Are you ready to look bright, bold and beautiful ready for Pride 2021? Whether you’re joining a local celebration or taking part virtually, what better excuse is there for spending some time creating the perfect Pride hairstyle? Read on for some tips and tricks on colouring your hair at home, to fill you with confidence and ensure that you look your finest.
Plan ahead
Don’t leave your hairstyle plans to the last minute if you’re planning to go for a bold colour. You’ll need to buy everything you need in advance, from the colour(s) to the brush(es), so spend some time working out precisely how you want to do your hair well in advance. If you’re stuck for inspiration, hit up Instagram and Pinterest for some awesome ideas.
Whether your hair is super short or long enough to give Rapunzel a run for her money, colouring it can create a dramatic, memorable look that’s guaranteed to turn heads.
How to colour your hair at home
Firstly, decide on the colour(s) you want. Pink, purple, blue, green… any bright, single colour can look superb. Of course, if you’re feeling more ambitious, you could go for rainbow hair, which is very much on-trend for Pride 2021, after some stunning rainbow dos were showcased at last year’s virtual celebrations.
Once you have chosen your colours, find a time when you won’t be disturbed and gather your hair-dying essentials. You’ll need a brush, a colour bowl, a shower cap, some gloves and some Vaseline. If you have very thick hair or are using multiple colours, then you’ll need some hair clips to divide your hair into sections. And if you’re going for something more complex than a single colour, it might be worth adding a toothbrush to your arsenal as well – toothbrushes are great for applying highlights or stripes of colour.
With everything assembled, it’s time to begin. Start by rubbing the Vaseline on the skin all-around your hairline. This helps to discourage any drips from running down and staining your face/ears/neck while you colour your hair. Next, don your gloves and put the colour into the bowl and paint onto the hair using the brush. If you’re going for more than one colour or your hair is really thick, clip up the upper sections and start painting colour onto the hair underneath.
Apply colour until the hair is evenly coated, then pop on your shower cap and wait for however long the dye packet specifies. The shower cap should help to avoid any drips. Be sure to keep a window open for ventilation while you apply the colour and wait for it to set.
Once the colour has been left for the amount of time specified on the packet, rinse and/or wash the hair, again following the packet instructions closely.
For super-short hair, if you don’t fancy an all-over colour, why not use a paintbrush to paint hearts, stars, rainbows or whatever you feel best expresses your individuality directly onto your hair?
And that’s it! You now have perfectly coloured, Pride-worthy hair. But that’s just half the job…
Styling your Pride hair
Do you want luscious, flowing pink curls? How about bright blue spikes? Or a striking purple Mohican? However you plan to style your hair for Pride, it’s worth putting in some practice time.
Practising your Pride do will give you the confidence to know precisely how to achieve the look that you’re after. And if you don’t get it right the first time, you’ll have time to experiment and perfect your look before the actual event.
Why is styling so important? Well, Pride is all about being free to be who you truly are and to own it. For many people, the way that they look is deeply linked with how they feel about themselves. But there’s often an element of toning down that style – sometimes in a major way – for the workplace. According to a survey by All Things Hair, 46.9% of us change our hair to avoid being judged in day-to-day life. Is this you? Or are you one of the lucky 53.1% who doesn’t worry about being judged when it comes to your hair in everyday life?
Completing the look
So you’ve sorted your Pride hair colour and style, but have you coordinated your outfit and accessories? Including your hair accessories? According to the researchers at All Things Hair, 75.9% of us choose hair accessories to express our identity. Given the importance of Pride hair in terms of identity expression, Pride hair accessories take on a whole new level of meaning! As such, be sure to plan ahead for those all-important accessories to hold your newly coloured tresses in place.
Caring for dyed hair
The other important part of colouring your hair for Pride is caring for it afterwards. Colouring your hair can result in split ends and breakage – hardly the hair hangover that you want to be left with as the atmosphere of Pride fades for another year!
Time, then, to give your hair some serious TLC. Why not go the whole works, with a pre-shampoo, an ultra-nourishing shampoo and a conditioning hair mask? Coconut oil works wonders for locking in moisture, particularly for curly, textured and frizz-prone hair. Manketti oil is ideal for brittle hair, argan oil is great for dry hair and jojoba oil is ideal for hair that’s been chemically treated.
Many of these oils can not only be used as pre-shampoos but can also be applied and left overnight for a more intensive recovery. So if this year’s Pride experience leaves you looking a little worse for wear, you know there’s a way to help your hair, at least, recover its natural radiance!
