Once upon a time, Nicole Richie photoshopped a picture of herself with purple tresses and uploaded it to Instagram. It wasn’t long before Kelly Osbourne caught wind of the image and egged her on to make it official:
I’m not sure if this was the nudge Nicole needed to fully commit, but big props to Kelly if it was because her new look is absolutely stunning. Soon after, Ireland Baldwin said bye-bye to blond and amped up her look with a vibrant violet that has taken her beauty to a bad ass, rock star-esque level.
This look proves how important (and fun!) it is to push boundaries with your look — not necessarily with purple hair, but with any risky transformation you want to try. There's nothing more liberating than being exactly who you are (and you know, looking hot doing it).
Want to try your hand at lavender locks?
Get the look
You can get this look at home with L'Oreal Professional Hair Chalk, a new line — debuting in the U.S. this month — that comes in vibrant shades like "Garden Party Green" and our favorite, "First Date Violet."
Photos courtesy of SalonCapri
Here's a fun how-to, courtesy of Senior Stylist Caitlyn Young of SalonCapri, Boston:
- First, begin with dry hair.
- Start by using the L'Oreal Professional Hair Chalk and brush or rub pigment onto hair in 1-inch pieces. Try focusing the color onto the ends of hair for a gentle ombre effect.
- Next, comb through your hair to evenly spread the pigment.
- Finally, blow-dry pigmented area on a low setting to set the color.
- To style, curl your hair using a 2-inch curling iron and set with Kerastase Resistance Double Force Hairspray.
- Brush out curls to create a loose wave and braid hair, securing the end with an elastic. Use clear elastics to blend in with your hair and new colors!
- Using fingers, gently pull your braid to separate pieces so that the colors show through!
L'Oreal Professional Hair Chalk at-home applications are available at SalonCapri for $24 each and last five to 10 washes, or contact your fave hair salon for availability info.
3 Stages to trying purple hair
If the thought of going full-blown purple overwhelms you, there's nothing wrong with taking baby steps:
Test the waters
Do what Jordin Sparks and Christina Aguilera did and sport purple streaks that pop.
Getty Images for NBCUniversal / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty images
Upgrade to ombre
Do a slow fade: Keep your roots natural and fade your tresses into the hue of your choosing, a la Katy Perry.
WireImage / Getty images
Take the plunge
When you're ready to rock, make sure you talk to an expert about the shade of purple you should go with — like everything, certain shades will go better with your skin tone than others.
FilmMagic/ Getty images
More hair 'dos to try
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How to get red hair like Emma Stone
How to highlight your hair