Soft to Bold

Ginger hair color ideas for winter start with a warm truth: ginger is winter’s warmest colour, and it suits more people than you think. It is the shade of autumn leaves and winter spice, warm, glowing and full of life, and in cold, grey light it does something no other colour does: it makes your skin look warmer and your whole look feel brighter. If you have ever thought ginger was only for natural redheads, this guide is for you.

This guide shares 13 ginger hair colour ideas for winter, from soft and deep ginger to balayage, money pieces and fair-skin looks, plus how to keep ginger from fading in winter and who it suits best. Save the balayage version if you want to try ginger without the commitment.

The Ginger Family: Soft, Deep and Dark

Ginger is not one shade, it is a family, and knowing the family helps you choose. Soft ginger is the gentlest, with a warm, golden-copper glow that looks like sunlight in winter. Deep ginger is the classic, rich and warm, with a copper-red base that looks expensive in any light. Dark ginger is the deepest, almost brown indoors and richly copper in the sun, and it is the most wearable for women who want colour without a big change. All three share the same qualities: warmth, glow and a natural finish that looks like it could be your own colour, only better. In winter, all three look wonderful, because they echo the warm coppers, auburns and burgundies in winter fashion. Ask your colourist to show you swatches in daylight, and choose the depth that makes your skin look brighter.

Soft Ginger

Soft ginger is the gentlest way into ginger. It is warm, golden and glowing, with a copper that reads as a warm blonde-brown in low light and a soft ginger in the sun. It works beautifully on fair skin, where the warmth adds colour to a complexion that can look pale in winter, and on light brown hair, where it looks like a richer version of your natural colour. Soft ginger is also a wonderful first ginger, because it is easy to wear, easy to maintain, and easy to deepen later if you love it. Ask for a soft ginger with a warm gloss, and tell your colourist you want the copper to read as warm, not orange. A gloss every six to eight weeks will keep it rich, and a colour-safe shampoo will help it last even longer. If your hair is blonde, soft ginger is a gentle way to go warmer without a dramatic change.

Deep Ginger

Deep ginger is the classic ginger, rich, warm and unmistakably copper-red. It looks like polished copper in low light and like warm spice in the sun, and it flatters almost every skin tone, which is why it is the most popular ginger of all. It works on medium brown hair, where it looks like a deeper, richer version of your natural colour, and on dark brown hair, where it shows up as a warm, glossy glow. Deep ginger looks extraordinary on long hair, where the colour has room to show, and on a layered cut, where the different tones fall at different lengths. Ask for a deep ginger with a warm gloss, and bring a photo taken in daylight so your colourist can see the tone you want. A weekly mask and a gloss refresh will keep it looking healthy all winter.

Dark Ginger

Dark ginger is the deepest member of the family, almost brown indoors and richly copper in sunlight. It is the most wearable ginger, because it looks like a natural dark brown with a warm, copper glow, and it grows out gracefully, because the base is close to a natural brown. Dark ginger is a wonderful choice if you want colour without a big change, or if you have dark hair and want a ginger that shows up without bleach. It also works beautifully on deep skin, where the warmth of the ginger echoes the warmth in the skin. Ask for a dark ginger with a warm gloss, and tell your colourist you want the copper to be visible in daylight, not just under salon lights. A gloss every eight weeks will keep it rich, and a colour-safe shampoo will help it last even longer.

Ginger Balayage on Brunette Roots

Balayage is a beautiful way to wear ginger, especially if you want the colour without the commitment of an all-over shade. A ginger balayage on brunette roots paints the warm copper through the mid-lengths and ends, leaving the roots dark and natural, so the grow-out is soft and almost invisible. The effect is like autumn in your hair: dark at the top, warmly ginger at the bottom, with a soft blend in between. Ask for a balayage with a root shadow and a warm toner, and bring a photo that shows the blend in daylight. Caramel balayage is a close cousin, and it is a good choice if you want ginger with a lighter, more golden edge. Ginger balayage works on long hair, where the colour has room to show, and on medium hair, where the ends catch the light. A gloss every few months will keep the ginger from fading to brown.

