Jump to:
In the world of hair, both pastel colors and rainbows have been popular for quite some time. However, no style combines those two styles quite like holographic hair. Read on to see our favorite styles.
What Is Holographic Hair?
Afishka/Shutterstock
As the name implies, holographic hair is a way of dyeing the hair to make it seem like it’s a reflective holographic surface. It looks like it’s changing colors and makes for a really trippy visual where the hair seems to morph.
Generally, holographic hair consists of prismatic shades of colors all across the spectrum. It’s common to see rainbow-esque hues of blue, yellow, green, violet/purple, and even some pastel colors like bright pinks.
When you see holographic hair, you instantly know that you’re looking at a holographic style. The look may be applied to the whole head of hair or just one section that stands out from the rest.
This one-of-a-kind style has really picked up steam recently, so we’ve put together this list all about holographic hair. We’ve got 20 stunning examples of this look that are sure to leave you inspired.
We’ll also go over some things to consider before diving into the world of holographic hair. Let’s get started!
Read Next: Average Hair Dye Costs
20 Trendy Holographic Hair Ideas
We know – this is what you came here for. We’ve rounded up the hottest holographic hair examples we could find to give you a wide range of inspiration before your next cut.
1. Vivid Holographic
Since there are so many variations, it would be wrong to say that there’s a “standard” style of holographic hair, but this is probably what you think of when you read the term “holographic hair.”
This is a vivid hairstyle that expertly recreates the holographic look. Almost the entire color spectrum is present here––there are shades of pink, yellow, green, blue, and purple that all blend together.
The secret to the holographic look is all in how the colors are blended together. There are sections of each color that are offset and blend into each other in strategic ways.
The colors also blend vertically and horizontally for that prismatic effect that makes it look so realistic. Working with an experienced colorist is important because you want someone who knows this style well and understands what it requires.
2. Ocean Holo
Many holographic hairstyles consist of holographic coloring applied to a base color, and the style shown here is an excellent example of this. A rich blue base provides a great backdrop for the holographic dye that takes up the middle portion of the hair.
The colors used here are a little brighter and more saturated than the colors used in the last style, so the holographic effect intensifies. The holographic sections are also larger and sectioned off into stripes that run diagonally across the hair.
That diagonal direction is a subtle but impactful technique that really makes it look like the color is shifting before your eyes.
3. Neon Aurora
This holographic twist on the aurora borealis galaxy hairstyle takes the original look and makes it pop even more. These colors are intense, saturated, and mostly fluorescent, making for an eye-popping hairstyle.
So much that it makes pink or green hair look modest. As with the previous style, this holographic hairstyle relies on diagonal patterns to create the optical illusion of shifting colors.
There are some splashes of color here, too, such as the bright green at the bottom and the loud red-orange at the very top. That green is especially vital to making this hairstyle resemble the aurora.
4. Prismatic Flecks
If you like the look of holographic hair but aren’t sure if you want to go all-in just yet, you could try out the style by coloring a section of your hair. This is a marvelous way to do that.
The front of the hair is dappled with rainbow colors, creating a gentle holographic effect. Of course, if you want a more noticeable holographic effect, you could go for less of a rainbow look and more of a blended one.
The result would be similar to the styles shown above but concentrated on one part of your hair. If you like these partial styles, we’ve got a few more on this list, so stay tuned!
5. Holographic Chevrons
Holographic hair is unique in and of itself, but his eye-catching style is unique even among other holographic hairstyles with its bold chevron pattern that spans the hair’s entire width.
The choice of color also helps––you have vibrant purples, pinks, and blue-greens. Again, this style relies on diagonal lines, but it smartly uses chevrons for a different twist.
The other major style element here is obviously the braid that hangs down in the middle, separating the hair into halves. The noticeable twists in the braid provide texture.
A small note is that the braid doesn’t reach the end of the hair but stops short to allow the magenta ends of the hair to create a nice sense of symmetry and evenness.
6. Holo Strands
Here’s another partial holographic hairstyle, though this one takes a different approach by dyeing strands of hair instead of horizontal sections. The result is a colorful and unique look where the holographic sections pop out against the rest of the hair.
This particular style uses a frosty silver base with blue highlights, but if that color combination doesn’t suit you, you can always consult your colorist and have them help you choose a new one. That said, these holo strands look great against the white-silver color.
7. Holographic Candyland
Pastel colors can be used with holographic styling to create bright and vivid looks with tons of color. This hairstyle uses pastel pink, green, yellow, and blue for a Sweetart-inspired result.
The hair’s distinct waviness draws attention to the vibrant colors, and the bun on top is a great addition that concentrates the colors into one big swirl. (It also adds texture, which is a plus.)
8. Holo on Blonde
Fab Hair by Josh on Instagram
The holographic effect can look quite different on light and dark hair. With darker hair, the holographic style can add a ton of dimension.
