Rainbow hair is a trend that's not going anywhere anytime soon. Chances are you have someone in your life with rainbow hair (or maybe it's you!) who could use some brand-new quality hair care products for the holidays this year. As someone who has had hair spanning one end of the rainbow to the other, I know a thing or two about taking care of it.
Rainbow hair takes a lot of work, a lot of love, and a lot of products. We can't really get by with a simple wash and condition; our hair requires a wash (maybe, maybe not), a conditioning mask, a condition, a splash of oil, a spritz of color protectant, and a very careful brush-out. Some of the products vary based on shade (rose gold blond [1] obviously goes a more blond routine, whereas rich jewel tones can go a standard colored-hair route), but most of them are straight-up designed for colored hair, to help us preserve our beautiful color for as long as possible.
I've broken down the categories of beauty products your favorite rainbow-haired friend might have on their wish list so you can snag one (or a few) from each category to make the ultimate rainbow-hair beauty haul! Scroll through to see them all or jump to specific categories below.
- At-Home Dyes [2]
- Shampoos [3]
- Conditioners [4]
- Brushes [5]
- Heat Protectants [6]
- Oils [7]
- Treatments [8]
- Color Protectants [9]
- Dry Shampoos [10]
- Hot Tools [11]
At-Home Dyes
Rainbow hair takes a lot of maintenance, including handling a touch-up or two at home sometimes. Depending on how much of the coloring you want to do at home, you may need a lightener as well as the color. Once I've colored my hair, I like to keep a stash of the color on hand for the inevitable fading.
Manic Panic Flash Lightening 30 Volume Bleach Kit [14] ($10)
Bleach London Awkward Peach Dye [15] ($6)
Good Dye Young Ex-Girl Dye [16] ($14)
Manic Panic Semi Permanent Hair Color Cream Manic Mixer [17] ($9)
Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids Creme Hair Color [18] ($11)
Manic Panic NYC Classic Semi Permanent Hair Color Cream — Blue Moon [19] ($20)
Shampoos
Color-safe shampoos run the gamut, but all of them will get the job done. Here's what's important to remember: for pastel-haired people, a purple shampoo is a good option to balance the brassiness in the blond showing through under the light color. The darker the purple, the more potent it will be on hair, thus really counteracting that brass. For those with darker-colored rainbow shades, any color-safe, sulfate-free formula will do. Those will be the most gentle on colored hair.
Lush Daddy-O Purple Shampoo [20] ($12 and up)
TGIN Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo [21] ($15)
Kevin Murphy Blonde Angel Wash [22] ($37)
Peter Coppola Legacy Color Control Sulfate Free Shampoo [23] ($20)
Bumble and Bumble Color Minded Shampoo [24] ($31)
Beauty With a Twist Purple Shampoo [25] ($24)
EO Coconut Hibiscus Sulfate-Free Shampoo [26] ($9)
Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo [27] ($16)
Kevin Murphy Angel Wash [28] ($45)
Oribe Bright Blonde Shampoo For Beautiful Color [29] ($44)
R+Co Sunset Blvd. Blonde Shampoo [30] ($29)
John Frieda Sheer Blonde Color Renew Tone-Correcting Shampoo [31] ($6)
Redken Color Extend Shampoo [32] ($29)
Drybar Blonde Ale Brightening Shampoo [33] ($27)
Kérastase Bain Fluidealiste [34] ($21)
Kiehl's Sunflower Color-Preserving Shampoo [35] ($30)
Pravana The Perfect Blonde Shampoo [36] ($20)
Conditioners
Conditioners for color-safe hair are also a must. Colored hair has been through a lot and requires special formulas to keep it as healthy as possible. Conditioners are far more important than shampoos to rainbow-haired beauties because they'll bring health and liveliness back to their hair without stripping out the color.
Infusium 23 Color Defender Conditioner [37] ($7)
Shu Uemura Art of Hair Color Brilliant Glaze Conditioner [38] ($58)
Kevin Murphy Angel Rinse For Fine Colored Hair [39] ($67)
Davines Momo Conditioner [40] ($38)
Bumble and Bumble Color Minded Conditioner [41] ($35)
Overtone Complete System [42] ($45)
Davines Alchemic Silver Conditioner [43] ($30)
Klorane Conditioner With Pomegranate [44] ($16)
Brushes
Rainbow hair is fragile! Those of us with this delicate hair need a brush or comb that will go easy on us. Look for ones with spread-out bristles or wide-tooth combs.
