Why airbrushed hair is all the rage right now

Just when you thought you’d seen it all, along comes airbrushed art for hair. It’s like having your nails done, except it’s for your ​‘do. What can only be described as the natural progression from the blonde/​black two tone hair that dogged the late ​’00s (see: Nicole Ritchie in The Simple Life) we now have the much more sophisticated multi-tonal painted hair blowing up on Instagram.

Confused? Look to London-based, Bulgarian fashion designer Kiko Kostadinov​’s SS22 campaign which features full, muti-coloured camo print hair created by artist Madison Finn, using bleach and semi-permanent dyes applied direct onto a set of extensions. Apple greens and fluoro pinks are spliced through the hair in an asymmetric manner, and the result is graphic, futuristic and grunge.

Janina Zais, another hairstylist who’s famous for her pop-paint buzz cuts and hair art, is a long-time proponent and fan of the Etch-A-Sketch hair. ​“My father is an airbrush designer and through him I was exposed to this kind of art at an early age! I had already experimented with it on my hair many times before I actually did it for a shoot,” Zais explains. Zais prefers a more low-commitment approach using airbrush machines and ​“body paints for the colours. I also like to use spray paint made for hair use, the only difference is that you can’t draw as fine lines as you can with airbrush, but you can spray much faster with different colours.” The impermanence of the look appeals to Zais who channels a no rules approach. ​“Spray paint looks good on any hair,” she explains, ​“if you want to paint large areas on hair long straight hair is perfect, but any hair is a canvas.”

The first time Zais received recognition for the look was when she collaborated with photographer Tom Blesch and stylist Jamie-Maree Shipton. Since then, she’s gone on to experiment with the style in sorbet sunset hues and kawaii pinks. Why does the look break the Internet? According to Zais, it’s because ​“you don’t need a specific hair colour for this trend, because airbrush and spray paint shines on any hair colour without having to bleach it and you can be playful with the colours because it only lasts until the next hair wash.”

Interest piqued? Zais suggests getting your hands on a set of Kryolan​’s coloured hair spray paints. ​“They have great luminosity, especially the UV colours. And they adhere well to the hair and make even black hair glow.”

Ready to go all-out skunk pop princess? Shop THE FACE’s edit, below.