Ever wanted to dye your hair pink?

As a professional hair stylist I would say the most popular alternative hair colour request is for pink hair, so you’re not alone. Pink hair is like the blonde of the unnatural hair colours. Why? Because they are both sexy, fun, feminine and both are popular colours with celebrities. Lets look at the whys and wherefores of pink hair, who’s doing pink, how it can affect people around you and what pink hair colour says about you…

Pink Hair – History

Though fashion’s current embrace of pink hair may seem daringly nouveau, a quick look at newspapers from the past century reveals that, long before the birth of punk , the industry was fascinated by blush-coloured hair — not because pink was rock ‘n roll, but because it was pretty.

1914 – A writer named Margaret Mason was an early advocate of the pink hair trend. In florid, punny prose, she wrote about the joys of pink hair in a January 2, 1914 piece for the United Press titled “Mad Rush of Color Extends to the Hair.” “If you are simply dyeing to be fashionable,” wrote Mason, “then choose a bright shade of cerise, for pink hair is the pink of fashionable perfection.” A year later, in the Milwaukee Sentinel , Mason extolled the virtues of henna dye. “Haste then and hie you to the henna if you are a wise woman,” she declared. “Begin to red up immediately. If you would be the pink of perfection, you certainly must have pink hair.”

1937 – Some twenty years later, the A.P. reported that hair “tinted ‘a tender, tender rose’ is the great new thing in women’s styles.” This was according to a European hair stylist named Leo of Vienna, who was in New York to present at the Austria booth of the world fair.

“If you are simply dyeing to be fashionable,then choose a bright shade of cerise, for pink hair is the pink of fashionable perfection.” – Margaret Mason, January, 1914

1940 – In World War II-era London, the U.P. reported, blondes who found that their hair clashed with their khaki uniforms began clamouring for a pink tint. “Blondes are going to turn pink because they have found out that their soldier boy friends prefer brunettes or chestnuts-or pinks,” wrote the U.P.

1960 – Though pink hair trends are generally geared toward the fairer sex (John Cale and Dennis Rodman notwithstanding), a November 1960 bit from the A.P. declared that in at least one Cambridgeshire town, “A boy without pink hair is a boy without a girl friend.” An eighteen-year-old named David Grange told the newspaper, “At first the girls laughed but now they won’t go out with any boy who hasn’t got pink hair…It makes you stand out in a crowd.” The trend unfairly favoured blond boys, though, as “on chaps with dark hair the solution tends to turn their hair scarlet.”

Pink Hair – Music Industry Celebrities

In the past the music industry  has had it’s share of pink haired divas, Cyndi Lauper and Toyah Willcox are some of the earliest. In 1984 Madonna paid her pink dues on the British television show Top of the Pops. The material girl sported an ultra pink wig while preforming “Like A Virgin”.

1980’s

1984 Madonna in pink wig on ‘Top of the Pops‘ (perhaps Lady Gaga’s inspiration?)

1980’s Cyndi Lauper, known for bright hair colours, also had pink (P!nk’s inspiration?)

1980’s Toyah Willcox trend-setter with her paintbox pink locks.

Then in early 2000 pink hair made a come back. Gwen Stefani put her spin on the trend à la braids in No Doubt‘s music video for “Ex-Girlfriend”. Sales in fluorescent pink hair dye increased exponentially. 2001 Christina Aguilera first had subtle pink streaks, but Aguilera’s still rocking the pink in her 2012 video, “Your Body”. Of course I have to mention the original rocker, whose very name comes from her iconic pink hair she first had when going solo in 2000… P!nk. Even today P!nk still puts subtle pink tones in her hair from time to time.

2000

2000 Gwen Stefani with pink hair in No Doubt‘s music video for “Ex-Girlfriend”.

2000 P!nk goes solo with her iconic pink hair to match her name.

2001 Christina Aguilera first had subtle pink streaks. Today it’s all pink.

Avril Lavigne’s pink hair at the 2007 American Music Awards

Lily Allen went pink back in 2008 for Glamour Women Awards

Hayley Williams goes pink for the MTV EMAs in 2010

Demi Lovato with pink hair performing in Central Park 2012.

