There’s colour and then there’s hypercolour: Any shade of the rainbow, neon or pastel, in its extreme form. Forget dip-dyed ends and watercoloured tints, this is all-over colour with purpose. And it’s the biggest new season hair trend.
Case in point? At the Spring Summer 2019 shows, hypercolour hair was everywhere. True to form, Marc Jacobs kicked things off in New York. “Every girl had a unique hue to match the colour of their outfits,” said Josh Wood, the uber-colourist behind the decadent dye jobs. The result was a candy-coated lineup of in-your-face pastel pink, violet, peach and blue. Vetements followed suit with acid lime dos, there were electric blue chignons at Matty Bovan, saturated silver bobs at Courreges, raspberry buzz cuts featured at Byblos and Ashley Williams took power pink hair to new levels.
“This is high commitment colour because you have to bleach your hair in the first place,” says Wood. “Otherwise it’s like painting a brown wall brown – there’s no contrast.” When it comes to the colour itself, that’s low commitment (phew!). “It’s all about wash out colour,” confirms Wood. Think of your hair hue as an accessory. “With a white canvas you can paint any colour over it. So you can be violet for two weeks, green for the following weekend and peach by Monday.”
So how do you style it?
Follow this rule: The stronger the tone, the less you need to actually style your hair. According to Wood, having strong colour is such a statement in itself you can wear it in any way you want and it doesn’t matter too much.
What about keeping your colour bright?
“Hair treatments are key,” says Wood. “The more extreme the colour, the more you need to nourish it and help it have the contrast to your natural hair.” Use a mask once a week to do damage control on the bleach situation.
Can you get hypercolour hair at home?
For a long-lasting vibrant hair colour, we recommend visiting a hair salon, as they are able to assist in lightening your hair before applying your favourite hue. If you’re keen to DIY here are our fave home hair colourants:
Paintbox Creative Semi-Permanent Colour in Chasing Blue, £X, Fudge Professional
This wash-out colour (you’ll need three shampoos at a minimum) is an intense electric blue at its finest. Use it on its own for a bright pop of colour or mix it with Fudge’s Whiter Shades of Pale for a pretty, Kylie Jenner-inspired mermaid blue hue instead.
Semi-Permanent Colour in Steel Silver, £5.49, Schwarzkopf Live
Shiny, icy cool silver strands your thing? Then try this ultra-glossy semi-permanent colour. You’ll need to invest in two boxes if you’ve got hair that’s longer than shoulder-length to ensure a rich, even coverage.
Colorista Washout Mint Semi-Permanent Hair Dye, £6.99, L’Oreal Paris
If you’re gaga for green hair you’ll love this temporary mint iteration of the popular hair hue. Apply it from root to tip for an SS19 take on the trend.
City Beats Conditioning Color Cream in Chelsea Coral, £9.95, Redken
According to Wood, peach hair is “bang on SS19”. Rock it in its full glory with this hair-protecting cream colour.
Super Cool Semi-Permanent Hair Colour in The Big Pink, £6, Bleach London
We love Hailey Baldwin’s new pastel pink dye job but this no-commitment neon shade
If a few shampoos still seems one commitment too many opt for a hair chalk instead. Check out our feature on those here.
