From bold neons to striking patterns to more subtle changes of shade, the decade was all about self-expression, creativity, and unapologetic individuality — and these popular 1980s temporary hair colors (alternative to permanent hair dyes) were perfectly on trend.
1980s temporary hair color: Pazazz Hair Colorstiks hair mascara from Clairol (1985)
1980s temporary hair colors: Pazazz colorful styling mousse & gel (1985)
Vintage 1980s Pazazz hair mousse with shimmering color
Style in a touch of shimmering color — new styling mousse and gels with tiny reflective color crystals add shimmer and glimmer
Hair paint: 1980s Colorific color styling gels (1986)
They sparkle. They glimmer. They illuminate your hair in striking colors. They’re new Colorific. A revolutionary fusion of color and style. Only from Vidal Sassoon.
Paint them on. Finger-paint or use a brush. Be chic. Be adventurous. Wear one or as many as you please. Create a mood. Match your outfit. Your makeup. Day or night. Change colors in a minute. They wash away in one shampoo.
Martina in Bold Gold, Electric Blue, Hot Pink, Quick Silver
You’ve just seen three different looks of Martina. Now you can dare to be different. Introducing Colorific Color Styling Gels.
They’re fabulously fast. They’re outrageously metallic. They’re daring colors you can erase.
Now shine as you surprise. With new Colorific. Six bedazzling colors you can erase. Only Vidal Sassoon could bring this much style to hair color. Look for them in the hair color section next to Colorific Color Styling Mousse.
ALSO SEE: Do you remember these 58 shampoos & conditioners from the 80s?
1980s temporary hair color: Colorific color hairstyling mousse
A shade of difference makes all the difference. Enhance your style, rev up your color, spotlight your highlights. Be subtle, be sizzling. Be a shade apart from all the rest.
It’s color without commitment. Color you can change whenever you change your mind. Color that always adds drama to your style, color that always makes history. Colorific Color Styling Mousses enhance your natural shade of color as they style your hair. Choose from 10 rich, beautiful colors that wash out in 3-4 shampoos.
Nestle Color-Glo temporary glow-in-the-dark hair colors (1985)
It’s fact, not fiction, say psychologists: a little fantasy is not only good fun, it’s good sense. One quick, easy way to indulge in a healthy bit of fantasy is to spark up your usual beauty routine before a night on the town with some special — and we mean special — effects via spray-on/wash-out hair color.
What better way to add extra punch to your traditional little black dress look than to spray on a few contrast-color streaks in vivid pink, purple, or even fluorescent green? Nestle Le Mur makes it easy to do with Streaks N’ Tips spray-on/shampoo-out hair color, in seven knockout colors.
Albert Squillante, spokesman for Nestle Le Mur shares some pointers for successful spray-on streaking, noting, “The fun of temporary hair color is that it allows the user to completely change the look of her hair for an evening, and wash it out in time for work the next morning.” That’s good news for button-down types.
For best, brightest results, spray on white color base before applying colored sprays. “The base gives the colored sprays something to adhere to,” reports Squillante, “much the way moisturizer aids in the application of make-up.”
Random highlights are easily achieved by drawing sections of hair to be streaked through a small opening in a flat piece of aluminum foil, and spraying the strands against the foil. Let hair dry, tear foil away, and gently style hair into place.
EXTRA, EXTRA: Swatch watches of the 80s & 90s: Remember the colorful watch craze
L’Oreal Zazu Colorburst hair cosmetics: Mascara brush 1980s temporary hair color (1986)
Zazu Colorburst. Brave New Makeup For Your Hair. Don’t you have a few wild streaks in you? We thought you did. So we invented mascara for your hair. 10 brush-in streaks of colour. Hair today, gone tomorrow. But the impact lingers on.
1980s temporary hair color: L’Oreal Zazu Colorwash (1986)
Zazu Colorwash. Brave New Makeup For Your Hair. Come. Take your hair from merely beautiful to… they haven’t even invented the adjectives yet. L’Oreal creates the Zazu Colorwash in 8 shades from mysterious to very very very wild. You’ll want it to last, but pity… it’ll be gone in a few shampoos.
DON’T MISS: How to make 11 awesome ’80s hairstyles
Vintage 80s temporary haircolor: Fanci-full Color Splash Gel (1987)
Fanci-Full color styling mousse by Roux (1986)
HOW TO GET OUT THE COLOR: Do you remember these 58 shampoos & conditioners from the 80s?