Lady GaGa with pink hair on the cover of Vogue

Pink Nicki Minaj on the cover of Wonderland

Katy Perry with pink hair on the cover of InStyle

Pink Hair – Hollywood

Pink in Film:

2011: Samaire Armstrong with pink locks

Pink hair hasn’t just been on screen, but hollywood starlets have been spotted do the pink trend on the red carpet. Star of ‘It’s a Boy Girl Thing’ Samaire Armstrong showed off messy, wavy pink locks at the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honoring Iman and Missoni in 2011. The O.C. actress went for thick pink streaks in her blonde tousled hairstyle for a fun look.

Lana Wachowski

Star of ‘Kick-Ass’ actress Chloe Moretz  debuted subtle pink streaks in the bottom layers of her blond ‘do at the Costume Designers Guild Awards in 2012. Glee actress Dianna Agron dyed her hair bright pink for the show before letting it wash out to sport a simple pale pink hue in 2011. Actress, fashion designer, and singer-songwriter Taryn Manning sported a fishtail braided with pink streaks for a pretty, barely-noticeable result at the premiere of “The Perfect Age Of Rock ‘N ‘Roll” in 2011. It’s not just actresses doing pink hair, director of the Matrix trilogy and Cloud Atlas, Lana Wachowski even has bright pink dreadlocks.

Pink Hair – Fashion

Chris Benz and Julie Macklowe with pink hair

Model Coco Rocha with pink hair extensions

On Models:

Lastly, let’s not forget My Little Pony with its original bright pink mane. Having so many celebrities – usually alternative celebrities to some degree – adopt pink hair at one time or another only increases the popularity of having pink hair.

Pink Hair – Psychology

Pink has in incredible effect on us, it can affect our taste buds, calm our temper and zap our strength…

Model Ryo Love with pink hair. Photographer John Farrar.

 

Pink is the ‘sweet’ colour that makes things taste ‘better’

Pink is actually known to makes us crave sugar. This is partially why pink dye is added to cotton candy (or “fairy floss, although it would be a brave fairy – or a little runty one that’s been bullied by the tooth fairy – who’d floss their teeth with pure pink sugar”) since processed sugar is white.

Psychological studies have also shown that sweet pastries are thought to taste better when they come out of pink boxes or are served on pink plates.

 

Model Lindsay Woods with pink hair, eating pink cake

Calming pink could sap Samson’s strength better than a haircut

Pink has also been found to have a tranquillising effect. It encourages friendliness while discouraging aggression and ill-will. Some studies of the colour pink suggest that male weightlifters seem to lose strength in pink rooms. Prison holding cells have been painted pink as an experiment and have effectively reduced erratic behaviour. The tranquillising effect of the colour pink was made use of at Iowa State University in the 1970s: Football coach Hayden Fry had the visiting team’s locker room painted pink as a much-debated attempt to, erm, relax the players more than they would have liked!

Pink hair – Meaning and Symbolism

Photo: Innis McAllister

Pink for a Girl:
Pink is well known as the colour for girls. As a result pink is associated with gentleness, youthfulness, love and femininity. It’s strong association with femininity means it’s often used as a symbolic colour for women. It’s used in girls baby clothes, pink ribbons for breast cancer, on the door to identify public women’s bathrooms. Pink is even used in logo’s to identify as being a girls brand. (For example; Hello Kitty, Barbie, Victoria Secret, Diva and Supre). So having pink hair for a girl enforces her femininity.

Pink for playful and sexy:
Pink is a softer, less violent red. Both colours denote love, but while red is direct, hot and passionate, pink is playful, flirtatious and romantic. “Dressed in Pink Makes The Boys Wink” is an old expression suggesting that men find pink attractive. In Japan, the sex appeal of pink is well known. Japanese erotic cinema and adult movies are known as ‘pink films’ due to pink’s sexual connotations. In feng shui, the colour pink is connected to love and marriage and is believed to soothe the heart. Having pink hair may suggest you are flirtatious, playful and sexy. 

Pink for a Boy:
During the first half of the 20th century pink was considered a boys colour. It wasn’t established as a feminine colour until the 1940s. Most likely as a result of mass marketing by American retailers, however experts are still debating the origin of gender associated colours. By 1959 New York Times quoted a children’s clothing buyer, “A mother will allow her girl to wear blue, but daddy will never permit his son to wear pink.” Today’s strong gender association with pink means pink hair on a boys would be considered emasculating.

