Transforming To Mermaid Blue In A Day

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The Chapel Hairdressing

If you've had your eye on Instagram, you'll be aware of one hair trend that has boldly risen to the surface as of late: mermaid hair. Making our childhood dreams come true, we've seen a whole host of variations of the trend: from deep oil slicked blue and violet to an abundance of pretty pastels with shades of pink and yellow flowing throughout. This trend is all about multi-tonal colour, combining shades which complement each other to create a truly magical effect.

The mermaid hair trend has been around for a while: starting in 2015, in line with the anniversary of The Little Mermaid. We soon saw colours of blue, green, purple, pink and yellow all being used on the hair with a whole multitude of different techniques. Before and after shots show incredible transformations, and naturally, we've seen more people come in requesting mermaid hair. But, this is by no means a trend which is easily achieved: often taking hours of work from a dedicated colourist and patient client.

So when tasked by Redken to create our very own mermaid look, we couldn't wait to get started. Uber-talented colour specialist Jamie at Tunbridge Wells took on the challenge, and here we give you a sneak peak into how he made mermaid hair happen.

Making mermaid dreams come true

Take our mermaid look: starting with a dark brown root and patchy ginger and blonde outgrowth, Jamie had to take things back to basics. Using Redken Blonde Glam, Jamie sought to bring the hair to a light blonde all over, keeping the root dark. Lifting the hair this way allowed him to create a great foundation for the bright mermaid tones, whilst still maintaining the integrity of the hair.

Next up was a cut to make sure that there was enough movement in the hair to truly appreciate the multi-tonal mermaid colours. Keeping the ends blunt, Jamie mostly worked through the crown strategically placing layers in a star shape to give natural volume whilst still maintaining length.

After lightening and cutting, the fun part took place. Jamie used a whole range of different shades from Redken's City Beats range. He kicked things off with a Broadway Blue blend to stretch the root and to begin a fish scale pattern working down the hair. Jamie then continued with the pattern using Clear to lighten East Village Violet with Midtown Magenta or Broadway Blue, and finally Teal with Yellow Cab. Hand painting using each of the colours allowed for a great diversity of shades and the scale pattern to really come through. The final flourish was a wash and bold blow dry to give a smooth finish with soft wave-like movement -- a mermaid masterpiece.

Can I be a mermaid too?

In theory, anyone can try the style, but what we often forget is all of the hours between a before and after shot. This particular look took a total of 7 hours, after lightening, cutting, colouring, washing, and of course styling, so it's important to be truly committed to the investment. If you're not ready to make the full mermaid transition why not go for a more subtle whisper of the trend? A pastel green or blue balayage can give a nice glow to ends of the hair, or perhaps adding some mermaid-toned babylights. If you're naturally blonde, you can easily incorporate these bold tones into your look, whereas darker toned ladies may need to pre-lighten the hair to achieve this. As with any trend, it can be adapted to suit your style, with no compromise on how you feel about your hair, so why not give it a go? Get in touch with one of our experts who can help you on your way to mermaid hair, or if you're looking for more inspiration have a look around our blog.

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