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Drip Hair Color Is The New Salon Technique We’re Obsessed With

photo of drip hair color in salon

It seems like there is a hot new hair color everyone must try everyday. While hair color has come a long way from the simple blonde and brunette hues our parents favored, how your colorist applies the color hasn’t changed much. When you head to the salon for a new hair color, chances are your stylist will expertly paint the color on your strands. Your colorist would never just dump the color on your head—right?

The newest hair color trend is changing all of that. Gone are the days of delicately applying color to your hair, colorists are getting messy and the results are stunning. If you’re looking for a color that is fun to look at and fun to get, look no further than drip hair color.

What is drip hair color?

The name drip hair color references the technique your stylist will use to apply color to your hair. Unless you are a natural blonde, he or she will begin by bleaching your hair to create a blank slate. It’s important to note that bleach will always damage hair, but a salon professional can help minimize the look and feel of the damage. If you have very dark hair, it may take a few sessions to safely bleach your hair. You and your stylist should discuss whether your drip hair color can be safely achieved in one day or if you should expect to come back for multiple sessions.

Once your hair is a bleached, your stylist will section your hair into top and bottom. They will separate each section with plastic to ensure the colors in each section don’t run together. Working with one section at a time, he or she will drip a combination of two or three colors onto your locks. Since most colors come in a cream formula, your stylist will have to dilute the color with water to make them runny enough to drip onto your strands. Having color poured onto your head feels just as weird as it looks, but the results are well worth looking a little nuts for a few hours.

While you can choose any combination of colors you like, we recommend picking shades that complement each other to bring some cohesiveness to an otherwise eclectic look.

What kind of maintenance does drip hair color require?

Like most vivid hair colors, drip hair color requires quite a bit of maintenance. You will not only have to stock your bathroom with color-safe hair products, but also get very comfortable at your hair salon. While you can choose any color for your drip hair color service, we think the trend looks best with bright rainbow colors.

There’s only one problem with vivid colors: They fade fast. To make yours last as long as possible, the first thing we suggest is to cut back on how often you wash your hair. Your color fades a little every time you wash your hair. If you’re used to washing every day or every other day, try cutting back to just two or three times a week. When wash day does come around, swap your regular shampoo and conditioner for a formula that will protect your color. From the L’Oréal portfolio of products, we suggest Redken’s Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo and Conditioner.

Because blonde isn’t your final look, it is easy to forget that bleach was required to achieve your color. While there is no way to prevent the damage caused by bleach, your colorist can recommend products that can help reduce the look and feel of it. We suggest trying to incorporate a deep conditioning treatment like Pureology’s Strength Cure Restorative Masque into your hair care routine once a week.

How should you wear drip hair color?

While we would never discourage anyone from trying out a hair trend (unless you and your stylist determine it is not safe for your hair), we think long locks allow the drip hair color trend to really pop. Long strands provide the perfect canvas to see how the colors flawlessly melt into each other. If you really want to take your drip hair color to the next level, ask your stylist to cut layers into your hair to add movement to your style.

Whatever you decide, we want to see your technicolor hue. Use the hashtag #hairdotcom to tag us in your posts.

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