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Achieve Striking Coontails: Dye Raccoon Stripes in Your Hair With This Easy Guide (2023)

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Key Takeaways

  • Carefully isolate and section hair before applying bleach or dye.
  • Use vibrant, semi-permanent dyes such as Splat or Manic Panic.
  • First, experiment temporarily with hair chalk or extensions.
  • Maintain your coontails with touch-ups and sulfate-free products.

What Are Coontails?

What Are Coontails
You can achieve the raccoon tail hair look by using Splat’s semi-permanent hair coloring kit or Manic Panic’s vibrant purple dream dye to get those bold, alternating stripes.

You can temporarily try the look with hair extensions or semi-permanent dyes before committing to bleaching sections of your hair. Section your hair horizontally and use hair clips to isolate strands for dyeing.

Splat’s lusty lavender or Manic Panic’s deep purple dream dyes will give you that raccoon tail effect.

Going the semi-permanent route allows you to have fun with the style without damaging your hair.

How to Achieve Coontails

How to Achieve Coontails
Looking for an edgier, eye-catching hairstyle? Consider coontails, which give your hair bold, horizontal stripes like a raccoon’s tail. You can get the look by bleaching sections of your hair, using vivid hair dyes, or trying easy-to-apply hair extensions.

Just remember that bleaching and dyeing can damage hair, so use hydrating conditioners and avoid overprocessing. With the right prep and care, you can rock a fun, fierce coontail style as a form of self-expression.

Using Hair Dye

To get colorful coontail stripes, simply section your hair and apply bold hair dyes like Splat’s Rebellious Colors or Manic Panic’s vibrant purple.

  • Make sure to cover the skin around the hairline to avoid staining.
  • Use petroleum jelly on ears and the hairline for easy cleanup.
  • Apply dye quickly and evenly to avoid splotches.
  • Let the dye process for the recommended time based on the product.
  • Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear.

Bleaching Sections

When bleaching sections, carefully isolate the strands with tape to avoid lightening unwanted hair. Partition your tresses for defined stripes. Apply bleach only to exposed hair, taking care around the hairline and ears.

Let it lift several levels lighter. Rinse thoroughly. Remove the tape to reveal gorgeous coontail stripes.

Hair Extensions

Clip-in raccoon tail hair extensions let you easily achieve the look without the commitment of bleaching or dyeing your own hair. Get creative with color combinations to make the style uniquely yours. Layer extensions over your natural hair for added volume.

For temporary options, try hair chalks, which wash out with shampoo. Seek inspiration from raccoon tail scene hair icons while evolving the trend into something new.

Sectioning Your Hair

Sectioning Your Hair
You’ll want to carefully isolate sections of hair before applying bleach or dye to get those sharp, defined stripes that really make coontail hair pop. Like a painter outlining a canvas before filling in color, clean lines are key for creating a masterpiece ‘do.

Start by gathering your hair into a high ponytail to keep it out of the way. Then, begin sectioning the hair you want to color into horizontal stripes, about 1-2 inches wide, using clips to separate each section.

Once your canvas is neatly sectioned off, you can begin applying your bleach solution or dye to color block your hair into the perfect alt/emo/scene coontail style. Don’t forget to use a tint brush to precisely paint on product and avoid overlap into other sections.

Let your creative spirit shine through with this trendy, nostalgic look.

Applying Bleach or Dye

Applying Bleach or Dye
Create defined sections by isolating strands with tape before applying the bleach or dye for the recommended processing time.

  1. Clip or tie up sections of hair not being colored to keep them out of the way.
  2. Wear gloves to protect your hands during application.
  3. Use a tint or color brush to saturate hair strands evenly.
  4. Time the processing accurately and don’t exceed the maximum time.

Over-processing with bleach or dye can damage hair, so follow instructions carefully. Test strands first when trying a new product. Temporary options like hair chalk or spray allow you to experiment with less commitment.

Express yourself through bold emo hair trends, but also nurture your strands. We all desire connection, creativity, laughter.

