5 Tips For Making Rainbow Haircolor More Wearable

Learn How To Make Rainbow Haircolor More Wearable For Clients

June is Pride Month which means people everywhere are rocking all the rainbows to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community. 🌈 But not all clients who feel inspired to rock rainbow in their hair want to see ROYGBIV painted from roots to ends, which means you’re tasked with finding a way to make rainbow haircolor more wearable. Don’t sweat! We reached out to four creative color queens on the BTC Team to learn their best tips and tricks for creating multidimensional designs that are bold yet subtle—and something clients will want to show off the rest of the year! Keep scrolling to see what they shared.

1. The Key To Making Them Wearable

Just like a mom’s go-to advice for applying makeup, Kristina Cheeseman (@kristinacheeseman) says less is more. “I’m a big fan of extravagant, over-the-top haircolors but I also think there’s an art to simplicity,” shares Kristina. “I think the combination of natural haircolors with pops of rainbow strategically placed can look high-end and luxurious.”

But it also depends on the client and her lifestyle. How does she usually style her hair? What’s her job? Sami Schneider (@samihairmagic) says knowing these things helps determine the perfect rainbow accent for them, whether it’s something vibrant, subtle or hidden.

2. Let’s Talk About Placement

Before she applies any haircolor, Caitlin Ford (@caitlinfordhair) says she likes to map out her intricate designs on paper first. “I’ll paint lines of color on paper in the order I plan to use it and keep it next to my color bowls so I can glance at it to stay on track,” she shares. Additionally, there are five factors Kristina takes into consideration that help her with planning placement: 

1. Her client’s face shape
2. Her client’s haircut
3. If she places a color, what will it look like in combination with the client’s eye color?
4. Should she place something bright near the jaw when the client has a very square jawline?
5. Does she want to enhance something?

3. Tips For A Precise Application

Sami says two things will ensure a precise application: separation and clean sections. So when painting multiple colors in one designated area, know that Saran Wrap, foils or meche will be your BFF. Take your time painting, work clean and place each section in Saran Wrap or foil to keep everything separated. If your hands are your fave tool, Frances Garcia (@makeupbyfrances) recommends keeping a damp towel nearby to clean them off after each color is applied. 

4. How To Prevent Color Transfer & Bleeding

As mentioned above, clean gloves will prevent a cross-contamination of colors but here are a few other things that’ll help prevent color transfer and bleeding:

• Refer to the color wheel. Kristina says to be strategic and place colors based on what can melt together to avoid a muddy result.

• If possible, Sami recommends having an assistant or available co-worker help keep sections away from each other. If you’re flying solo, Caitlin says she uses meche to give herself a stable surface to work on and then she’ll use balayage film to press new partings onto previously saturated sections to protect her finished sections.

• When rinsing, Kristina says to use cold, cold water, don’t rub the hair, use the pressure of the water to remove the color and work section by section.

5. The Fade Out & Booking The Touch-Up

Frances has her clients on an 8- to 12-week rotation as long as they aren’t worried about gray coverage, however, she says they rarely reapply the rainbow accents the same way each time. “I change it up almost every appointment until we need a lightening touch up or base color,” she shares.

As for the fade out, check out the before and after below to see how one of Caitlin’s multidimensional rainbow designs faded after a couple of weeks!

Learn how Caitlin creates her viral rainbow fringe—CLICK HERE!