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Everyone loves the slightly distressed, feminine look of butterfly locs. Adding a pop of color transforms the look and will make your locs totally unique!
See examples of butterfly locs with color and get some inspiration on the hues and dye patterns that look best with these loopy locs in our guide.
What Are Butterfly Locs With Color?
Butterfly locs with color are textured, loosely-wound dreadlocks made with colored wavy or curly hair crocheted through hidden box braids.
The braids act as the secure base of this flirty, feminine style, but they’re not visible as the colored wavy/curly hair is crocheted through, then wrapped around, the braids.
Most of the time, wavy or curly filler hair is used to give this protective style extra volume and oomph. And when you use colored filler hair, you get an awesome pop of color that takes your butterfly locs to the next level.
The beautiful thing about butterfly locs with color is how versatile the style is. You can use a single color, duochrome or multiple shades, ombre color, or highlighted filler hair to give your butterfly locs a unique twist.
We’ve seen cute examples featuring half and half looks, where each side of the head is done with differently colored filler hair. And who doesn’t love a naturally-colored style with a well-placed streak of vibrant blue, pink, or red winding through?
Butterfly locs don’t have the same neat, tightly-wound appearance of traditional dreadlocks. Instead, the wavy or curly hair and secret braid base gives butterfly locs a distressed, loopy look with loosely-wound pieces that resemble butterfly wings.
This kind of messy-on-purpose style is built for trying unique colors that highlight and accentuate the flirty curves and loops!
Fresh butterfly locs with color will look great, but the style only improves over time as the braids and crocheted hair has a chance to “settle” in.
It’s a lived-in look that adds volume, texture, and easy manageability to your hairstyle. Think of butterfly locs with color as the messy bun of the protective hairstyle world!
12 Enviable Examples of Butterfly Locs With Color
The sky’s the limit for adding color to your butterfly locs, but a little inspiration never hurts! Here are 12 looks we love for butterfly locs with color.
Which one can you see yourself wearing? Maybe you’ll work your way through them all, trying a new color scheme every month or two!
1. Long Butterfly Locs With a Pop of Color
Stunning silver, poppin’ purple, and brilliant blue peek through in this colorful take on long butterfly locs. Choose your favorite tones (we love metallic and jewel tones for pops of vibrant color) to add a little pizzazz to your locs without making them fully colored.
Alternate the braids/sections you add colored hair to when you’re adding hints of color here and there. This will keep your pops of color spaced out and give your locs a more cohesive look.
2. Blonde Ombre Highlights in Butterfly Locs
Ombre ash-blonde hair crocheted into bob-length locs will create gorgeous highlights that are brighter and lighter at the ends. This is an easy way to get variation and color gradient throughout your butterfly locs without using a lot of different or vibrant colors.
If you tend to wear a lot of different clothing colors that might clash with brightly-colored locs, a cool-toned blonde is a great way to get some color in your locs without clashing.
3. Shoulder-Length Bright Pink Butterfly Locs
A bright pink color creates look-at-me locs that will make you the center of attention, no matter how you style them. If duochrome and split-color styles aren’t for you but you still want the vibrance of colored butterfly locs, try a bright single shade like this.
Pay special attention to the braid pattern you use, as she notes in the video. You’ll want to make sure your braid placement around your face is flattering and makes it easy to wear your colored locs in different styles!
4. Duochrome Silver + Blue Butterfly Locs
Whether it’s your favorite team’s colors or the chance to wear 2 pretty shades at once, we love duochrome split-color styles for butterfly locs. Here, a light silvery color adorns one side, while deep royal blue dominates the other.
Duochrome styles look even better when the color differences are twisted and alternated with half-up styles. Try gathering a few locs from the front of each side into a high bun on top of your head to show off the contrasting colors!
5. Split Black and Silver Butterfly Locs
Channel your inner Cruella (minus the animal cruelty, of course) with silver and black split-color butterfly locs. While the silver is a stand-out color all on its own, the look is a little edgier when you keep it to half of your head.
