Cosmic tresses

Wear your inter-galactic fantasies on your mane with ‘galaxy hair’, a new colouring trend that is raging among the city’s fashionistas

After sand art tresses, granny hair and mermaid hair, here comes the galaxy hair trend! Inspired by the planets and outer space, picture swirls of starlit skies in blues, purples, reds and burnt oranges — the cosmic hair trend is attracting the attention of youngsters across the globe who are sharing their stunning locks on social media using the hashtags #galaxyhair or #spacehair.

Originated by Jenny Regec, owner and lead colourist at a Brooklyn-based salon who likes to call it “fantasy coloured hair”, the astronomical look consists of “multi-tonal hair colour flowing from blues, purples, greens, sometimes reds as well as silver tones.”

As the process of getting a galaxy hair makeover requires the bleaching of hair first and foremost, this is no quick mane makeover. “To get a perfect mane boasting of galaxy hair, one needs to be patient enough as it is a three to four hour long process! Firstly, one needs to get rid of the natural hair colour by the application of a lightener. This is followed by colouring it in various colours inspired by the cosmos blending smoothly into each other. Since this is not a regular hairstreak and instead a meticulous blending of colours, one must not try doing it at home. This is something to be done with the help of a salon expert with the right kind of brushes and colours to create a dramatic effect,” suggests hair stylist Kritika Kaushik.

But while the celestial colours produce a splendid effect, the idea isn’t an easy one to carry off and maintain. “Maintenance is the key when it comes to colouring your mane and more so when one is going for multi-coloured colouring. After sporting the look, one can’t straighten the hair multiple times as exposing the hair to high heat will fade away the colour and also damage the hair. A very gentle colour-protection shampoo and conditioner have to be used while rinsing your hair. Regular reapplications to keep the vivid hues in place are essential.”

For advertising professional Pallabi Chakraborty, the trend of galaxy hair takes her close to chasing her childhood dream of travelling into space. She says, “Well, not many of us can afford to do that in reality but certainly we can go to other galaxies with this mind-blowing hair colouring trend based on the Milky Way, nebulas and the Northern Lights. It is a fantastic way to experiment with your gorgeous locks and a sure shot way of standing out in the crowd.”

While several fashion mavens are in awe of the trend there are others like IT professional Shalini Dhobiyal who feel this is another photoshop trend doing the rounds on social media. She says, “The Instagram images that people are sharing appear edited and photoshopped to a great extent just like all the picture perfect models that we see on the covers of fashion glossies. Personally speaking, I am not averse to experimenting with hairstyles, but this certainly seems to be one of those crazy trends like sunburn tattoos or mermaid hairstyles.”

Pallabi, on the other hand, concludes, “Regardless of the authenticity of the photos surfacing online, these photos are gorgeous and are enticing me to rush to my nearest salon for the trend that comes from far, far away lands.”