Hidden Rainbow Hair: How to Get This Season's Hottest Hair Color Trend

Over the past couple of years, you were introduced to rainbow roots and hidden rainbow hair, but up until now, you may have never imagined the end result of pairing the two vibrant hair color ideas together. In order for hidden rainbow roots to really work, it’s all about the placement of your colorful dyes. Instead of dousing your part in color, hidden hair color comes down to applying bright hues on the underside of the top section of your hair. To help you understand the process of achieving head-turning hidden rainbow roots, we’ve created a step-by-step hidden hair color tutorial that will allow you to bring the newest technicolor hair color trend to life.

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR COLORS

Before diving into any bleaching or dyeing, make sure you have all the colors you’ll need. Although this hidden hair color is known for being rainbow, it’s totally up to you to decide how many shades you want to incorporate. 

If you’re feeling a little nervous about the process and wish you could try the look without a major commitment, you’re in luck! With the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color, you’ll be able to add bright hues to your ‘do and have them wash out after four to 10 shampoos. If this is the route you decide to go with, we highly recommend Turquoise, Hot Pink, and Purple—especially since these colors are key for another hair color trend: acid hair.

Editor’s note: If committing to new hair colors isn’t really your thing, consider testing the hidden hair color waters with the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Makeup Temporary 1-Day Hair Color Sprays. Each of the shades washes out in one shampoo, meaning they require even less dedication than semi-permanent dye.

STEP 2: PREP YOUR DYES

Once you’ve chosen your dyes, lay them out so that they’re ready for application. Be sure to use a separate dyeing brush for each color to not muddy up any of your hues.

STEP 3: BLEACH YOUR ROOTS

For your hidden rainbow hair color to really stand out, you’ll need to use hair bleach to lighten your roots (unless your base color is blonde, in which case you can skip this step). A box of the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Bleach will do the trick! When deciding where to bleach, the key is to choose the sections that are closest to your roots that can be covered by a top layer of hair, which is key for getting a peek-a-boo hair effect. For example, if you normally have a deep side part, you’ll want to use a rat tail comb to lift the topmost section of hair, and bleach directly under it.

STEP 4: ADD COLOR

Using your dyes, add color in a rainbow-striped fashion directly on top of the bleached sections of hair. Leave the color on for the amount of time specified on your box of hair color to achieve the most vibrant results.

Editor’s note: Keep in mind that if you’re going the permanent route, you’ll want to wait at least 14 days after bleaching to add color to your strands. Trust us, it’ll be worth the wait!

STEP 5: RINSE

After the allotted time, rinse the hair dye out with super-cold water to help prevent color bleeding between sections of your rainbow.

STEP 6: STYLE!

Now that your hidden rainbow hair is a reality, it’s time to style your mane accordingly. If you want to show off your new color from the get-go, try creating double French braids on top of your head with messy space buns around your crown. 

Want to keep it more of a surprise? Work an egg-sized amount of the L’Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle CURVE IT Elastic Curl Mousse through your hair, and allow it to air dry; then you’ll be able to catch someone off guard with a hair flip later on.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE OVER YOUR HIDDEN RAINBOW HAIR

If you find that you’re not having quite as much fun with hidden rainbow hair, the good news is, your hair color is hidden, so you don’t have to look at it all the time. If you want those rainbow hues gone, pick up a bottle of fading shampoo to speed up the fading process so that you’ll soon be able to experiment with different rainbow-inspired colors or a new look altogether.

Next up: Love the idea of having a secret hair color? Besides hidden rainbow roots, you can get a hidden hair color with the underlights trend. Click through to our article, The Underlights Hair Trend Is All About an Unexpected Pop of Color, for everything you need to know.