The most well known pink symbol for men is the pink triangle. It originated in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The downwards pointing pink triangle was used to identify male prisoners who were sent there because of their homosexuality. Today the pink triangle has become one of the symbols of the modern gay rights movement. The icon has been reclaimed as a symbol of empowerment, and, by some, a symbol of remembrance to the suffering of others during a tragic time in history.

Due to the pink’s association with gay rights, we now have an economic term “pink pound” or “pink dollar” which refers to the spending power of the LGBT community. Advertising agencies sometimes call the gay market the pink economy.

Pink hair or wigs are often used as a symbol of gay pride in Mardi Gras parades or worn by drag queens. Gay model, fashion designer, makeup artist Jeffree Star  is famous for his pink hair and gender-bending appearance. There is even a children’s book called, “The Boy With The Pink Hair,” which is a euphemism for “the boy with homosexual tendencies”. It’s the story of a boy who is not afraid to be who he is and how his difference makes a difference.

If you are a straight male and want to dye your hair pink, be aware that people may make assumptions about your sexual orientation based on your hair colour. However if you’re gay and proud, then dying your hair pink  is a great way to express yourself. 

Pink Hair – What Colours Work With Pink?

Pink fortunately works well with almost all the other bright colours. Pink’s opposite colour in the colour wheel is light green, so this combination will give a great contrast. Some other good combination’s are..

Pink and Yellow hair on Lexi Lush

Baby Pink and Blue

Pink and Purple Hair on Olivia

Pink and Lime hair on Hannah 

The only colour that it will clash with is red. Red heads with pink streaks usually don’t work unless you’re specifically looking for a colour clash.

If you just want pink streaks and an all-over natural colour, I would suggest using black if you like hot pink, and light blonde if you want candy pink streaks. Brown bases can look OK, but to really get those pink streaks standing out I’d suggest blonde or black for the natural all-over colour.  For any combinations, you’ll need to put the colour in foil packets to stop them mixing.

Thing to Watch Out for When You Dye Your Hair Pink

Dying your hair any bright colour is a messy business. So be sure to use gloves, old towels and old clothes you don’t mind getting colour on. Pink will take best to bleached or blonde hair. You can go to a salon to get your hair lightened, or if you wish to do this step at home I would strongly advise you read my guide first.

Adore Rose|Directions Pastel Pink|Manic Panic Cotton Candy|Crazy Colour Pinkissimo|SFX Atomic |Fudge Flamingo

If you have had a previous bright colour in your hair and it has washed out but you still have residue, you need to consider how this may affect the the result of the new shade of pink you wish to dye your hair…

1st Example: If you have recently had blue in your hair, your hair will still have a pale blue residue. If you then want to put pink over it the result will be more of a purplish-pink colour. (BLUE + PINK = PURPLE)

2nd Example: If you previously had yellow in your hair last time, you will have a pale yellow residue left. If you then want to put pink over it, the result will be more of a light orange colour.(YELLOW + PINK = LIGHT ORANGE)

Another thing to consider with dyeing your hair pink is which shade of pink you want to go for. How long do you want the colour to last? The darker the shade of pink dye, the longer it lasts, and the lighter the shade, the quicker it fades. For example, Special Effects Atomic Pink Dye can be extremely long lasting, even difficult to remove, but Fudge Paintbox Pink Moon may only last two weeks.

Finally… Is Pink Truly the New Blonde?

I’ll let you decide. But one thing’s for sure – pink hair is here to stay.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel a deep and unnatural urge to eat some candy floss…

Video: Celebs Go Crazy For Pink Hair Dye…

Pink hair history source: www.slate.com

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Want to create pink hair at home?

Discover Anya’s eBook guide: ‘Any Colour Of The Rainbow – The Ultimate Guide to Alternative Hair Colour‘. This guide covers everything from safe bleaching with ammonia free bleach to creating stunning multi colours with foil. Find out all the best products, how to do pastel colours, how to maintain vibrant colour, create ombre colour like to professionals and so much more…

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