Contrasted with a natural black on the other side, you can wear this split-color loc style down or up to highlight the color differences. Part your hair with a side part to stack more silver or black over the opposite-colored side for a really cute look!
6. Caramel Blonde Ombre Butterfly Locs
Caramel blonde is a gorgeous color option that goes perfectly with warm undertones. Here, ombre caramel blonde water wave hair is used to get the deeper shade at the roots.
She started with a twist out instead of box braids and used springy afro hair to add volume to each twist for the butterfly locs.
If you like the idea of blonde butterfly locs but don’t want to go for a bright or cool-toned shade, there’s nothing better than this warm and rich caramel tone. The deeper roots give it a more natural look that goes with everything.
7. Short Auburn Red Butterfly Locs
Everyone looks great in a rich auburn red, and it’s the perfect complement to boho butterfly locs. She’s dyed her natural hair in the same auburn shade to have a seamless transition into the synthetic hair used for the locs.
But if you prefer the contrast of natural-colored roots, you don’t have to take this additional step. Auburn red is a vibrant color that has a lot of shade variation, so feel free to get as natural or wild with it as you want.
Choose an auburn with a little more brown for the most natural look, or go closer to Ariel-esque shades for something that really pops!
8. Butterfly Locs With Face-Framing Honey Highlights
Toasty honey blonde is a warm color to add a little contrast and pop to your butterfly locs. If you’re not a fan of all-over highlights that look a little too regular or arranged, you’ll like these face-framing highlights with a few highlights scattered in the back.
Use natural colored synthetic hair to wrap most of your locs with the signature loopy style, then use a warm shade of blonde to wrap the top front sections. These brighter sections will liven up your face and flatter your skin tone without overwhelming the style with color.
9. White Platinum Butterfly Locs
If you’re already bleaching your hair or plan on trying it, platinum butterfly locs are a fun look to try! We love how this flirty style looks with icy platinum roots.
But it would also work with unbleached natural hair and synthetic platinum water wave hair for wrapping.
Her locs are pretty slender, but you can bulk yours up with extra volume by feeding a little kinky hair into your braids before wrapping with platinum. This is a head-turning look that you won’t get sick of if you’re all about the bright blonde!
10. Teal Blue/Green Butterfly Locs
Jewel-toned teal is a cross between blue and green that we can’t get enough of. Especially in butterfly locs! This stunning color is vibrant, bright, and very flattering for cool and neutral undertones.
It’s beautiful all-over, but we could see this being a great color for adding hints of vibrancy through natural-colored butterfly locs, too. It’s all about how far you want to take it! If teal is your favorite color or you’re the queen of jewel tones, this look is for you.
11. Full Butterfly Locs With Chunky Blonde Streaks
These butterfly locs with color are extra full and frankly, that’s an understatement! Extra curly hair is used to wrap each braid here, which makes for ultra-thick locs that have that pretty, messy texture and lots of loops.
A few sections are wrapped with white-blonde hair to create a look that reminds of the chunky streaks from the ‘00s. The chunky blonde streaks are concentrated on the undersides of the hair and around the back.
So you can decide how front-and-center you want them by styling your hair in different ways. We love this full, throwback look for butterfly locs with color!
12. Creative Butterfly Locs with Color
We couldn’t complete this list without showing a compilation of some of our favorite examples of butterfly locs with color!
Take a minute to check out the wide range of color schemes, patterns, and styles in this quick compilation. We love how creative these colors are!
Vibrant color combos like purple/blue ombre, warm honey-toned, white blonde, and bright red highlights, icy blue pops of color, all-over platinum, ultra-long pink and red locs, and purple/white ombre are sure to inspire your next butterfly loc hues.
How to Do Butterfly Locs With Color
Getting butterfly locs done professionally or doing them yourself at home is a time- and labor-intensive process, but the end result is *so* worth it.
Here’s a quick overview of the steps for doing your own butterfly locs with color at home (and what your stylist will do if you’re getting them done professionally). For more detailed info, take a look at our how-to guide here: How to Create Trendy, Boho Butterfly Locs.
