The Eye-Catching Hair Painting Trend Is Everywhere - Here's How To Get The Look

If you consider your hair to be a work of art, there's a new trend that you're really going to love. It's called "hair painting," and yes — it's exactly what it sounds like. Hair painting entails simply painting your hair, and it can be as easy to do as it is on-trend. A quick search through the "hair painting" tag on TikTok proves just how popular this new beauty trend is. It's raked in over 287 million views as of this writing. 

Besides putting a fun new twist on the ever-evolving vivid hair trend, hair painting allows for plenty of self-expression and a bold fashion statement. It can be carried out on many different lengths of hair and by a professional or done at home. Whether you want an eye-catching look to wear for one night only, to a party or out on the town, or one you'll be sporting for the next few months, hair painting could be exactly what you're looking for. 

For obvious reasons, a buzzcut is the easiest haircut to have if you want to try out hair painting. As hair artist Jackie Bieber told Allure: "You can apply different strokes and pressure with your paintbrush, [that you couldn't on long hair]." Bieber went on to explain, "Working on a buzzed head is better for intricate designs where you can push the dye in any direction." For a style like this, or any that involves all-over color and a design somewhere you can't see in the mirror, find a hairstylist who specializes in hair painting, if you think it's time to cut your hair.

If hair painting feels like exactly the kind of fashion statement you're looking to make, but you have no intention of losing your locks to do it, fear not. Hair painting can be done on long hair, as well. One easy way to do it is by pulling your hair into a tight, slicked-back ponytail and painting the part of your hair that's pushed back. This gives you a more solid surface than free-flowing locks, and if you're DIY-ing your paint at home, it'll be easy to see what you're doing in the mirror too. 

Even before the hair painting trend began, colorful, "Euphoria"-inspired makeup and graphic designs were all the rage. There's an easy way to connect these trends — quite literally. In her viral Instagram video, makeup artist Poppy Ella used About Face Beauty Fluid Eye Paint to paint her hair. In the caption, Poppy noted: "They stay SO WELL ... It's going to be interesting washing this out." We can't speak to how this eye makeup actually washes out of the hair, but we can say that it's a perfect way to create a design that moves seamlessly from your tresses to your skin. 

Having long locks with a design that's visible when your hair is down is one of the most difficult ways to have painted hair. When done right, though, it's also one of the coolest ways to rock the trend. To achieve it, first and foremost, you'll need a professional colorist. Additionally, unless you have naturally light hair, it will need to be lightened or bleached. They'll then paint directly onto your tresses with semi-permanent dye. That said, plenty of people who aren't ready to commit to a potential six months of painted hair have tried different, more ephemeral options — from temporary tattoos to face paint. 

Love the look of a painted buzzcut, but not ready to feel the breeze on your whole scalp just yet? We're with you. Consider buzzing part of your hair and using the shaved section as your canvas. Whether you opt for an undercut, a half-shaved head, or even a mohawk, this look is a definite statement. Depending on the colors of hair paint you choose and how often you wash your hair, your design could last for just a few washes or up to thirty. Choose lighter colors if you want to switch up your design more frequently. 

Hair painting is a bold trend no matter how you choose to do it. Still, you don't have to opt for bright colors and intricate patterns to pull off painted hair. Consider choosing a design that lends itself to more neutral colors, like bleaching clouds onto your natural shade or creating a leopard print pattern with black and brown hues. This way, you can opt for neutral shades that go with everything and don't make as much of a statement while still having an eye-catching, coordinating color palette and design. 

If you're not interested in having fun with your hair, then hair painting definitely isn't the trend for you. According to professional hair artist Janina Zais, "It's about experimenting and having as much fun as possible to express yourself," (via Allure). From the classic paintbrush to finger painting, stencils, or even airbrushing, there are so many different ways to paint your hair. For a fun, free-spirited graffiti look, airbrushing with lots of different colors and plenty of imagination is the way to go.