Orange Hair Dye: Bright, Dark, Light, Brown and Best Brands

A good orange hair dye, without the brassy tones can give you a vivid and jovial outlook. You can choose from shades of orange color, including dark orange, bright or light. These hues can also look great on dark hair or even brown hair. Here’s a guide on how to wear orange hair and make a fashion and style statement!

While not everyone is a fan of brassy orange tones, orange hair dye is still quite popular choice. Orange and copper hues are considered to be the warmest colors in the hair color spectrum and can instantly brighten up most complexions. This is why orange hair has been so popular among celebs like Nicole Kidman, Lindsay Lohan, Emma Watson, Emma Stone and even dark-colored celebs like Tyra Banks.

Dark orange hair dye — A darker shade of orange can look cool and composed.

Now, orange hair dye comes in many different hues—some for example are on the natural ginger side while others are on the crazy bright orange side. If you are wondering whether orange hair is good for you, the answer is YES if:

You have light brown, hazel, or green eyes. Although some orange hues like Dark orange/copper suit all eyes, eyes with light brown, green, or hazel hues look best in all orange hair tones.
You want to brighten up your shallow complexion. If you have shallow skin, dying your hair a shade of orange will instantly brighten up your skin tone and make you look less ghastly.
You want to lighten your hair one or a couple of shades without going blonde. If you have naturally brown or black hair, it’s possible to dye it orange without using too much bleach, unless you are going for a light orange blonde shade.
Your hair has a warm or neutral undertone Orange hair needs a warm or at least neutral base to show through—if your hair is ashy or on the green side, you may dye it orange but it will fade out very easily and you may end up with green tips instead.

Shades of orange hair color

As mentioned earlier, there are many orange shades you can get from orange hair dye. These are based on color depth starting e.g. from the darkest to the lightest or the color undertones. Some for example have honey brown undertones while other shades have strong bright red undertones. Here is a list of brands and shades for each category.

Best orange hair dye and brands

The best orange hair brands for DIY use are L’Oreal Feria and Excellence lines, Garnier Nutrisse line, and Revlon’s Colorsilk line.

All these good brands of orange hair dye provide long-lasting results and have nourishing agents and treatments for improving the hair’s porosity whilst dying it. Suggested shades will be mentioned here under each orange hue.

Light and bright orange hair dye

Light orange hair dye shade on dark hair — A lighter hue of orange hair

Light and bright orange hair dyes are suitable for those with fair peachy or pink skin undertones and hazel or green eyes. Brunettes with dark eyes and strong yellow undertones may not do well with this shade as it will look fake and clash with their natural colors. Best brand and shade suggestions:

L’Oreal Feria line in Copper Shimmer. This is a true light to medium orange amber shade with a shimmery radiant finish and is perfect for fair peachy skin tones.
L’oreal Excellence line in shade 7.43 Dark Copper Blonde. This is a light copper/orange shade with blonde red undertones.
Revlon Color Silk Beautyful Color in shade 72/Strawberry Blonde. This is a true natural light orange shade with strong ginger undertones, perfect for fair eyes and fair peachy skin.
Garnier Nutrisse in Copper Blonde. This is a natural strawberry blonde shade that is similar to revlon’s above and suitable for fair skin and eye colors.

Dark orange hair dye

Dark orange color — A darker shade of orange on pale white skin.

Dark orange hair dye is dark shade of copper/orange that suits a wide variety of skin tones and eye combos and is the safest hair color shade in the spectrum. If you are wondering which are the best brands and shades for this category, here are some suggestions:

L’Oreal Preference line in shade 7. 34/Sadinia Golden Copper Auburn. This is a vibrant copper shade that suits and adds brightness to many skin tones and eye colors.
L’Oreal Excellence in shade 4.54/Natural Dark Copper. This a deep copper shade suited for all skin tones and looks especially good with dark eyes.
Garnier Excellence cream in shade Medium Natural Copper. This is a dark to medium natural copper shade with brown undertones that suits most skin tones and eye colors.
Schwarzkopf Keratin Color in Mahogany Copper/6.7. This a dark orange shade with strong mahogany brown undertones and suits many different skin tones.