The process of creating/installing butterfly locs with color has 4 basic steps:
- Braid the natural hair (add filler hair for volume – optional)
- Crochet colored water wave hair through each braid base
- Wrap the wavy hair around the braids for texture
- Seal the ends
Step 1: Box Braids All Over
The idea is that you’ll section and divide your hair, then plait it into evenly-sized box braids all over. Those box braids become the hidden base for your colored butterfly locs.
If your mane’s on the thin side or you just want extra-full butterfly locs, you can feed in filler hair (1-2 packs of synthetic marley or kinky hair) at the base of each braid for extra thickness and volume.
Step 2: Crochet Colored Wavy Hair Into Braids
With all your perfectly-placed box braids in place, you can start crocheting your colored synthetic water wave hair through the braids.
If you’re only adding color to a few sections, or if you’re planning on doing a complex color gradient, lay out your colored water wave hair in the pattern you’re planning to use for your braids to make the process simple.
Fluff it out a bit to get some extra texture, then use a crochet needle to push 2 pieces about ¼ way through the base of each braid. You want about a fourth of the wavy hair hanging through the back with ¾ of it hanging through the front.
Step 3: Wrap Colored Hair Around Braids
Next, you’ll wrap the wavy hair by keeping one hand gripped onto the section you’ve pushed through in the back. Wrap over this hanging section to securely tuck it into the loc.
Use the thumb technique to perfectly nail the butterfly wrap style with pretty loops. Wrap the hair tightly 2-3 times, then slip your thumb in and wrap the wavy hair around it twice. Pull your thumb back out and wrap tightly again, then repeat the process.
The thumb technique creates plenty of slack in your wraps so you’ll get perfect butterfly-wing loops along the loc. Once you’ve fully wrapped a braid, you just need to seal the ends with a loop.
Step 4: Loop and Seal the Ends
Twist the loose ends upward to make a small loop, then wrap up the braid (the opposite of what you’ve been doing) until you run out of hair. Rub the ends with your palms to help tuck the loose hair into the textured braid/loc.
If you want the most style security, use a little glue – just don’t let it touch your natural hair. That’s all it takes to create flirty, feminine butterfly locs with color! Get creative when you add color – that’s what it’s all about!
Do each half a different color or shade, add one natural color and one vibrant color to each braid or alternate which braids you add color to for a highlighted look, or go multicolor with lots of different hues throughout your butterfly locs. The only limit here is your imagination!
Butterfly Locs With Color FAQ
Got questions about getting butterfly locs with color? Let’s see if we can give you the answers you’re looking for. Check out the FAQs below.
How long do butterfly locs with color last?
Butterfly locs last anywhere from 4-8 weeks when properly installed. If you install them too loosely, they’ll fall out much sooner – within a week in some cases. As long as you securely wrap and seal each loc, you can get a month to two months of wear out of the style.
Take care while you sleep by wearing a satin bonnet to keep the locs contained and prevent excess frizz. This will help your butterfly locs with color last longer and keep the colors looking vibrant, not fuzzed-out.
What hair should I get for butterfly locs?
Butterfly locs work best with textured synthetic water wave hair in 22-28 inch length. If you’re doing butterfly locs with color, you’ll want to pick out one or more colors to wrap and texturize your locs.
Make sure you’re picking out hair with a nice curly or wavy shape – this makes wrapping the locs and getting those signature loops in the wrap that much easier.
If your hair is on the thin or short side, you might want to grab some marley or filler hair to bulk up or lengthen your braids before wrapping with water wave hair. Feed the filler hair into the braids as you go to create a thicker or longer base for fuller-looking locs.
How many packs of hair will I need for butterfly locs with color?
You’ll need 6-8 packs of 22-28 inch synthetic water wave hair in the color(s) of your choice to make this look work. Plan out your colors in advance to ensure you get enough of each hue to create the look you want.
If you’re doing a highlighted look, you might only need 1-2 packs of that color to create the look.