But with lighter hair like the blonde hair shown here, it seems to float on top of the hair, creating a shimmer-like effect that really makes it look like a trick of the light.
If you have blonde hair or plan to dye your hair blonde, this is definitely a holographic style to consider. Once again, the diagonal line is your friend here.
9. Holo Storm
Here’s another great holographic hairstyle that features medium blue hair and a broad holographic pattern that makes something of an inverted arrow shape in the hair.
Since blue is the base color, there’s no blue in the holographic section. Instead, there’s pink, yellow, and green that blend together to create intermediate colors.
10. Light Holo Storm
This style is extremely similar to the previous one, but it also presents a slightly different take on your preferred style. The holographic effect is lighter and more spaced out.
And the pattern takes up less space and is more defined. This is better if you have longer hair, but you might prefer this even if you have shorter hair.
11. Bright Holographic
Another simple take on the holographic hairstyle, this variation uses slightly more pastel colors for a bit of a different flavor. Using these colors provides a gentler effect that’s halfway between a hologram and a rainbow. The color blending is especially important here.
12. Lavender Holo
As you’ve seen with a few of these hairstyles, the base color can make a huge difference, and it’s hard to ignore how cool this lavender looks underneath the holographic splash.
Holographic styles tend to use purples in the actual holo streak, but here the yellow and green are the most visible, which gives this a different vibe from many of these other hairstyles we’ve looked at.
13. Psychedelic
Even though holographic hair is already pretty psychedelic, this style goes all-in and rolls with the tie-dye vibe. This really does look like a vintage T-shirt, thanks to the hippie colors used.
These include healthy amounts of pink, blue, and yellow. If you want to up the psychedelic factor more, you could use more green to round out the palette.
14. Half and Half
If you’re into the partial holographic styles, we’ve got another great option for you here. The hair is split pretty much in half, with the top half being dedicated to the holographic effect.
And the bottom dyed a single color (in this case, a pinky-magenta). The holo effect here is the type of neon rainbow visual we’ve seen in a few of these styles.
15. Jagged Rainbow
Yet another partial holographic hairstyle, this jagged rainbow design is an eye-catching pattern that really pops against the light blonde (almost white) base.
Some of these hairstyles rely on precise and smooth color blending, and this is one of those. The coloring has to be exact to achieve the clean and uniform result.
16. Squiggly Holo
Diagonal lines help the holographic hairstyle look great, but squiggly diagonals can do the same thing, too! This hairstyle projects the holo look onto wavy hair for a spectacular result.
One nice touch here is that the base color of purple runs through the holographic portion, making it look more like reflections of the light.
17. Neon Cyberpunk
Here’s a slightly more futuristic take on holo hair. The bright neon colors and the straight styling give this an edgy cyberpunk look that would be right at home in a dystopian city.
The holographic effect is more subtle here but still provides a punk-inspired prismatic appearance.
18. Holographic Waves
We’ve seen many holographic hairstyles with wavy hair, but how about a style where the holographic effect itself is wavy? This unique style uses repeating colors to create a series of waves that can trick the eye with the illusion of motion.
The choice of color and how the colors blend together are vital here, which is where working with an experienced colorist comes in.
19. Sun Streak
To wrap up the list, here’s a fantastic style that stands out among all the rest. It’s a partial style with a fun twist––the holographic effect is limited to one stripe.
The small amount of color used on the silvery hair makes this look like it could really be sunlight reflecting onto the hair. A subtle bit of light blue rounds it out to help the red and yellow blend nicely into the silver.
10. Holographic Spectrum
Holographic looks tend to use several colors, usually four or more, but if you need all of the color, then check out this hairstyle that uses just about the whole color spectrum!
Aside from black and white, almost every color is here: purple, light blue, light green, yellow, orange, red, dark blue, and dark green all combine to create this vivid tapestry.
What to Consider Before Getting Holographic Hair
Not so fast! Before you run off to your nearest stylist and ask for holographic hair, you’ll want to think about a few things first.
- Decide if you want a full or partial style. A full style can be a lot to commit to. It involves bleaching the hair (often several times) and applying multiple colors, which means that a full holo hairstyle can take multiple sessions. (This is especially true if you have dark hair.) A partial style is much easier to achieve but definitely isn’t as noticeable as going full holo.
- Look at your colorist’s work. Because holographic hair is so intense, it can be tricky to get unless you’re working with a colorist who knows their stuff. Be sure to look at their previous work to see if it matches your expectations and wishes.
- Develop a hair care plan. Any kind of dyed hair requires unique and specialized hair care, and that’s even more true when you’re dealing with multiple colors. Do your research beforehand so you know exactly what you should be doing.
- Keep it refreshed. Holographic hair requires getting touch-ups regularly. If you go too long without a touch-up, the hair will fade and look duller, which also means that the holo effect will deteriorate. Visiting your colorist consistently is vital to keeping the hair vibrant.