Funky Pink Hair - Wigs, Extensions, Dye / Color & Other Products

Pink hair pops. That's a fact. Pink is a funky, edgy, big, bold, bright, hot color that is hard to ignore. Brunettes, blondes and-- dare I say it-- even redheads can't easily compete with pink-haired people. And while it is not so common in the everyday world, it is in the fashion & entertainment cultures, as this lens will detail. Scroll down to find out more about the history of pink hair, how to get it and how to maintain it.

It goes further back than you think...

There's currently an article on Slate.com titled "Pink Hair Is All the Rage -- Just Like it Was in 1914". It proceeds to chart & discuss the history of pink hair from 1914 through to the 1960s, long before pink hair showed up in the "Punk" & "Scene" worlds. Give it a read if you're interested.

Wigs are a good way to figure out what color and style you like best. You might look better with dark pink hair than you do pastel pink hair, and better with long hair than short hair. It depends. There are plenty of wigs on Amazon, eBay and elsewhere that you can search through and order. Or, you can go into a local wig store near you and try several wigs on in person before deciding what you want.

If you're simply trying to achieve a streaked look and don't want a full head of pink hair, you can use extensions. Or, if you're ready to dye your hair pink but have short or thin hair, and you want long, voluminous pink hair, hair extensions can help with this too because you won't have to wait to grow your hair out. If you have your hair dyed professionally, you can bring a package of hair extensions with you to show the hairstylist exactly what color to dye your hair. They can put the extensions in some time after that (probably not the same day, since your dyed hair and scalp might need a break before putting the hair extensions in).

There's another option as well. If the extensions are easy to put in yourself, you can buy blonde hair extensions (to match your own bleached hair) and dye them at the same time that you dye your own hair. This way, the extensions will match your own dyed hair.

Just as I mentioned on my Red Hair & Redheads lens (and I'll be restating this verbatim [exactly the same]), extensions can be done several different ways. Here are a few of them:

• Clip-on hair extensions can be clipped and pinned in with your hair, and then brushed or combed to blend in with your own hair. This is probably the easiest way to get extensions done.
• Weaving/Sewn-in hair extensions, where your hair is braided a certain way, and then the hair extensions are sewn in along the braids.
• Braided-in hair extensions, where the extensions are just braided in with your own hair. This is usually only done when you're going to have all your hair braided up or have dreadlocks.
• Bonding/Glued-in extensions. To my knowledge, there are different types of glues that can be used. But the best kind of glue to use for this process is protein glue. I had extensions done this past summer with protein glue, which my hairdresser told me is best for the hair since hair is made up of protein as well, which makes the glue more gentle on your hair than other glues.

Here is a very good link/website with more information about hair extensions:

HairResources.net (first of 6 steps/pages on the research and process to be aware of when getting hair extensions; also describes 7 ways to get hair extensions done [which include the four ways I described above])

While it is best to get your first dye job done professionally, you can do it yourself. But you need to have some idea of what you're doing.

I have never tried to dye my hair pink, so I cannot give any tips from my own experience. But I can give a few tips based on other people's experiences. If you're going to dye your hair, it's best to talk to someone else who has dyed their own hair before. They can tell you what they did right, as well as what they did wrong. Also, PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS on the box or container. You are far less likely to mess your hair up if you do what the instructions tell you to do.

There are also some YouTube video tutorials about dying your hair pink, some of which I have included further down on this page.

This Amazon wishlist features pink hair products galore (wigs, hair extensions and hair dyes) for you to look at and maybe buy.

Pink Hair Wigs, Hair Extensions and Hair Dyes

In the list below are a few hair dye tutorial videos and a video on how to dye hair extensions (if you need to).

Pink Hair Dye Tutorials on YouTube

The first video is a pink hair FAQ video from YouTuber albinwonderland. It is literally the most in-depth video on pink hair that I've seen on YouTube. Anything I haven't answered on this webpage will probably be in her video. If not, go to the video on YouTube and post a question in the comments section. While she's not a professional, she's had pink hair since 2004 or 2005, so... she knows what she's talking about. (P.S. - It is a 22-minute long video, so get comfortable.)

The second video shows the hair dyeing process with a girl dying her hair pink. Her hair is already pretty blonde, so she doesn't bleach it here. If you have darker hair, you will need to bleach it. (P.S. The volume button isn't broken on this video. YouTube permanently muted it because she uses an unauthorized song. No, I don't know why they did it that way.)

The third video features hair extensions being dyed a pastel pink, with the actual dying process is shown here. She achieves this color buy only using a little bit of pink hair dye with a lot of white conditioner.

The fourth video features a girl dying her entire head a pastel, cotton candy pink. She also mentions having mixed in a lot more conditioner than usual with a little bit of pink dye so that the color would come out lighter.

The fifth video is from the lovely Youtuber named Brittany Balyn, who is dying her hair a coral pink. She mixes a few dots of red dye and just a dab of orange dye with conditioner. (P.S. She also has not bleached her hair in this video, as it's already blonde.) The video is pretty clear about the process, but a YouTube commenter did have this to say about the brand of dyes Brittany is using here:

"I think an important thing to know about Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids: they are technically semi-permanent dyes. However, while they are not mixed with a developer, they last in the hair for quite some time. They cannot be removed with bleach or hair color extractors. So be careful."

I've opted to simply list a few of the best hair care products in one single "wishlist" below, but I wanted to give a brief explanation of what certain products will do for your hair (for those of you that aren't as familiar with these hair care products).

List of Hair Bleaching Kits, Products & Hair Color Remover; Hair Toning Products; Protein Shampoos, Conditioners, Serums and Protein Fillers

And now for a short description of the products on this list...

Hair Bleaching Kits, Products & Hair Color Remover on Amazon:

There are some hair bleaching products you can use, along with a hair color remover kit if you don't like the way the dye job comes out...

Hair Toner Products on Amazon:

If you bleach your hair but it comes out with brassy tones (yellows & oranges) in it, these products are supposed to help get rid of the brassiness. But read the directions for how to correctly use your chosen product in order to get your desired results. And definitely read the reviews for these products.

Protein Shampoos, Conditioners, Serums and Protein Fillers on Amazon:

The protein fillers are to be used a good 30-60 minutes before you apply your color. It restores protein in damaged hair & allows the color to stick better. Also, using protein shampoos and conditioners will keep your hair healthy. But READ THE DIRECTIONS.

There are a few alternative models who have pink hair- Audrey Kitching (as previously mentioned), Jeffree Star (a make-up artist, DJ, singer-songwriter and cross-dressing model), and Kelly Eden (a model, painter, tattoo artist, makeup artist and student), seen in this Vimeo video.

Kelly Eden Vimeo video

Whether or not you realized it (before seeing this module), there have been plenty of celebrities who have had pink hair or still have it. Some look great with it, while others not so much. I'm highlighting the best looking pink-haired styles & colors on celebs here.

Celebrities who have had pink hair include Nicki Minaj (shown to the right), Paramore's lead singer Hayley Williams (she had pink hair for a few weeks in November 2010, including at the MTV European Music Awards in Madrid), Gwen Stefani (rocked the look during the promotion of No Doubt's album Return to Saturn), Pink/P!nk (obviously kinda her thing), Lily Allen (a.k.a. Lily Rose Cooper), Lady Gaga (who has had this color and every other color of the rainbow), and Helen Mirren.

If you're interested in seeing my favorite pink hair pictures on my Cherry Ambition blog, simply click the link. You can also check out the "Pretty in Pink" hair gallery on Buzznet or the Heck Yes Pink Hair Tumblr Blog for more pictures of pink-haired people.