Betta Fish Coloring: The Latest Hair Trend
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Betta Fish Coloring: The Latest Hair Trend

Dying your hair to be as vibrant and colorful as a Betta fish seems to be the latest trend in the style world, but is it really worth the upkeep?

182
Betta Fish Coloring: The Latest Hair Trend
Emily Bissel

The newest trend popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and in the celebrity world is undoubtably beautiful, but having to maintain this style seems to be a lot more work than we might have expected.

I’m all for dying your hair different colors to express yourself, but coloring your hair after a fish has earned more than a few eyebrow raises. The newest trend hitting the media, besides pastel hues, is choosing to dye your hair the color of a Betta fish.

I’ve dyed my hair a handful of times, my first being right after I graduated from my private Catholic high school. Maybe it was more of an act of rebellion and freedom than anything, since my school had a strict no-whacky-colors hair dye policy. I dyed a small strip of my hair bright pink. The man at the salon made usual small talk, and when I told him I just graduated, he said “Oh! From eighth grade? I get a lot of eighth grade girls coming in to get their hair dyed pink for the summer!”

A few months down the road, after the pink coloring and my embarrassment had faded, I began introducing red highlights to my dirty blonde hair. Over time, I gradually dyed more and more until I finally decided to just go all red after breaking up with a guy I briefly dated. It was my way of expressing my “new” single self, and I absolutely loved it. For the time being, at least. Keeping up with the coloring at college when my trusted hairdresser was over two hundred miles away was extremely difficult, especially when I never found the time to make it home except for holidays. The red faded way too quickly. It almost looked orangey-bronze at one point.

It wasn’t long until I asked to begin the transformation back to my normal blonde coloring, and this is the color I plan to stay with for a long time. I'm slowly getting closer to my natural color, and most importantly, I barely have to do anything special to keep up with it. Every now and then I just use a bit of John Frieda’s lightening spray for blondes and I’m good!

After that red-fading-to-orange experience, I can’t agree that I love the idea of dying your hair to match the coloring of a Betta fish. It’s beautiful, no doubt, but I can’t imagine the upkeep on something like that.

The major issue with dying your hair light colors or almost any vibrant color is that you have to bleach your hair. Bleach can be extremely damaging because it strips away the needed moisture and it becomes dried out. If your hair is bleached often, it can cause breakage or discoloration.

George Papanikolas, Matrix celebrity hair stylist, explains, “You need to know that doing these vibrant colors, it’s necessary to pre-lighten the hair to a pale blonde. It’s easy if your hair is naturally light. For darker hair it puts more stress on the hair to get the pale tones. Most people run into problems when they color their hair light, then go dark, then try and go light again. The misconception is that just because you put dark hair over the highlights, it’s healthy again. The reality is that whatever hair was previously highlighted will get damage when you try and relighten hair.”

Papanikolas is also the hair stylist of Kylie Jenner, and he was the one who colored her hair with those gorgeous blue hues. Shortly after, she went short and dark again. Papanikolas doesn’t comment on why Kylie made this choice (and since it’s her hair, it shouldn’t matter why she did), but it could be attributed to the upkeep on light colors. The stylist explains the difficulties of keeping up with colorful, light hair: “Vibrant colors tend to fade very fast…usually after a few shampoos. To keep them looking vibrant, you need to redo it about every two weeks. More often if you like it super bright and vibrant.”

When dying your hair, you have to be prepared for that beautiful, rich color to fade fast. I always loved getting the fresh red dye in my hair, taking numerous selfies to capture that on-point color, but when it started to fade after a handful of washes, I was extremely self-conscious of the orange-hue my hair turned in the sunlight. And unfortunately, I wasn’t made of money and my hairdresser was hundreds of miles away. Those touchups had to wait, and I increasingly found myself throwing my hair in a bun or ponytail in the hopes of hiding the bronze hue.

Despite the difficult upkeep and amount of money it would cost to hit the salon every two weeks for touch ups, these colorful Betta trends and light hues are becoming increasingly popular in the media and the online world. Though incredibly beautiful and unique, I think I’ll just stick with blonde highlights every few months.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

48633
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

30933
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

954782
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

179425
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments