Blue hair
Encyclopedia
Blue hair is a type of hair color
that does not naturally occur in human hair pigmentation, although the hair of some animals (such as dog coats
) is described as blue. In humans, the color may occur after exposure to cobalt
or indigo
.
The color has a long history of artistic and literary uses. In modern times, its cosmetic uses have been contentious.
, was a fashionable macaroni
in his youth and tinted his hair with blue powder.
In 1913-1914, just before World War I
, there was a vogue for dyed brightly coloured hair in exotic shades such as blue, violet or emerald. This started in Paris and then spread to other cities such as London. In 1924, the first celebrity hairdresser, Monsieur Antoine, dyed his dog's hair blue. An influential client, Lady Elsie De Wolfe Mendl, took up the same style and this started a new fad. Later in the 20th century, mature ladies had a blue rinse
to conceal grey hair. The Queen Mother was the trend-setter and the peak of popularity for this fashion was the period following the Second World War.
In the 2007 autumn fashion season, designers such as Marc Jacobs
and Duckie Brown
dyed the hair of their models blue to give them a shocking punk
look. In 2011, the blue rinse became fashionable again and exemplars included Kate Bosworth
with a dip-dyed style of turquoise tips while Thakoon Panichgul continued to present models with startling, all-blue hair.
A synthetic dye used to colour hair blue was 1,4,5,8-tetraaminoanthraquinone
prepared as Disperse Blue 1 with water and lignosuphonate
dispersant. This is a semi-permanent dye as the dye molecules do not penetrate the hair shaft and so wash out in subsequent shampooing. It is no longer used in the USA as it is thought to be carcinogenic.
or indigo
may become blue because of the dust of the substance mixing into the hair follicle
. The color in these cases is "not merely superficial", but an actual coloration of the hair.
, where lapis lazuli
was used in funerary art and statuary.
Many colored pictorials from the Anglo-Saxon
tribes after the departure of Roman
troops feature women with blue hair. According to Gale R. Owen-Crocker in Dress in Anglo-Saxon England "the use of colour in Anglo-Saxon art is not realistic ... and there is no need to assume dye was used on the hair."
Representations of the Buddha
often feature blue hair, sometimes of a brilliant hue. This artistic convention emphasizes the blue element in the 'blue-black' hair said to be one of the 32 special physical characteristics of the Buddha
.
, characters are said to have dark blue (kyaneos
) hair or eyebrows when they are angry or in an emotionally intense state. For example, Odysseus
' beard became black blue when he was transformed by Athena
upon returning home to confront his wife's suitors. Other Greek gods were also shown as having blue hair. This imagery may stem from Egyptian myth
, in which their gods were said to have hair of lapis lazuli
. In a similar vein, characters from the Bible
, such as Eve
, Leah
, and Rachel
, are often depicted with a "sky-blue" color of hair.
Color in ancient Greece and Egypt were also more expressive rather than natural: blue or gold indicated divinity because of its unnatural appearance and association with precious materials.
The Fairy with Turquoise Hair is a major character in Pinocchio
. She is often titled as the "Child with the Blue Hair" and even has a chapter in The Adventures of Pinocchio devoted to this title. Literary critics have offered varied interpretations of her hair color. It may invoke associations with "the ineffable or infinite," with the Italian sky, or with the Virgin Mary, who is often shown with a blue mantle.
The color blue acquired aristocratic associations in Europe during the second millennium, and this linkage with blue blood
was reflected in Charles Perrault
's story of Bluebeard
. In Maria Tatar
's view, the color of his beard suggests otherworldly origins.
is depicted as having blue hair. Jok Church's character, Beakman
, also has blue hair, which is a throwback reference, according to the creator, to an older version of Superman
, who also had a blue tint to his hair. Anime
characters sometimes sport blue hair, including Sailor Mercury
of the Sailor Moon
series and Rei Ayanami
of the Neon Genesis Evangelion
. One author, in writing of Rei, sees her hair color as a marker of both her 'unearthliness' and her introversion. Quadra Blu, a character from Lyman Dally
's Max Rep
comics and star of her own webcomic Steroids 'n' Asteroids with Quadra Blu is named for her distinctive hair color.
In the virtual band Gorillaz
, the band member named 2D has blue hair.
have been bred with blue hair such as the Belgian breed, the St Nicholas Blue. This was a light sky blue in colour with a white blaze. Other breeds of blue rabbit are darker and there are about 45 different shades or textures recognised by show judges.
