Unicorn hues, mermaid blues: Turn your hair into a dazzling canvas

Bored of browns, copper and gold highlights? Ditch them for oh-so-trendy otherworldly shades and brighten up your summer.

Millennial pink — that trendy shade of soft warm rose — is not just for millennials. Smoky violets are just for punk rockers. And you don’t need the monsoon to find a rainbow. The season’s trendiest hair colours are bright and bold and cleverly dyed in so you can rock them after hours and disguise them at work.

Dr Chanchal Jain, 28, a physician from Juhu gave her black locks a shiny multicoloured turn a few months ago. “It is a mix and match of bright violet, blue, pink and yellow,” she explains. The effect is commonly referred to as unicorn. “I got the bottom layer of my hair coloured so I could cover it with the outer layers when I needed to.”

Avani Yashwin, founder of Happy in the head hair salon in Bandra says that more relaxed work environments are allowing men and women to experiment with bright dyes. “The colours are sophisticated and innovative, we get people from all age groups, skin tones and professions, willing to give blending and mixing of hues a try. And it works for everyone,” she says. Here are some looks we love...

Vibgyor your head

Aalim Hakim, hairstylist at Hakims Aalim Hair N Tattoo Lounge salons, says he sees at least one customer a day asking to colour their whole head in an explosion of rainbow hues. “If you have a formal office setup or rules at college, opt for colour only on edges that you can hide under a bun or the outer layer of hair,” he says.

Sheefa Gilani, creative director at fashion blog Style Stash, flashes her unicorn hair (a mix of pink and purple).

Payal Arora, 22, a media graduate, dyes her curls in several colours to much praise from friends. “I have waist-long black curly hair and I was bored of it,” she says, explaining her makeover. “

Anil Masand, 30, a human resources professional, flaunting his new blue glow.

Vrinda Makhija, freelance hairstylist and makeup artist from Khar recommends choosing a dye job that lets the colours show only when you’ve worn it up or created a side parting. That way, it’s easily hidden at the workplace. Yashwin recommends placement panels (different parts of hair such as underneath or sides) for a formal work setup.

THE FULL RINSE

Colouring your hair a bright shade from roots to tip is not the shock it used to be,” says Pia Balwani, founder and hairstylist at Hair Ok Please, Churchgate. “Because rainbow colours are not permanent [they wash out after a few months], they are safest to experiment with.”

Unicorn hair by Hakims Aalim Hair N Tattoo Lounge salon.

If you want to opt for full hair of colour, try subtler ashy and mocha shades, says Vikas Marwah, founder and hair stylist at Vikas Marwah’s hair salons across the city. “We also get kids who are trying on electric blue, the sunshine yellow and pink.”