How Amon-Ra St. Brown got his blue hair, igniting a Detroit Lions fan movement
There’s more to turning someone’s hair Honolulu blue than you’d think - assuming you’d thought about it at all.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown turned heads last week when he posted a selfie to his Instagram, showing off a fresh blue haircut. He then showed off his new blue 'do at Ford Field when he took his helmet off following the 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Come to find out, his cut, dye and touch-up came from Figo Salon in Birmingham, and the same color is available there to anyone with a few hours and a few hundred dollars to devote to demonstrating their Lions fervor from the top down.
Figo had redefined "blue hair" for four fans as of midday Wednesday, said salon director Emily Moriarty, and had appointments inked for five more Thursday.
“The bleach process takes more time than most people realize,” Moriarty said.
Wait, there’s a bleach process?
Yes. The hair has to be white before it can be blue. Depending how many times bleach needs to be applied — the record so far is four — the entire process can last three to six hours, at a cost of $200 to $500. Plus a generous tip, let’s hope.
The idea came from St. Brown, Moriarty said, with a fortunate intervention from a documentary producer he knew who dialed Figo.
“He was going to have his girlfriend do it,” she said. “Not the best idea.”
The salon’s connection to the Lions, who play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Santa Clara for a spot in the Feb. 11 Super Bowl, comes through the cheer squad. Stylist Sarah Colorito spent a few years as a Lions cheerleader, and Figo has a contract with the team to handle the women’s hair.
Other Lions-related customers include various wives and girlfriends and at least two players, quarterback Jared Goff and punter Jack Fox, whose stylist makes house calls.
The Honolulu blue tint is a mixture of three shades of dye, Moriarty said, and took considerable tweaking to get right.
Assuming the Lions make it to the Super Bowl, the color likely won’t. Durability depends on the number of washes, but figure two weeks maximum, Moriarty said, or a week if you practice every day like St. Brown and need to lather up.
A refresher, fortunately, takes far less time, and there’s no sense going halfway.
For Lions fans, this is once in a blue moon.
Reach Neal Rubin at NARubin@freepress.com.
To subscribe to the Free Press at discount rates, click here.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Figo Salon in Birmingham offers blue hair for Detroit Lions fever