Wet Brush Detangle Shower Hair Brush [45] ($10)
Drybar Daily Detangler Brush [46] ($16)
Sephora Nylon Paddle Hair Brush [47] ($18)
Aerie Tangle Teezer Hairbrush [48] ($16)
Ouidad Double Detangler [49] ($29)
Heat Protectants
Hot tools are really rough on colored hair, especially with rainbow colors. Every rainbow-haired person should be using a heat protectant before using any straightener, curling iron, or blow dryer. It will seal the strands and keep the heat from causing any damage.
Kenra Platinum Hot Spray #20 [50] ($23)
Drybar Hot Toddy Restorative Hair Cream [51] ($30)
Moroccanoil Heat Styling Protection [52] ($28)
John Frieda Frizz Ease Heat Defeat Protective Styling Spray [53] ($7)
Aussie Dual Personality Shine & Coloured Hair Protection Serum [54] ($70 for three)
Oribe Balm d'Or Heat Styling Shield [55] ($43)
Oils
Putting hair through the wringer to get that amazing rainbow look leaves it a bit damaged. Using oils will help bring back the moisture that it is probably lacking from bleaching and coloring.
Nexxus Oil Infinite Nourishing Hair Oil Treatment [56] ($22)
Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil [57] ($52)
Moroccanoil Treatment Light [58] ($15)
Treatments
Did I mention rainbow hair is high maintenance? It requires a lot of care, and all rainbow beauties should be using some kind of treatment on it. For me, I use a hair mask once a week on top of my regular wash and condition. I also add in a deep-conditioning treatment whenever my hair feels particularly brittle.
Moroccanoil Restorative Hair Mask [59] ($18)
Christophe Robin Shade Variation Care, Baby Blond [60] ($51)
Suave Professionals Moisture Hair Mask, Almond Plus Shea Butter [61] ($4)
Kevin Murphy Blonde Angel Treatment [62] ($45)
Kevin Murphy Hydrate Me Masque [63] ($47)
Oribe Women's Masque For Beautiful Color [64] ($62)
Pai Shau Supreme Revitalizing Mask [65] ($43)
Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 Repairing Treatment [66] ($28)
Lush R&B Hair Moisturizer [67] ($26)
Color Protectants
Similar to heat protectants, color protectants will lock in the color and help prevent quick fading. Rainbow hair requires many layers of protection and maintenance to keep it looking beautiful as long as possible.
Oribe Glaze for Beautiful Color [68] ($58)
Sparks Color Care Protecting Spray [69] ($11)
Paul Mitchell Color Protect Locking Spray [70] ($15)
Dry Shampoos
Dry shampoos are a rainbow beauty's best friend. Because shampooing in the shower makes color fade faster, many of us will reach for a can of dry shampoo half the time instead. It keeps hair looking fresh without dampening the color.
Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo [71] ($13)
Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo [72] ($11)
Oribe Cote D'azur Hair Refresher [73] ($25)
Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo [74] ($9 and up)
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo [75] ($44)
Batiste Dry Shampoo Fresh [76] ($8)
R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste [77] ($28)
Hot Tools
Rainbow-haired guys and gals need quality hot tools to go with all the quality products already being used on the hair. Hot tools can easily damage rainbow hair, so it's important to find products that have adjustable temperatures so they won't get too hot on the hair.
Drybar Buttercup Blow Dryer [78] ($195)
Dyson Inc. Women's Supersonic Hair Dryer [79] ($400)
The Beachwaver Co. Beachwaver Pro [80] ($199)
Chi Air 1-Inch Ceramic Hair Styling Flat Iron [81] ($100)
Conair 3/4 Inch Ceramic Hair Straightener [82] ($20)
Infiniti Pro by Conair Hair Dryer [83] ($35)
Ghd Classic Flat Iron [84] ($149)
Remington Ultimate Stylist 3-in-1 Multi-Styler [85] ($33)