Forget writing letters to all the boys we’ve loved before, Lana Condor will soon have Us penning odes to her fab new hair color. The actress showed off her new purple-tinged tresses at the L.A. premiere of Alita: Battle Angel on Tuesday, February 5, and now her hairstylist Matt Fugate is breaking down exactly how to try the super cool shade if you, like Condor, have a naturally dark ‘do.
After a few years of bubblegum pink being the color of choice for stars looking to give pastel strands a try, Ruby Rose debuted “violet moon” hair by Riawna Capri last month that we had a feeling would be a game changer. Weeks later, celeb hairstylist Kristin Ess launched an Amethyst edition of her cult-favorite Temporary Tint mist after it being the single most-requested hue from fans, and now Condor is here with her own take on the trend.
While it’s long been considered difficult to dabble with rainbow colors if you don’t have a naturally blonde or pre-lightened mane, Fugate found a work-around for the raven-haired actress that is surprisingly simple to recreate at home.
It may be hard to tell from the picture, but Condor’s entire bob has a subtle purple hue, in addition to the more vibrant streaks that were the work of extensions. To start, Fugate applied the oVertone Purple for Brown Hair Deep Treatment on the mid-shafts and ends of her freshly cut ‘do to “add shine and dimension.” The $29 pigmented conditioner adds a violet color to light and medium brown strands and gives a rich glossy tint to darker tresses — no bleaching or lightening required.
After leaving the treatment on for 20 minutes, he rinsed it thoroughly until the water ran clear. While you can stop there if you’re looking for a subtle wash of color, Fugate took things a step further by adding some pastel pieces.
“I pre-colored wefts of platinum blonde hair extensions with oVertone’s Pastel Purple Deep Treatment,” he explained. “I let the color conditioner sit on the extensions for 20 minutes, rinsed thoroughly and let them air dry.”
To make the hairpieces blend seamlessly with her natural strands, he used a flatiron to add bedhead-like waves throughout (Fugate’s #ProTip: “Set the flatiron to very low heat so it is more forgiving when creating the bends.”). He then applied the extensions to one side of her head for a “pop of asymmetric color,” but there is no limit to the styling options.
A bit of coconut gel on the ends of the hair helped to tame flyways and add a bit more texture, and then Condor was on her way to “slaying” the red carpet in her fierce dragon-printed mini and tinted tresses.