Full Ginger vs Ginger Money Pieces

Full ginger and ginger money pieces give you two very different looks, and the right one depends on how much commitment you want. Full ginger is bold, even and dramatic, with the same warm copper from root to tip. It looks polished and intentional, and it is the best choice if you want a real colour change. Ginger money pieces are softer and more subtle, with just two bright, face-framing sections of ginger over a deeper base. They give you the ginger effect where it matters most, around your face, without lightening all of your hair, and they grow out gracefully. If you want to try ginger without the commitment, money pieces are the way to go. If you want the full, glowing ginger effect, all-over colour is the answer. Your colourist can also combine the two, with a full ginger base and a lighter money piece on top, for the most dimensional look of all.

Ginger for Fair Skin

Ginger for fair skin is one of the most flattering combinations in winter, because the warmth of the ginger adds colour and life to a complexion that can look pale in cold light. The key is to choose the right depth: fair skin usually looks best in a soft or deep ginger, rather than a very dark ginger, which can look too heavy. A soft ginger with a warm gloss will make fair skin look luminous, while a deep ginger will make it look striking and confident. Avoid a ginger that is too orange or too bright, because it can overwhelm fair skin and make it look flushed. Instead, ask for a ginger with a brown base, which will keep the colour soft and wearable. A face-framing money piece is a wonderful way to try ginger on fair skin, because it brightens the face without committing your whole head to the colour.

Keeping Ginger From Fading in Winter

Ginger is a red, and reds fade faster than any other colour, so keeping it rich takes a little effort. The good news is that the effort is simple: wash less often, wash cooler, use colour-safe products, and book a gloss refresh every six to eight weeks. Cold air, indoor heating and wool hats all dry the hair out in winter, and dry hair looks dull, no matter how beautiful the colour is. A weekly deep-conditioning mask, a leave-in conditioner, and a drop of hair oil on the ends will keep ginger looking healthy and glossy. A silk pillowcase will help prevent breakage overnight, and a silk-lined hat will protect your hair in cold weather. When you style, finish with a cool shot from your dryer, which seals the cuticle and adds shine, and a shine spray if you need an instant boost.

Washing and Water Temperature

The single biggest thing you can do for ginger hair is to wash it less, and to wash it cooler. If you wash every day, try every other day, and use a dry shampoo on the days in between. When you do wash, use lukewarm water for the shampoo and cool water for the final rinse, which seals the cuticle and locks the colour in. Hot water is the enemy of ginger, because it opens the hair shaft and lets the pigment escape. A colour-safe, sulphate-free shampoo is essential, because sulphates strip colour faster than any other ingredient. Look for a shampoo that says colour-safe or colour-protect on the label, and avoid clarifying shampoos, which are designed to strip build-up and will strip your ginger too. If your hair feels dry, a weekly mask will help, and a leave-in conditioner will protect it between washes.

Colour-Safe Products for Ginger

Not all colour-safe products are equal, and for ginger, the ones that work are the ones that deposit warm colour as well as protect it. A copper-toned shampoo or conditioner, used once a week, will add a little ginger pigment back into the hair and keep the colour from fading to brown. A colour-depositing mask, left on for five to ten minutes, is even stronger, and it is a brilliant way to refresh your ginger at home between salon visits. Look for products that are made for red or copper hair specifically, not just for coloured hair in general, because they will have the right tone. A heat protectant is also essential, because heat styling can fade ginger quickly, and a UV protectant will help if you spend time outside in winter sun. Ask your colourist what they recommend, because they will know the products that work best with the formula they used on your hair.

