I consider myself a hair dye addict; so much so that the people at Sally Beauty know me almost on a name-basis. I think I've done everything in the book--all different shades of blue, red, green, yellow, you name it. However, one of my friends in sophomore year gave me a challenge that I had yet to try--the rainbow.
Now rainbow hair is NOT an easy color to attempt--if not done right, the colors can meld together and come out really nasty. Your hair will also need to be bleached to the lightest possible shade it can go, especially if the yellow you use is bright--otherwise, you'll have really bright reds, blues, and greens, but muted oranges and yellows, which makes the hair appear dull and not as in-your-face as you would want to achieve with rainbow hair.
This white would be most ideal, but only do up to what your hair can handle without breakage!
The red MUST be an orange-based red. I used Pillarbox Red, which is a lovely firey color. However, you can also use Wildfire or Rock N' Roll red if needed. Vampire Red is a pink based red, and will not mix well to make a nice orange.
You also want the yellow to be darker, more of a gold color rather than fluorescent, neon yellow. Because of this, I don't recommend Electric Banana because it's a green-yellow, and will not mix well with the red used previously.
Any dark green will do, whether blue-based or yellow-based. Green Envy is the one I used, but you can use any other dark green color. I'd stay away from neon greens such as Electric Lizard, because it can mix with other colors too easily and make it look muddy.
Again, any dark blue will do, but this darker shade of blue looks better with the Green Envy next to it. If you have enough hair, you can also do a transition from the green to a teal or turquoise color, then to Shocking Blue.
.jpg)
I used Ultra Violet for mine, which is a blue-based purple. You can also probably get away with a pink-based purple like Purple Haze, but that would look best when transitioning to a pink color, which I did not do.
Now that you have all of your colors, apply the red to the front part of your hair first. After it is fully saturated, mix equal parts red and yellow to create an orange color. When you are adding colors, this is when it gets tricky. Be sure to blend the transitioning colors slightly into each other, so that there won't be any patches of bleached hair showing through, which can COMPLETELY mess up the look. Keep going with all of the other colors, making sure to rinse off your brush and gloves with each additional color until you get to the last color. Depending on the length of your hair and skill level, you may need the help of a friend to do the back.
It should end up looking something like this when you're done:
Notice how some of the yellow has some orange in it? Be wary of that. Luckily I have thick hair so it's easy for me to hide this mistake, but for those who may not be able to cover it up, work slowly and diligently. I didn't realize until after I took the photo that there was a white spot between the green and the yellow, and I fixed it afterwards. But notice how the the colors neatly transition into each other without looking "blocked off"; the transition is very important for a rainbow look, otherwise it looks choppy and not as smooth.
When washing, try to wash the front part of your hair (red and orange) first, then the back part (green, blue, and purple). Even though the yellow is smack dab in the middle, try to wash that last, so that there's less risk of the colors bleeding onto it. Rinse until the water runs clear.
After it's (mostly) dry, here's the final result:
Warning: If you rock this, you will have small children staring into your soul. They cannot comprehend someone having colored hair, let alone rainbow. Have fun, and happy coloring! <3