If you’re using filler hair for fuller or longer locs, you’ll likely need 1-2 packs. Grab extra if you’re doing smaller locs (since there will be more locs overall when you’re finished).
Can butterfly locs get wet?
Butterfly locs contain synthetic hair and they can definitely get wet. However, be warned that they may feel very heavy when soaking wet since your natural hair is braided and wrapped inside the synthetic hair.
You won’t really be able to fully wash your hair while you’re wearing butterfly locs with color since your hair is hidden inside each loc. But you can swim, shower, and go out in the rain without harming your butterfly locs.
How much do butterfly locs cost?
You can expect to pay somewhere between $150 and $250 to get butterfly locs with color done by a professional.
It’s a time- and labor-intensive process that involves getting all-over box braids with or without filler hair for length and volume, crocheting in synthetic hair with a special technique to create the butterfly loops and any color patterns you want, and seal the ends securely.
If you DIY your colored butterfly locs, it’ll cost a lot less – typically less than $100.
Essentially, you’ll just need to pay for the packs of hair (6-8 packs of water wave hair and optional 1-2 packs of filler hair), crochet needle (if you don’t have one already), and optional glue to seal the ends.
How long do butterfly locs take to install?
Butterfly locs take 3-6+ hours to fully install, depending on the length of your hair, the thickness of each braid, and whether or not you’re using filler hair for length and/or volume.
Butterfly locs with color may take a little additional time to install when you consider the different color patterns you may want to do, but overall, it’s roughly the same installation time as basic butterfly locs.
Things to Consider Before Getting Butterfly Locs With Color
What else should you think about before you get butterfly locs with color? Here are a few things to consider before you jump headfirst into this pretty, protective style.
- Color might limit how long you want to wear them. When you add a noticeable pop of color to your butterfly locs or do them all in a vibrant hue, you might reduce the staying power of your style. While a natural color will go with pretty much any outfit or mood, bright colors can clash with other colors and limit your style options a bit. If you want to wear your butterfly locs for as long as possible, choose a natural-looking color or one that won’t interfere with your favorite clothing colors.
- Bigger braids = less time to install. The size of your braid base for butterfly locs has a lot to do with how long they take to install. Bigger braids create fuller locs and take less time to plait and wrap. Smaller braids create thinner locs and take more time to complete, so keep this in mind if you’re trying to keep your installation time to a minimum.
- Fake a bob with butterfly locs. If your hair is past your shoulders but you’re eager to try a bob length, you can easily fold your braids upward to create shorter locs that hang near or above your shoulders. Adjust the length by experimenting with folding the braids at different points. You can even create an asymmetrical bob or inverted bob this way!
- Choose your braid pattern carefully. Pay attention to the braid layout when you’re doing butterfly locs with color. The position and placement of your box braids will determine how your hair hangs and can be styled once you’re finished. If you’re using color strategically – highlights, face-framing pops of color, or underdye looks – your braid placement is even more critical. You may want to stagger the braids around your face to make side parting easier, or start with a middle part if you’re opting for a split color look.
- Dye your hair first if you don’t want darker roots. Shadow root looks are always popular, but if it’s not your preference, you’ll want to dye your natural hair before installing butterfly locs for a seamless color transition. Try dying your hair the same color as the hair you’ll use for the locs, or choose a deeper shade of that color for a nice gradient. Experiment with vividly-colored roots (like aqua or fuschia) paired with platinum butterfly locs for a unique look!
Are Butterfly Locs With Color Right for You?
Butterfly locs with color are a great way to work a fresh hue into your ‘do without necessarily dying your own hair. This pretty, boho style makes it easy to experiment with colors you love.
But wouldn’t otherwise consider without the easy use of synthetic hair you can wrap and install yourself. If you like the flirty, feminine loops and distressed look of butterfly locs but want a little something extra to make them pop, add color.
It’ll accentuate the unique shape and texture of the locs, flatter your skin and undertones, and give you a boost of confidence that turns heads everywhere you go!