We've all seen those insanely gorgeous sea-inspired mermaid hair masterpieces that fill our Instagram feeds, but have you ever wondered what's it like to actually get the multicolored hair of your dreams IRL?
*whispers intensely* We have.
Three BuzzFeed employees — Claire, Lara, and Pablo — dedicated their time (and hair!) to find out jusssst how much work it actually takes, with the help of LA-based hair colorist Daniel Moon from Ramirez | Tran Salon.
Before the fun starts, you need to get real with your stylist about your past hair-coloring experiences. (Don't lie about that box dye!)
Daniel dropped these great pre-coloring tips:
• Don't wash your hair the day of or right before you get your hair colored — the oil protects your scalp from the bleach.
• Tell your colorist the full color history of your hair for the past two years to get the most accurate results.
• Tell your colorist if you have sensitive scalp.
• Get ready for a process that can take anywhere from three to eight hours.
Then, the hardcore bleaching begins.
Daniel started at the ends of the hair and worked his way toward the roots to avoid "hot roots," which is what happens when the heat from your head activates the bleach near the scalp quicker than the rest of your head, making it warmer in tone.
Here's what else we learned:
• Bleaching can take anywhere from three to five hours. "Creating the blonde canvas is what consumes the time," said Daniel.
• All three of our people had virgin hair, but if you've colored your hair within the past two to three years and the color has to be removed, or if there are highlights to bleach around, this can extend the process.
• The lighter the tone you want, the lighter the hair has to be bleached. If you want to be a darker mermaid, the process can be a little shorter.
After all that work, it's time to werk...
AKA take some VERY SERIOUS fashion-y snapshots, like this.
Damn, don't hurt 'em.
All right, now it's (finally!) time to add those super vibrant shades.
Daniel mixed each color in a bowl with conditioner to make it a tad lighter before application and was super careful not to let the colors run while rinsing them out.
Here's the complete rundown of every single color used, if you're into that.
Claire:
Roots: Pravana Blue and Pravana Violet
Middle: Pravana Violet with a touch of Pravana Yellow
Ends: Pravana Pink and Pravana Pastel Pink
Lara:
Roots: Manic Panic Atomic Turquoise
Middle: Pravana Neon Blue and Pravana Blue
Ends: Pravana Clear, Pravana Blue, and Pravana Yellow
Pablo:
OK, it's finally here, people, the moment we've all been waiting for: THE MERMAID HAIR REVEAL.
*sobs at their beauty*
Claire said she was terrified to take the plunge (heh), but loves the new mer-her.
Claire on her final color: "Honestly I was a little terrified, because I had never dyed my hair anything other than slightly more blonde, but I truly loved it. I totally transformed into the mermaid I was always meant to be. I loved the old me, but I really love the new mer-me."
What Claire learned from the process: "For the first time in my life, I think my greasy hair and oily complexion did me a favor in that I barely felt the bleach. People kept telling me it would burn, but it didn’t hurt at all. I’m also surprised that my hair retained its softness, because I definitely expected my hair to feel like straw."
Claire on her final color: "Honestly I was a little terrified, because I had never dyed my hair anything other than slightly more blonde, but I truly loved it. I totally transformed into the mermaid I was always meant to be. I loved the old me, but I really love the new mer-me."
What Claire learned from the process: "For the first time in my life, I think my greasy hair and oily complexion did me a favor in that I barely felt the bleach. People kept telling me it would burn, but it didn’t hurt at all. I’m also surprised that my hair retained its softness, because I definitely expected my hair to feel like straw."
Claire on her final color: "Honestly I was a little terrified, because I had never dyed my hair anything other than slightly more blonde, but I truly loved it. I totally transformed into the mermaid I was always meant to be. I loved the old me, but I really love the new mer-me."
What Claire learned from the process: "For the first time in my life, I think my greasy hair and oily complexion did me a favor in that I barely felt the bleach. People kept telling me it would burn, but it didn’t hurt at all. I’m also surprised that my hair retained its softness, because I definitely expected my hair to feel like straw."