There are several breeds of dogs which may have a blue coat including the Kerry Blue Terrier
, Bluetick Coonhound
and Grand Bleu de Gascogne
. This arises in two main ways: from a dilution or silvering of a black coat so that it is seen as blue-grey; or from a mottling
or marbling effect which mixes black and white to be seen as navy blue
.
The fleece
of sheep may be a natural blue-grey, such as the Himalayan blue sheep
, or may be dyed blue as a raddle or to make them more conspicuous in snowy conditions.
The coat color of several other animals is called blue, including those of blue roan
horses, the Russian Blue
cat, and the blue variant of the Arctic fox
's coat.
.
For example, a man who worked for a hospital for 10 years was fired for coming to work with blue hair after refusing to dye it back to its normal color. In two cases that were followed by lawsuits, students in the US and Canada were sanctioned for dying their hair blue. The American Civil Liberties Union
intervened in the US case.
Hair color
Hair color is the pigmentation of hair follicles due to two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, if more melanin is present, the color of the hair is darker; if less melanin is present, the hair is lighter...
that does not naturally occur in human hair pigmentation, although the hair of some animals (such as dog coats
Coat (dog)
The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. A dog's coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarser topcoat, or a single coat, which lacks an undercoat...
) is described as blue. In humans, the color may occur after exposure to cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
or indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
.
The color has a long history of artistic and literary uses. In modern times, its cosmetic uses have been contentious.
Fashion
The 18th century English politician, Charles FoxCharles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
, was a fashionable macaroni
Macaroni (fashion)
A macaroni in mid-18th century England, was a fashionable fellow who dressed and even spoke in an outlandishly affected and epicene manner. The term pejoratively referred to a man who "exceeded the ordinary bounds of fashion" in terms of clothes, fastidious eating and gambling...
in his youth and tinted his hair with blue powder.
In 1913-1914, just before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, there was a vogue for dyed brightly coloured hair in exotic shades such as blue, violet or emerald. This started in Paris and then spread to other cities such as London. In 1924, the first celebrity hairdresser, Monsieur Antoine, dyed his dog's hair blue. An influential client, Lady Elsie De Wolfe Mendl, took up the same style and this started a new fad. Later in the 20th century, mature ladies had a blue rinse
Blue rinse
A blue rinse is a dilute hair dye used to reduce the yellowed appearance of greying hair on older women. The ability to see blue decreases with age due to the development of cataracts , so an older woman perceives her uncolored hair to have a yellow-tinge, and the blue rinse brings the color back...
to conceal grey hair. The Queen Mother was the trend-setter and the peak of popularity for this fashion was the period following the Second World War.
In the 2007 autumn fashion season, designers such as Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with more than 200 retail stores in 60 countries. He has been the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton since 1997...
and Duckie Brown
Duckie Brown
Duckie Brown is a New York-based men's fashion line. It was founded in 2001 by Steven Cox and Daniel Silver. Duckie Brown's mission, “dressing men beautifully," is accomplished through hand tailoring, unique fabrics and bold colors. Duckie Brown regularly shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in...
dyed the hair of their models blue to give them a shocking punk
Punk fashion
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...
look. In 2011, the blue rinse became fashionable again and exemplars included Kate Bosworth
Kate Bosworth
Catherine Ann "Kate" Bosworth is an American actress. Bosworth starred in the television series Young Americans, in which she played Bella Banks. She became known with a leading role in 2002's Blue Crush. The following year, Bosworth played the teenage girlfriend of porn star John Holmes in...
with a dip-dyed style of turquoise tips while Thakoon Panichgul continued to present models with startling, all-blue hair.
A synthetic dye used to colour hair blue was 1,4,5,8-tetraaminoanthraquinone
Anthraquinone
Anthraquinone, also called anthracenedione or dioxoanthracene is an aromatic organic compound with formula . Several isomers are possible, each of which can be viewed as a quinone derivative...
prepared as Disperse Blue 1 with water and lignosuphonate
Lignosulfonates
Lignosulfonates, or sulfonated lignin, are water-soluble anionic polyelectrolyte polymers: they are byproducts from the production of wood pulp using sulfite pulping....
dispersant. This is a semi-permanent dye as the dye molecules do not penetrate the hair shaft and so wash out in subsequent shampooing. It is no longer used in the USA as it is thought to be carcinogenic.
