This time of year brings a world of fun and exciting events to our doorsteps with the majority of cities and towns putting together a variety of activities for all to join in with. One of these standout events is the summertime festivals! Some of the biggest and most major music festivals are held right here in the UK including Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds. For many, the combination of festival freedom and the summer sun provides the perfect opportunity to explore different fashion styles and even hair colours!
Do you have an exciting festival planned for this year and you’re looking for a bold new hairstyle to try out? The Manic Panic UK semi-permanent hair dyes offer users the opportunity to try out new hair colours without having to commit to a permanent colour! Depending on the colour that you choose to colour your luscious pre-lightened locks with, the longevity of your colour will differ - more pigmented and vibrant tones tend to last longer in the hair and can even exceed their advertised longevity. If you’re looking for a temporary change to your festival weekend, why not get creative with a wig for this year’s event?
Manic Panic UK Ambassador, Emma Pullen has been busy creating a super exciting look perfect for the festival season using the Manic Panic UK semi-permanent hair colours on a human hair wig! As such a creative time of year, festivals from the past and those that continue to thrive are surrounded by tremendous levels of inspiration and some are even well-known for their own take on the festival themes. Emma talked to us about her own inspirations when creating her music festival hairstyle “My inspiration for this festival creation is most definitely Coachella, Glastonbury and The Burning Man festival!” “I absolutely love watching Instagram for all of the hair creations, fashion styles, and colours that appear during this season! Everyone gets really into it and I'm here for it!” Known for their bohemian-esque aesthetics, we can see clearly from Emma’s result that she has chosen to explore the soft tones that sit so beautifully with the festival theming; the pastelised mix of colours creates a bold statement perfect for this type of event.
Using a wig for a temporary hair change can be a great way to try out a new style especially if you will be returning to a situation that may not be appropriate for this type of hair colour such as work or school. With colouring a wig comes its own challenges similar to when colouring your own or a client's hair; ensuring you are well-prepped for the application can help ease the process. Emma mentions the importance of colour swatching in order to solidify your palette “I mixed a few different colours as I knew what kind of palette I wanted for the shoot. I ended up with Electric Lizard, Mystic Heather, Pussycat Pink, Sunshine, Badboy Blue and Sea Nymph. I mixed all of these with the Manic Panic Pastel-izer and swatched them all a few times to get the perfect shades.” In order to reach this point, it is important you are clear on your theme and your intended result “Do some research into your ideas, and create a mood board. I made sure that I had a theme and colour palette in mind so I could stick to it and not veer off.”
So how exactly do you colour a wig to ensure you create your desired result? Emma has taken us through her festival hair tutorial to create a highly creative rainbow look that is undoubtedly festival-worthy.
Prep your colours ready for application, swatching them whilst mixing to ensure you have reached your desired colour.
Section the wig horizontally starting at the nape of the neck and taking 1-2cm sections Paint each colour alternately in your desired structure to create a rainbow effect.
Continue this process until you reach the ears.
With your chosen focal colour, paint the rest of the top section. “I felt this gave me sort of hidden panel look, but the green on top really made the wig pop!”
Leave the colour to develop for 30-40 minutes before rinsing with cold water.
“You need to make sure your wig is 100% human hair. I've made mistakes in the past and this has cost my time and money.” Emma strongly suggests working with a human hair wig as they are more likely to hold the colour when rinsing and create the vibrant and intense result that you had imagined. “Wigs can be unpredictable, I have learnt this over the years which is why I choose my wigs very, very carefully now. Your wig needs to be 100% human hair for the colours to stay and be bright! I'd keep the heat low when styling; too high of a temperature may pull the colour out or damage the hair.”
There isn’t a better time to get creative than the festival season; influenced by trends or not, we have seen a variety of unique and exciting looks already come to light in the early months of summer. Emma’s festival wig creations are proof that there are so many avenues to be explored when it comes to creative hair, wig or not, let your creative juices flow with your favourite Manic Panic semi-permanent hair dyes!