Whether you’re the life of the party or you’re a shy gal looking to break out of your shell, rainbow hair colour makes for an excellent conversation-starter. This hairstyle is a surefire way to show off your true colours, even if you opt to be the wallflower at the party.
All sorts of celebrities have rocked some iteration of the multi-coloured hairstyle, and in this guide, we list some of our fave looks and share tips and tricks on how to rock each one.
RELATED: Hot Hair Tips From A Pro Stylist
What Is Rainbow Hair?
Rainbow hairstyles are basically dye jobs consisting of two or more colours. The craziest ones literally consist of most, if not all, the colours of the rainbow or really really bright hair colour – think shocking pink or neon green! Meanwhile, more conservative looks can consist of two-toned hair, pastel rainbow hair, and colourful highlights and lowlights.
Tips For First-Timers
Listen, as bold as you may be, taking on the arduous journey to having multi-coloured hair can be expensive, time-consuming, and damaging to your hair; especially if you aren’t very careful when it comes to selecting products and during the process of bleaching and colouring your hair. This isn’t to deter anyone from getting the look, but to simply prepare for the journey that lies ahead.
Tip #1: Find Inspo Online
Have pegs! Get on Pinterest and look up ideas you love and might want to use as your pegs. This is important if you’re getting your hair coloured at the salon, as your colourist will appreciate a guide.
Tip #2: Go For A Colour That Complements Your Skin Tone
Look, there is no hard and fast rule for choosing colours, and ultimately the choice is yours! However, some colours or shades do look better with certain undertones, or the base tone of your skin.
It makes sense to choose a colour that works in contrast to your undertones so that it really stands out! So if you have warm (gold and yellow) undertones, bluish, purplish and other cooler shades would look really good on your hair. If you have cool (pink and blue) undertones, warmer shades sunset colours would be ideal.
Tip #3: Learn About The Different Kinds Of Dyes
How long do you want your hair colour to last? This will guide your decision on whether you should get a temporary, semi-permanent, or a permanent dye.
Temporary dyes come as creams, foams, and sprays, and only last until you wash them out. These types of dyes usually do not need any prior bleaching.
On the other hand, semi-permanent dyes last about six to eight weeks and need constant reapplication. This might incur damages to your hair if done too frequently.
Lastly, permanent dyes last a couple of months, but they have to be applied to bleached hair.
Tip #4: Make Sure Your Hair Stays Healthy
Keep your hair healthy! Dyeing dark hair bright colours requires an initial application of bleach in order to lighten the hair. If you don’t bleach your hair, the dye won’t be as apparent and you won’t end up with that bright and bold look you’re actually going for. However, bleaching is very damaging to your hair, so it’s important that you nourish and take care of your hair with the right products.
The Rainbow Hairstyles We Love (And How To Get Them)
4. Gigi Hadid’s Vibrant Pink Pony
Fans of the model were gagged when they saw Gigi Hadid’s gorgeously bright hair colour in 2017. We love it too because Gigi retains her natural golden roots and has her hair taper off into an ombre of sorts into the bright pink dye. This look is good for gals who want to keep their rainbow hair hidden by tying their locks up in a discreet updo.
Best Product For The Look: Joico Intensity Semi-Permanent Hair Colour
Joico does something cool by offering metallic colours on top of the regular colours you see in other brands. Though it doesn’t last quite as long as the others (five to 20 shampoos), the dye’s edge is in its customizability. You can apparently mix colours together to get the colour that feels right for you!
Price: AUD$18.99
3. Pink’s Purple Ombre Bob
Pink has always been one to sport an edgy hairstyle, be it with a shocking pink mohawk or a platinum blonde pixie cut. In 2017, Pink gave us another jaw-dropping look: her pink to purple ombre bob. This look particularly suits bisexual gals, as the colours are very close to those in the bisexual flag. We think it’d be a great way to wear your hair at Pride! This is also great for girls with short hair!
Best Product For The Look: Punky Hair Colour
Punky Colour has a good selection of purple, pink, and blue dyes, which makes it perfect for anyone gunning for the bi flag look. Another great thing about Punky Colour is that it’s “super long-lasting” – some say the colour stays vibrant for over a month! It’s also supposed to have a nice fade, as well as a delicious grape-like scent.
Price: AUD$44.16
2. Cardi B’s Waist
-Length Rainbow Hair
It’s not that we want to add to the Nicki Minaj-Cardi B feud, but can you really blame us for comparing the two when it comes to who reigns supreme as the rainbow-haired queen? After all, Allure already called her the queen of being a hair chameleon when she debuted waist-length rainbow hair in December 2018.
This look is suited to gals who want to take the term “rainbow hair” literally. Also, you’ll obviously need waist-length hair to pull off this look.
Best Product For The Look: Special Effects Hair Dye
Though the ‘do was actually a wig, you can attempt to recreate the look yourself with your own real hair. According to a list on Byrdie, rainbow hair-lovers are super into Special Effects’ Semi-Permanent dyes. It can last up to six weeks, has a conditioning effect on hair, and comes in a bottle designed to avoid drips and spills. Do you know what else is cool about this brand? They sell glow-in-the-dark hair dye!
Price: AUD$62.32
1. Nicki Minaj’s Candy-Coloured Locks
Nicki might as well be hailed the queen of rainbow hairstyles, as the rapper has donned countless multi-coloured looks, from her pastel rainbow hair colour at Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV album release party in 2011, to her cotton candy half-ponytail and Starburst-inspired ‘dos in the “Barbie Dreams” music video.
Nicki often sports long locks when she goes all out with her hair colour, so it’d be much easier to recreate her iconic looks if you yourself already have long hair.
Best Product For The Look: Manic Panic
For the pastel look, you’re better off using Manic Panic’s Creamtone Collection. They’ve got pink, purple, blue, orange, and seafoam green colours. For the Starburst-inspired look, go for Manic Panic’s Classic High Voltage Hair Colour in Electric Lizard, Sunshine, and Wildfire.
A lot of colour-crazy gals love Manic Panic because it’s known to do minimal damage on hair. Another big plus is that it’s a vegan-friendly dye!
Price: AUD$20.95
Conclusion
When you’re finally ready to dye your hair all (or some) of the colours of the rainbow, you can always turn to these four celebs for inspiration. Go for a vibrant two-toned ponytail like Gigi Hadid or go full-rainbow like Cardi B! Whatever it is, know that you’re going to look awesome either way.
RELATED: 9 Best Hair Shine Sprays & Products: How To Get Shiny Hair
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