Biological occurrences in humans
The hair of workers who regularly come into close contact with cobaltCobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
or indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
may become blue because of the dust of the substance mixing into the hair follicle
Hair follicle
A hair follicle is a skin organ that produces hair. Hair production occurs in phases, including a growth phase , and cessation phase , and a rest phase . Stem cells are principally responsible for the production of hair....
. The color in these cases is "not merely superficial", but an actual coloration of the hair.
Artistic representations
Blue hair has been described as a "sacred aesthetic" in ancient Egypt and MesopotamiaMesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, where lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli is a relatively rare semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color....
was used in funerary art and statuary.
Many colored pictorials from the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
tribes after the departure of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
troops feature women with blue hair. According to Gale R. Owen-Crocker in Dress in Anglo-Saxon England "the use of colour in Anglo-Saxon art is not realistic ... and there is no need to assume dye was used on the hair."
Representations of the Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
often feature blue hair, sometimes of a brilliant hue. This artistic convention emphasizes the blue element in the 'blue-black' hair said to be one of the 32 special physical characteristics of the Buddha
Physical characteristics of the Buddha
The physical characteristics of the Buddha refers to the general appearance and characteristics of Gautama Buddha's physical body. There are no extant representations of the Buddha represented in artistic form until roughly the 2nd century CE, partly due to the prominence of aniconism in the...
.
Literary representations
In some works by HomerHomer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, characters are said to have dark blue (kyaneos
Cyan
Cyan from , transliterated: kýanos, meaning "dark blue substance") may be used as the name of any of a number of colors in the blue/green range of the spectrum. In reference to the visible spectrum cyan is used to refer to the color obtained by mixing equal amounts of green and blue light or the...
) hair or eyebrows when they are angry or in an emotionally intense state. For example, Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
' beard became black blue when he was transformed by Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
upon returning home to confront his wife's suitors. Other Greek gods were also shown as having blue hair. This imagery may stem from Egyptian myth
Egyptian mythology
Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature...
, in which their gods were said to have hair of lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli is a relatively rare semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color....
. In a similar vein, characters from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, such as Eve
Eve
Eve is the first woman created by God in the Book of Genesis.Eve may also refer to:-People:*Eve , a common given name and surname*Eve , American recording artist and actress-Places:...
, Leah
Leah
Leah , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is the first of the two concurrent wives of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob and mother of six of sons whose descendants became the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with at least one daughter, Dinah. She is the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel, whom...
, and Rachel
Rachel
Rachel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is a prophet and the favorite wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife...
, are often depicted with a "sky-blue" color of hair.
Color in ancient Greece and Egypt were also more expressive rather than natural: blue or gold indicated divinity because of its unnatural appearance and association with precious materials.
The Fairy with Turquoise Hair is a major character in Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
. She is often titled as the "Child with the Blue Hair" and even has a chapter in The Adventures of Pinocchio devoted to this title. Literary critics have offered varied interpretations of her hair color. It may invoke associations with "the ineffable or infinite," with the Italian sky, or with the Virgin Mary, who is often shown with a blue mantle.
The color blue acquired aristocratic associations in Europe during the second millennium, and this linkage with blue blood
Blue blood
Blue blood may refer to:* Nobility or social prominence- Music :* "Blue Blood", a song by Foals from the album Total Life Forever* Blue Blood, an EP by Atrocity* Blue Blood , 2001...
was reflected in Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
's story of Bluebeard
Bluebeard
"Bluebeard" is a French literary folktale written by Charles Perrault and is one of eight tales by the author first published by Barbin in Paris in January 1697 in Histoires ou Contes du temps passé. The tale tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the...
. In Maria Tatar
Maria Tatar
Maria Tatar is an American academic whose expertise lies in children's literature, German literature, and folklore. Tatar is the John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures, and Chair of Folklore & Mythology at Harvard University...
's view, the color of his beard suggests otherworldly origins.
Representations in comics and media
The animated character Marge SimpsonMarge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
is depicted as having blue hair. Jok Church's character, Beakman
You Can With Beakman and Jax
You Can With Beakman and Jax is a syndicated comic strip by Jok Church. The strip was used as the basis for the children's television program Beakman's World....