Processing and Rinsing

Processing and Rinsing
After processing the bleach or dye for the recommended time, rinse and shampoo your hair thoroughly to remove any residual chemicals. Use lukewarm water and gently massage your hair and scalp while rinsing to help lift the color from your strands.

Avoid rubbing or twisting hair, which can cause damage. Rinse until the water runs clear.

For semi-permanent dyes, rinse with cool water to seal in the color. Style as usual after drying, using heat protectant if blow drying or straightening. The raccoon tail stripes will really stand out when your hair is styled sleek and smooth! With proper rinsing, your daring new coontails will look fabulous for weeks.

Now flaunt your aquatic plant inspired locks to the world!

Drying and Revealing Pattern

Drying and Revealing Pattern
After rinsing out the bleach or dye, gently towel dry your hair to remove excess moisture. Avoid rough drying that could compromise the defined sections. Apply a nourishing conditioner and let your hair air dry fully before proceeding.

Once completely dry, very carefully remove the tape strips, starting from the top and working downward. Slowly peel them off to reveal the bold, striped pattern. Be patient during this process to prevent the sections from bleeding into each other.

Your meticulous work will pay off once the tape is removed and the vibrant raccoon tail stripes are exposed.

Celebrate your new edgy ‘do by taking styling inspiration from music festivals, anime characters, or 90’s punk rockers. Temporarily clip in colored extensions for a night out until you’re ready to commit to permanent color.

Coontail Inspiration

Coontail Inspiration
Imagine those striking highlights streaking through your tresses when you’re feeling edgy and ready to stand out from the pack.

Hair Color Styling Idea
Platinum blonde and jet black Spiky pixie cut
Silver and charcoal Long mermaid waves
Pastel pink and baby blue Space buns with braids
Neon green and purple Short disconnected bob
Turquoise and orange Half-up messy bun

Whether you’re channeling your inner emo, punk rocker, or just want to shake things up, raccoon tail hair lets you express yourself. You can go bold or soft, structured or messy. Make it your own unique style. But avoid using harmful chemicals near waterways to protect aquatic ecosystems.

Coontail Variations

Coontail Variations
Let’s move from inspiring coontail styles to the different ways you can rock this look.

First, think about combining unexpected colors like jewel tones or pastels for a modern twist. Splashes of pink, purple, and blue woven into bleached strands make a statement.

As for styling, don’t limit yourself to long, straight hair. Add some texture by braiding sections or twisting into Bantu knots before unraveling for curly coontails.

While coontails harken back to decades past, current trends have transformed the style. Social media sparked renewed interest, with users showcasing temporary and semi-permanent dyes. Extensions offer customizable options without a drastic commitment. However you want to wear it, coontails let you express your nostalgic and trendy sides at the same time.

Maintaining Coontails

Maintaining Coontails
You’ll want to touch up your coontails every few weeks to keep the color vibrant and the stripes looking fresh.

  • Shampoo with sulfate-free shampoo to preserve color.
  • Use a hydrating mask 1-2 times per week.
  • Limit heat styling to reduce fading.
  • Apply semi-permanent dye to your roots as they grow in.
  • Use a tinted conditioner to refresh color between touch-ups.
  • Consider getting a gloss treatment for extra shine and color sealant.

With some simple at-home care, you can keep your coontails looking bold and beautiful for as long as you want to rock the style. Just be sure to deep condition regularly since the bleaching process can dry out your strands.

Stay patient through the grow out phase and enjoy expressing your individuality through this edgy look.

Conclusion

Well, well, well – look at you now with your bold new coontails. Sure you might have raised some eyebrows at first, but in the end your daring raccoon stripes let your inner renegade shine through. And isn’t that what it’s all about – expressing yourself and your funky style? So keep on rocking those creatively dyed or bleached coontails and let your hair make a fierce statement.

With the proper care, you can maintain your radical coontails for as long as you want and find inspiration for new exotically striped looks.

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Mutasim Sweileh

Mutasim is a published author and software engineer and beard care expert from the US. To date, he has helped thousands of men make their beards look better and get fatter. His work has been mentioned in countless notable publications on men's care and style and has been cited in Seeker, Wikihow, GQ, TED, and Buzzfeed.