Gloss Refreshes

A gloss is the secret weapon of ginger hair. It is a semi-permanent treatment that adds shine, seals the cuticle and refreshes the ginger tone, all in about twenty minutes at the salon. A copper ginger gloss will bring the warmth back to life, while a clear gloss will simply add shine without changing the colour. You can book a gloss on its own, often for much less than a colour service, and it is a brilliant way to keep your hair looking salon-fresh through the winter party season. At home, a glossing treatment or a copper-toned mask can help between salon visits, but it will not replace a professional gloss if the colour has faded a long way. Book your next gloss at the same time as your colour, so you never let the ginger drift too far, and ask your colourist to show you the gloss shade they use, so you can buy a matching at-home mask.

Winter Dryness and Heat

Winter is hard on ginger hair in ways you might not expect. Indoor heating dries the hair out, which makes the colour look dull, and the cold air outside can make it brittle. Heat styling, which we all do more of in winter, fades ginger quickly if you do not use a protectant. And even in winter, the sun can fade ginger, especially if you spend time outside in the snow, where the light reflects. To protect your ginger, use a heat protectant every single time you use a dryer, straightener or curler, and a leave-in conditioner with UV protection if you are outside for a long time. Wear a silk-lined hat or a scarf in cold weather, because wool hats can create frizz and static that dull the shine. And use a weekly deep-conditioning mask, because healthy, moisturised hair holds colour far better than dry, damaged hair.

Who Ginger Suits Best

Ginger suits more people than you think, because its warm, copper base is flattering on a wide range of skin tones. It looks beautiful on fair skin, where the warmth adds colour to a complexion that can look pale in winter. It looks beautiful on medium skin, where the warmth of the ginger echoes the warmth in the skin. And it looks beautiful on deep skin, where the ginger shows up richly and the gloss makes the skin look lit from within. The key is the depth: fair skin usually looks best in a soft ginger, while deep skin looks best in a deep or dark ginger. Your undertone matters too: warm undertones glow in ginger, while cool undertones should ask for a ginger with a little violet in the formula, to keep it from looking too orange. The best test is to hold the shade near your face in daylight: if your skin looks brighter and your eyes look clearer, the shade is right.

Skin Tones That Glow in Ginger

Fair skin with a warm or neutral undertone glows in soft ginger, because the warmth adds colour and life to the complexion. Medium skin with golden undertones looks wonderful in deep ginger, because the copper and the gold complement each other. Deep skin looks stunning in dark ginger, because the colour is rich enough to show up on dark hair and the shine makes the skin look luminous. Cool skin can wear ginger too, but it needs a version with a violet base, like a burgundy-ginger, rather than a warm, coppery version. If you are unsure, ask your colourist for a ginger gloss first, which will let you see the shade on your hair for a few weeks before you commit to a full colour. A gloss is also a good way to try ginger if you are nervous about red in general, because it is softer and more forgiving than a permanent colour.

Hair Lengths and Types That Carry Ginger

Ginger works on almost every hair type, but it shows differently on each one. Straight hair shows the shine and the depth of ginger beautifully, because the light reflects evenly off the smooth surface. Wavy hair shows the dimension, because the waves catch the light at different angles and reveal the different tones in the colour. Curly and coily hair shows the richness, because the curls create shadows and highlights that make the ginger look complex and multi-dimensional. Long hair gives ginger room to show off its balayage and its dimension, while short hair gives it impact, because the colour frames the face. Fine hair looks thicker in ginger, because the warm tone reflects light evenly, while thick hair looks more polished, because the gloss tames the frizz. Whatever your hair type, a good cut is what makes the colour work, so ask your stylist for a cut that shows off the colour, not one that hides it.

Styling Ginger Hair for Winter

Ginger hair looks its best when the rest of your look supports it. In winter, that means leaning into the colours that flatter ginger: navy, charcoal, burgundy, emerald, cream and black, rather than bright orange or yellow. A navy coat, a burgundy scarf and a cream sweater will make ginger hair look richer, while a warm camel coat can make it look dull by comparison. For styling, soft waves are the most forgiving way to show off ginger, because they catch the light and reveal the dimension. A sleek, straight blow-dry shows off the shine and a precise cut, and a low, loose bun shows off the depth at the roots. A little shine spray or a drop of hair oil on the ends will bring the gloss back instantly. For more warm winter colour ideas, see our honey blonde hair colour ideas for winter brunettes.