, also has blue hair, which is a throwback reference, according to the creator, to an older version of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, who also had a blue tint to his hair. Anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
characters sometimes sport blue hair, including Sailor Mercury
Sailor Mercury
, in Japan, is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is , a genius schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi....
of the Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
series and Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, a Japanese anime from Gainax. She is the First Child and pilot of the Evangelion Unit 00....
of the Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
. One author, in writing of Rei, sees her hair color as a marker of both her 'unearthliness' and her introversion. Quadra Blu, a character from Lyman Dally
Lyman Dally
Lyman M. Dally is an illustrator and former competitive bodybuilder perhaps best known for the comic strip Max Rep: Mr. Astrotitan 2206 appearing in FLEX in the late 1980's and Muscular Development throughout the 90's until its cancellation, though Dally continued to illustrate articles for MD...
's Max Rep
Max Rep
Max Rep: Mr. Astrotitan 2206 and Max Rep in the Age of Astrotitans were comic strips appearing originally in FLEX in the late 1980's, and then in Muscular Development magazine throughout the 90's, and a Comic Book published by Dumbbell Press and created by illustrator Lyman Dally after the strip's...
comics and star of her own webcomic Steroids 'n' Asteroids with Quadra Blu is named for her distinctive hair color.
In the virtual band Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
, the band member named 2D has blue hair.
Animals
Some varieties of rabbitRabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
have been bred with blue hair such as the Belgian breed, the St Nicholas Blue. This was a light sky blue in colour with a white blaze. Other breeds of blue rabbit are darker and there are about 45 different shades or textures recognised by show judges.
There are several breeds of dogs which may have a blue coat including the Kerry Blue Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
The Kerry Blue Terrier is a breed of dog. Mistakenly thought to be from County Kerry in South West Ireland, it's actually from Tipperary in South Central Ireland. In Ireland it is often called the Irish Blue Terrier...
, Bluetick Coonhound
Bluetick Coonhound
The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of dog. It is a type of coonhound and typically bred in the southern United States.- Appearance :The overall body style of the Bluetick Coonhound is muscular and speedy, not chunky or clumsily built. The head is carried well up and the tail carried over the back,...
and Grand Bleu de Gascogne
Grand Bleu de Gascogne
The Grand Bleu de Gascogne Is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France and used for hunting in packs. Today's breed is the descendant of a very old type of large hunting dog, and is an important breed in the ancestry of many other hounds.- Appearance :The Grand Bleu de Gascogne...
. This arises in two main ways: from a dilution or silvering of a black coat so that it is seen as blue-grey; or from a mottling
Merle (coat colour in dogs)
Merle is a pattern in a dogs coat, though is commonly incorrectly referred to as a color.- Description :Merle can affect all coat colors but the colors most commonly seen that are affected are brown and black, when affected by merle they are usually called liver and blue, though some call liver red...
or marbling effect which mixes black and white to be seen as navy blue
Navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
.
The fleece
Fleece
Fleece is a general term for a soft fabric , and may refer to:* A fleece, the woollen coat of a domestic sheep or long-haired goat, especially after having been sheared ....
of sheep may be a natural blue-grey, such as the Himalayan blue sheep
Bharal
The bharal or Himalayan blue sheep or naur, Pseudois nayaur, is a caprid found in the high Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet, China, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan...
, or may be dyed blue as a raddle or to make them more conspicuous in snowy conditions.
The coat color of several other animals is called blue, including those of blue roan
Roan (horse)
Roan is a horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and "points"—lower legs, mane and tail—are more solid-colored. The roan pattern is dominantly-inherited, and is found in many horse breeds...
horses, the Russian Blue
Russian Blue
The Russian Blue is a cat breed that has a silver-blue coat. These cats are known to be highly intelligent and playful but tend to be timid around strangers...
cat, and the blue variant of the Arctic fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
's coat.
Social stigma
71% of the adults polled by the Christian Science Monitor in 2002 said they would not allow a 12-year-old to dye their hair blue. The social dislike of the hair color can lead to a suspension from school and the loss of a job, among other things. The "blue hair effect" has been used as a metaphor for social distancingSocial distance
Social distance describes the distance between different groups of society and is opposed to locational distance. The notion includes all differences such as social class, race/ethnicity or sexuality, but also the fact that the different groups do not mix...
.
For example, a man who worked for a hospital for 10 years was fired for coming to work with blue hair after refusing to dye it back to its normal color. In two cases that were followed by lawsuits, students in the US and Canada were sanctioned for dying their hair blue. The American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
intervened in the US case.