Ariel Winter, 21, debuted some seriously gorgeous long red locks while leaving Nine Zero Salon in West Hollywood, CA on May 3, and now we’re finding out exactly how she achieved the look, which is pleasantly reminiscent of the other famous Ariel everyone loves – yes, the one from Disney’s Little Mermaid. Hairstylist Tabitha Duenas, who is the one who worked on Ariel’s red locks at the salon, EXCLUSIVELY spoke to HollywoodLife about the process she went through to help the actress transform her hair color.
As most of Ariel’s fans know, she had extremely dark black hair before she decided to go red, and Tabitha said she was able to get the darkness out by using color removers. “We did multiple color removers to remove her black color, then went over it twice with a balayage technique to lift her to an even strawberry tone,” Tabitha EXCLUSIVELY explained to us. “We followed up with Joico defy damage treatments to make sure her hair stayed healthy through the process. We then colored all over with her vibrant copper red. Finally, to make it pop and shine, we glossed all over with Redken Shades EQ.”
Although the process sounds straight forward, Tabitha pointed out that the hair transformation was indeed a process and took a full seven hours to finish. She also gave advice for some of Ariel’s fans who want to achieve the same hair color. “I strongly suggest seeking a professional colorist when trying to achieve a bright red like this,” she said. “It’s like controlling a wildfire. You can burn the hair and the banding of different tones can be a nightmare.”
Tabitha also made sure to let us know that touch-ups are crucial when maintaining any unnatural hair color, but especially with a color as bright as Ariel’s. “Touch-ups every five weeks to maintain regrowth,” she advised. “And a copper toning conditioner every time you wash will help to replenish the lost pigment. Red is the quickest to fade and the hardest to get out of the hair as it has the largest color molecule.”
In addition to giving us the professional details about Ariel’s hair color change, she opened up about why the Modern Family star made the decision to go red. “Ariel is young and likes to change,” she said. “She knows what she likes. It’s fun to work with her.”