Why rainbow hair is the colour trend you never knew you needed

While you’ve more than likely dyed your hair numerous shades of brunette, blonde and red, have you ever gone rainbow? Like, full unicorn mode? We can already hear a resounding ‘no’, but c’mon people, hear us out - who says you have to stick to one hair colour?

Take it from your favourite celebrities - over the past few years there’s been a TON of different A-listers who have dyed their hair bright rainbow, including Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga and Gigi Hadid, with recent converts like Halsey and Josephine Skriver proving vibrant, rainbow hair is the trend that just keeps on giving. 

Whether you’re looking to go all out with vivid hues on your whole head, or just want something a little more low-key like a subtle dash of colour throughout your braid or fringe, rainbow hair is the perfect way to shake things up and stand out from the crowd (especially come festival season!).

If you’re not keen on a permanent dye job because you don’t want to mess with your natural hair colour (we get it, dying dark hair bright hair colours can be a bit of a long slog!), there are a whole heap of temporary or semi-permanent hair colour brands you can call upon to get the same kind of look (like KMS Style Color Spray-On Color or L’Oréal Paris Colorista Spray), meaning you can dip your toes into a whole spectrum of shades and rinse them away, fuss-free.

From Cardi B’s multi-coloured hair, to Alicia Keys’ killer bubblegum pink/purple/blue combo and Halsey’s rainbow fringe, we’ve pulled together some of the best celebrity rainbow hair ideas that’ll give you all the inspiration to take the plunge. Even if you’re not on board with experimenting with rainbow hairstyles, it’s still a mighty good time scrolling through these celeb transformations!

Cardi B

Considering Cardi B is the QUEEN of hair transformations, it comes as no surprise that she went all-out with a bright multi-coloured, waist-length hairstyle. What can we say, the girl knows how to make a statement, and we are HERE for it (side note: how perfect are the matching heels! We die).

Alicia Keys

Oh man, we love this style on Alicia! Rocking her signature no makeup look, the singer’s colourful candy-pink and blue box braids are a serious standout, proving just how versatile the hair colour trend can be.

Josephine Skriver

Yep, this is one beyond-epic rainbow hair look. Josephine Skriver absolutely *killed* it at this year’s WorldPride March, wearing the candy-hued hair of our dreams. While we wanted this to be her real hair sooo badly, it was actually a custom-made pink and purple wig from Brenton Kane Diallo – which is honestly the perfect option if you don’t want to fully commit.

Halsey

Halsey showed us one way to take the colourful hair trend to the next level with these seriously amazing rainbow bangs. While she opted for a rainbow-ombré fringe, the singer left the rest of her hair jet black. We like.

Gigi Hadid

Fact: Gigi Hadid’s pretty pink ponytail looks cool as hell, and it’s all the proof that she can literally pull off any hairstyle. This bold ombré hair hue with pink, lavender and purple tones is basically like a Snapchat filter IRL – and it looks so good on her! While we have a feeling that this was probably the work of some sneaky hidden clip-in hair extensions, this is *definitely* something we want to copy.

Stella Maxwell and Irina Shayk

Just wow. Stella Maxwell and Irina Shayk’s cotton candy-coloured dreadlocks are absolutely EVERYTHING. Sure, it’s not your everyday in-the-office kinda ‘do (unless you’re a straight-up boss), but jeez it looks awesome! Modelled on the Marc Jacobs catwalk, the hair look gave off a fun and playful vibe.

Rita Ora

We LOVE when Rita Ora switches up her hairstyle (and she surprises us on the reg), but this pastel rainbow hair would have to be one of our favourite looks on her so far. This pink and purple ombré look was created by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, who dubbed it “raspberry ripple”.

Lady Gaga

See, short hair can get in on this trend, too! No stranger to rainbow hair, Lady Gaga’s colourful rainbow style is nothing short of fierce. On the one side we can spot a blend of green, turquoise and blonde hues, while the other side has peach, orange and pink shades. According to her caption, the colour (or colours!) was courtesy of stylist Frederic Aspiras, and yes - we’re absolutely obsessed.

Looking for the right products to keep that bright hair colour looking vibrant? Check out what kinds of shampoo and conditioner are best for coloured hair.

What do you think of the rainbow hair colour trend? Would you try it? Let us know in the comment section below.

Main image credit: @aliciakeys