Lara can't stop looking in the mirror since her mermaid transformation but was surprised by how much the bleach dried out her hair.
Lara on her final color: "I LOVED it. It was better than I expected. The way the blues and greens mix together to make a total mermaid ombré is the best thing. I haven't stopped looking in the mirror since then."
What Lara learned from the process: "Bleaching your hair takes a huge toll on it, and leave-in conditioners and shampooing less often are so important. I had no idea how much this process would dry out my hair, and I wasn't prepared for it."
Lara on her final color: "I LOVED it. It was better than I expected. The way the blues and greens mix together to make a total mermaid ombré is the best thing. I haven't stopped looking in the mirror since then."
What Lara learned from the process: "Bleaching your hair takes a huge toll on it, and leave-in conditioners and shampooing less often are so important. I had no idea how much this process would dry out my hair, and I wasn't prepared for it."
Lara on her final color: "I LOVED it. It was better than I expected. The way the blues and greens mix together to make a total mermaid ombré is the best thing. I haven't stopped looking in the mirror since then."
What Lara learned from the process: "Bleaching your hair takes a huge toll on it, and leave-in conditioners and shampooing less often are so important. I had no idea how much this process would dry out my hair, and I wasn't prepared for it."
Pablo felt an instant boost of confidence with his new look, and he's glad he took a risk.
Pablo on his final color: "As someone who never takes enough risks with my appearance, I was surprised with how much I loved the final look. I definitely knew I had a lot of work ahead of me when it came to maintaining it, but I felt an instant boost in my confidence. I never thought colored hair would be for me, but I’m glad I was wrong."
What Pablo learned from the process: "I learned that being a merman is no walk in the park. My hair care routine never went past some store-brand shampoo and pomade, so once I went blue, I had a lot of googling to do on which products were best for the new aquatic me. I must have missed the part in The Little Mermaid where Ariel deep-conditions to keep those locks luscious."
Pablo on his final color: "As someone who never takes enough risks with my appearance, I was surprised with how much I loved the final look. I definitely knew I had a lot of work ahead of me when it came to maintaining it, but I felt an instant boost in my confidence. I never thought colored hair would be for me, but I’m glad I was wrong."
What Pablo learned from the process: "I learned that being a merman is no walk in the park. My hair care routine never went past some store-brand shampoo and pomade, so once I went blue, I had a lot of googling to do on which products were best for the new aquatic me. I must have missed the part in The Little Mermaid where Ariel deep-conditions to keep those locks luscious."
Pablo on his final color: "As someone who never takes enough risks with my appearance, I was surprised with how much I loved the final look. I definitely knew I had a lot of work ahead of me when it came to maintaining it, but I felt an instant boost in my confidence. I never thought colored hair would be for me, but I’m glad I was wrong."
What Pablo learned from the process: "I learned that being a merman is no walk in the park. My hair care routine never went past some store-brand shampoo and pomade, so once I went blue, I had a lot of googling to do on which products were best for the new aquatic me. I must have missed the part in The Little Mermaid where Ariel deep-conditions to keep those locks luscious."
As these three have learned, having mermaid hair ain't easy, so here are some tips to keep your hair healthy.
And some A+ product suggestions straight from Daniel himself.
2. Ouai Repair Conditioner, $26
3. Davines Oi Oil, $23 (pre-blow-dry)
4.Kerastase Resistance Concentre Vita-Ciment Reconstructive Treatment, $75 for three vials (once a month)
For drugstore alternatives, look for products that are sulfate-free, moisturizing, and color-safe.
Watch how it all went down here:
Aaand one more time for the cheap seats:
Have fun out there, mers.
Colorist: Daniel Moon, @majormoonn
Makeup artist: Theresa Reish, @meesa.theresa.mua
Models: Lara Parker, Claire de Louraille, and Pablo Valdivia
Video: Nicolette Daskalakis
Coloring services were provided to BuzzFeed free of charge.
