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Red is one of the hottest hair hues for spring. Unconventional as it may seem, the striking shade adds the right amount of kick to all the nudes and whites we saw on the runways. However, from a personal experience which resulted in half my head green and the other half orange, I highly recommend going to a professional to dye your hair red. Red is not only the rarest hair color, but also one of the finickiest colors to attempt unnaturally. So before braving the bold color, read on for the top factors to consider to get the best results.

So what color should you pick? If you’re looking for a bold statement, go for a straight-up crayola hue like Rihanna. However, if you’d prefer a more natural look, you need to see if your hair is warm, cool, or a neutral color first. If you look great in reds, oranges, or gold go for a warm auburn or cinammon color. If your most flattering colors are blue, grey, and silver try a dark red or chocolate cherry color. Not sure? Just ask your hair stylist and they’ll steer you in the right direction.

How should you dye your hair? You can either do a single process color which involves coloring all of the hair a single color. For a more subtle effect, you can highlight your hair red.  Or for a temporary and subtle look, try a glaze which will just coat the hair shaft with a red sheen and lasts about two to four weeks. For a natural route, women have been using henna for ages to dye their hair a dark warm red.

So you’ve picked your color, picked your treatment, and you now have a gorgeous head of red hair. Most color will fade or turn brassy, but red is notorious for fading within a few weeks if not treated properly. Avoid washing and styling your hair. As gross as it sounds, it’s not only healthier for your hair but less washing and high-heat styling means the pigment will stay longer. On those in-between days use a dry shampoo, and when you do decide to wash your hair use a color-safe shampoo and conditioner and use a heat protectant with that flat-iron. Don’t forget to be nice to your color-treated hair, whatever the color, and give it a deep conditioning treatment every few weeks. Stay out of the sun and chlorine. Again, good for your skin, but also will prevent your color from fading. But if you do go out in the sun, wear a hat, turban, or consider mixing a little sunscreen with water and spray it onto your strands. Before going into a pool, rinse your hair with tap water. The hair will absorb the water and so will absorb less chlorinated water later on.

To refresh color in-between salon visits… Try an at-home color refresher, or pick up a package of semi-permanent dye (which is less damaging) from your local drugstore that closely matches your own color. Mix a little water into the solution and leave on for half of the instructed time as a DIY glaze.