The 13 Shades at a Glance

Here are the 13 ginger hair colour ideas for winter in one place, so you can save the list and show it to your colourist. One, soft ginger. Two, deep ginger. Three, dark ginger. Four, ginger balayage on brunette roots. Five, full ginger. Six, ginger money pieces. Seven, ginger for fair skin. Eight, ginger with face-framing pieces. Nine, ginger ombre. Ten, a ginger gloss over brown hair. Eleven, ginger with copper ribbons. Twelve, ginger with caramel highlights. Thirteen, deep ginger with a shadow root. Notice the pattern: every shade has warmth, glow and shine, and none of them is flat, dull or orange. That is what makes a colour ginger. Use this list as a starting point, and ask your colourist to mix a custom version for your exact base colour and skin tone.

How to Choose Your Ginger Depth

Choosing the depth is the most important decision in ginger, because it changes the whole look. A soft ginger is the gentlest and most wearable, and it is the best choice if you are trying ginger for the first time. A deep ginger is the classic version, rich and obviously ginger in daylight, and it is the best choice if you want people to notice your colour. A dark ginger is the deepest and most natural-looking, and it is best if you want colour without a big change. The rule is simple: the lighter you go, the more maintenance you need, and the more the colour will fade. If you are trying ginger for the first time, start with a balayage or a money piece, and go deeper next time if you love it. Your colourist can also do a strand test, which will show you exactly how the shade will look on your hair before you commit to a full colour.

Ginger With Bangs, Layers and Curls

Bangs, layers and curls can make ginger even more flattering, because they frame the face and show off the colour where it matters most. Curtain bangs in ginger look soft and romantic, and they brighten the face without a full colour change. A layered cut with ginger balayage looks dimensional and modern, because the layers let the different tones fall at different lengths. Long layers that start at the cheekbone are the most flattering, because they frame the face and draw the eye to your eyes and cheekbones. Curly hair in ginger looks extraordinary, because the curls create shadows and highlights that make the colour look complex. If you have bangs, ask your colourist to keep the colour even through the bangs, because patchy bangs are the first thing people notice. And if you are growing your bangs out, a ginger gloss will keep the colour consistent while the length catches up.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ginger Hair Colour

What is the best ginger hair colour for winter? Deep ginger, dark ginger and ginger balayage are among the most flattering, because they have warmth, glow and shine. The best choice depends on your skin tone and how much maintenance you want.

Does ginger suit fair skin? Yes, ginger is one of the best colours for fair skin, because the warmth adds colour and life to a pale complexion. Soft ginger is the most flattering for fair skin, while deep ginger is the most striking.

How do I keep ginger from fading? Wash less often, use cool water, and use a colour-safe shampoo and a copper-toned conditioner once a week. Book a gloss refresh every six to eight weeks, and use a heat protectant every time you style.

Can I try ginger without full colour? Yes, a ginger balayage or ginger money pieces are the best low-commitment ways to try ginger. They give you the ginger effect around your face and at the ends, without colouring all of your hair.

Is ginger the same as copper? Ginger and copper are close cousins, but ginger is softer and more golden, while copper is brighter and more orange. Ginger has a brown base, which makes it more wearable than a bright copper.

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Save the Balayage Version

Ginger is winter’s warmest colour, and now you know how to wear it well. Start with the family, choose a shade from the 13 in this guide that matches your skin and your lifestyle, and take the exact shade to your colourist. Save the balayage version if you want to try ginger without the commitment. If you found this guide helpful, follow Nova Fashion on Pinterest for more winter hair colour ideas, seasonal shade guides and styling inspiration, and save this article to your winter hair board. For more on keeping colour-treated hair healthy through winter, read our winter hair care routine for color-treated hair.

Keep this guide close when you book your next appointment, and follow Nova Fashion on Pinterest for more ginger hair colour ideas, warm-tone tips and winter shade inspiration.