GLOW-IN-THE-DARK NEON HAIR IS A THING—AND IT’S AMAZING

From silver and rose-gold sprays to balayage highlights, it’s clear that innovative hair colouring has hit an all-time high. But lately a brighter, bolder iteration has been popping up all over the place—and it might just be the most magical, mesmerizing and, yes, fun finish yet.

Neon, Day-Glo, fluorescent, ’80s electric—call it what you want, but a glow-in-the-dark ’do is the next colour concoction to sweep the industry. During the day, it lends a striking acid bright look. But under black light? It gets exponentially better, transforming your tresses into a shockingly cool display.

Celebrities, of course, have already taken to the effervescent hue. Faster than you can say “fluoro,” more than a few Hollywood heads have been rendered with the raver-girl effect (to say nothing of certain shall-not-be-named stars spotted matching their newly neon locks with their Lambos).

To Christine Geiger, L’Oréal Paris’ own Montreal-based hair expert, this boom is no surprise. “It’s a playful way to change up your look and get creative with your hair colour,” she says. But, she adds, there are other reasons besides just eye candy: “I mean, can you think of a cooler way to help your friends find you in a crowded club? Why not stand out if you can?”

Luckily, the process of applying a glow-in-the-dark pigment is insanely easy. Featured in our how-to video above, L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Makeup is a semi-permanent, jelly-like dye that comes in a range of vibrant, chromatic pigments, including neon pink, neon yellow and neon green. And since it washes out with your next wash, it offers all the cool...with zero commitment.

Follow our steps below and check out the video tutorial to nail neon locks.

STEP ONE:

With your fingers, apply L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Makeup in Hot Pink, Yellow and/or Green to clean, dry hair wherever you want to see colour.

STEP TWO:

While the dye is still wet, gently run a comb through your hair; this will help distribute the colour and dry it more evenly. If you choose to mix and match colour, you’ll want to make sure you do every time a new neon is applied. Then gather up the coloured sections of your hair and run a blow-dryer through them on medium heat.

STEP THREE:

To finish, use a heating tool. We used a curling iron to create volume away from the face. The result: a soft and sexy ’70s disco vibe style, updated for the 21st century.

Considering that glow-in-the-dark hair colour looks amazing in every possible setting (hello…with neon locks you’re literally a light in the darkness) and appears tailor-made for music festivals and social media feeds, we expect that this is far less than a fleeting trend and more of a technicolour takeover. In other words, the future of hair colour is bolder—and brighter—than ever before.