Unicorn Hair: What You Need to Know Before Trying the Trend

Pink Hair Don’t Care!

If, like me, your Instagram feed has been full of the rainbow hair trend, you’ve probably also been pinning away on Pinterest with a whole (maybe some day) hair board full of pretty, pastel manes and vibrant multi colour locks. While celebrities like Katy Perry and Gigi Hadid can rock the rainbow trend and mix up their hair colour from week to week, the reality isn’t so simple. For the rest of us, daring to go bolder and experimenting with hair hues can seem pretty daunting and risky business.

Read more: Hairdressers in Hong Kong: Tame your Tresses with our Top 10 Picks

I have to admit, being a 90’s kid, I was a huge fan of those fun (albeit very messy) colour hair mascaras, and I have tried a few DIY pastel shampoos at home, so when O2 Hair Salon asked the Sassy team if one of us would be up for trying out the unicorn hair trend, all fingers pointed at me!

What you should know before trying the trend:

• If you have dark hair, you will most likely need to spend some time in the salon lightening your hair to achieve a bright colour – be ready for this commitment (it can literally take a whole day!)
• Ease into unicorn hair – choose a medium tone rather than a bright tone first
• Highlights or Balayage are great options for adding in more and more colour
• Colouring tips only in a Balayage style is perfect if you’re curious about colour but afraid to take the full plunge
• Coloured tips will also help minimise your time in the salon seat and require less maintenance as you won’t have roots to worry about
• Usually bright colour dye won’t last that long, so be prepared for the colour to fade quickly and make the most of your rainbow days!

The Price:

Colour treatments start at $600, and to achieve the rainbow hair look (with technical highlights) the price would be approx. $2,200.

The Process:

– Make sure you set up an initial consultation with your stylist to choose your colours and find out how they will achieve the look. This is your chance to ask how long the process should take and the commitment needed (lightening your hair, maintenance etc.) My hair already had some blonde balayage that was quite grown out, and while I wanted the rainbow colours to show, I was keen for low maintenance, without roots once the colour faded. Robbie from O2 was fantastic at managing my expectations and talking me through the process. Robbie recommended adding in subtle highlights, so that the colours would pop against my dark, natural brown hair.

– Let the experts do their thing, be prepared and take along some good reading material as you’ll probably work your way through the salon magazines pretty quickly!

– After care – Ask your stylist to recommend the best products that will keep the colour for longer and also those which treat bleached hair (check out the products recommended by o2 Hair Salon below).

The Products:

Robbie used Wella Professionals iNSTAMAT!C colour for the dye, and Phyto products for the aftercare which are paraben-free. O2 Hair Salon also recommends a Nanokeratin treatment for aftercare to combat the bleaching

O2 Hair Studio, G/F 38 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong, Tel: 25296289, Email: [email protected], www.o2hairstudio.com