Orange red and orange brown hair colors

Orange red shades are suited for those who want a brighter and more unique shade of orange with red undertones. If you are not a fan of cool red shades and want a shade between red and orange that is bright and stands out, here are some suggestions:

L’Oreal Feria line in shade 74, Mango Intense Copper. This a light red orange hair dye shade suited for those with blonde or light brown hair and fair eyes.
Garnier Nutrisse line in shade 7.64/Intense Copper Red. This a very bright shade or orange red that is sure to turn heads and is suitable for those with fair eyes, and fair skin.
Revlon Colorsilk Luminista in shade 160/Light Red. This a light red shade with subtle copper/orange undertones, although it tends to be towards the red rather than the orange side. This is great for light to medium skintones and light brown, green, or hazel eyes.

Orange hair dye for dark hair

Can orange hair dye look good on dark hair? It’s possible to lighten dark hair to a dark orange shade with no excess bleach. However, light orange shades may require at least one bleaching process to lift, depending on how dark the hair is to begin with. Afro dark hair may require some special hair dye designed for their hair type as it tends to be extra dry and porous.

Here are some suggestions for brands of orange dye for black hair.

L’oreal Sublime Mousse/Dark Copper Blonde 74. This is a light copper blonde shade suited for those with brown or dark blonde hair. This gives a temporary result but it’s good for seeing how an orange shade will look on you, before going permanent.
L’oreal Excellence hair dye in shade 6.46/Light Copper Red. This is a light copper shade that comes out great on dark hair and isn’t too dark or bright. This shade also suits a variety of skin tones and eye colors.
Garnier Nutrisse in Light Natural Copper. This is a medium to light natural copper shade that is great for both dark and light hair.
Clairol’s Nice and Easy line in Natural Light Auburn 110. This a natural auburn dark blonde shade with golden undertones and turns a bright cinnamon shade on dark hair.
Revlon’s Color Silk Beautiful Color line in shade 42/Medium Auburn. A true dark copper shade that is great for those with dark hair and light to medium skin tone.

If you have dark, African American hair, here are some brand suggestions that will work specifically for your hair type:

Crème of Nature brand in shade Golden Copper 8.4. This is honey orange shade with golden undertones and a glossy finish.
Dark and Lovely’s brand in shade Radiant Copper. A medium copper red shade with neutral undertones and a radiant frosty finish. This has the perfect balance of red and copper undertones.

Crazy Orange Shades

Crazy orange shades are not for everyone, but they do make a bold and head-turning statement. Crazy orange hair particularly suits those with fair skin and fair blue or green eyes. Those with darker eyes and skin won’t look so good with this shade as it clashes with their natural coloring, because it is on the opposite color spectrum.

Crazy orange hair dye like all crazy shade hair dyes however, is not permanent. That means you’ll have to re-dye your hair after a certain number of washes as the color will fade out.

A very important thing to consider is that crazy orange shades work best in light blonde hair. In general, the brighter orange you’ll have to achieve, the lightest your hair should be.

Therefore, bleaching your hair blonde first (if it’s not blonde already) is necessary for bright orange shades. If you hair is too dark to begin with, you may need to bleach it more than once to get to its desired shade.

Then you can proceed by applying the semi-permanent hair dye as usual, following the instructions on the package: Some brand suggestions for this include:

Special Effects Napalm Orange. This is a very bright orange coral-y shade that resembles the color of tangerine and works well on medium to light blonde hair.
La Riche Directions Semi-Permanent hair dye in Apricot. This is a very light orange shade with yellow undertones that works on light blonde hair best.
Crazy Colors in Tangerine. This a bright orange shade with strong red undertones. This would work well with medium blonde hair that’s not excessively bleached to white.
Berina Permanent Hair Color in Orange A19. This a true orange shade that looks very citrus-y and bright and worked with bleached or natural light blonde hair.

When choosing a good brand of orange hair dye, remember to consider whether you want the permanent or semi-permanent option. Semi-permanent options are good for the bright or neon orange hair color. Such colors are perfect for Halloween or parties, or just a few occasions.