The Pipeline posted today about stylish girls trying out streaked hair in unnatural hues and I'll admit, it makes me want to relive my teen years and bust out a tube of totally outrageous color.  Whether you opt for a shade of this season's trendy purple or a fun bubblegum blast, colorful streaks can be a weeklong pick-me-up or maintained for months.  Bust out of any winter rut with several streaks in your favorite color!

While Kate Moss's current pink hair was a temporary color for her daughter's pink-themed birthday party, she was known for her all-over pink hair in the past.  In more recent times, Lily Allen did her whole head cupcake pink.  Avril Lavigne has been working baby pink streaks for years now, and Nylon 'It girl' Peaches Geldof's hair currently has bright blue tips. 

I myself have had various hair colors, including a pink head virtually identical to Lily's below, and a red shadowbox when I dyed the underneath of my hair as well as my bangs fire engine red.  While I don't plan to ever again do my whole head an outlandish color (most wacky dye colors wash me out, and roots upkeep is a bitch), seeing Peaches' tips does have me itching to add some color to my chocolate brown bob.  Blogger Katy of twenty four carat is always playing with new colors and always manages to look grown-up and fierce.

If you're dying to to do some streaks of your own, going to your personal hair stylist is a great option, but doing it yourself is fairly easy as well.  Popular semi-permanent hair dyes can be applied to any shade of hair, but the effect will always be the most dramatic the lighter the hair you're applying it to.  To give my head a red shadow, I bleached the underside of my hair, but the same red applied to my natural medium brown gave a noticeable dark red tint.  Try testing a chunk before you decide whether or not to lighten.  The great thing about these dyes is that they don't require mixing with a developer - this means you can use a little, close up the container and save the rest for later.

Manic Panic is probably the most notorious hair color and it does do the job, but I personally love Raw Color, which seems to show up better on darker hair.  (Both brands available through Hot Topic.)  Another brand is Special Effects, which offers great color and is also a vegan product.

If your strands can't bear the thought of being coated in bold hues, you can also find hair extensions (of the sew-in or the clip-on variety) in every color of the rainbow.

Unnatural Hair Dye Tips:

* Save yourself disappointment and do a test strand.

* Consider your wardrobe. Some hair colors will clash with your clothes.  Warmer shades of red and orange are generally more 'wearable' than cooler blues and greens.

* If the emo look ain't your thing, opt for watercolor streaks (like the model very top of page) rather than bright bold chunks.  (To achieve a watercolor effect, simply use on dark hair without bleaching prior, or leave on light hair for half recommended time.)

Would you perk up your dreary winter with a shot of unnatural hair color, or is this look for scene kids only?

Photos from COACD, Refinery 29