Ariana Grande Dyed Her Hair Red Every Other Week For 4 Years While on ‘Victorious’

One of the world’s most iconic young pop stars, Ariana Grande has proven to be a master of reinvention. She started singing and performing for others when she was only a child, developing an intense passion for stage shows and Broadway musicals. In 2009, Grande began starring in the Nickelodeon series Victorious. Not only did the show help introduce Grande as an actor, but it set her on a path to musical success. 

While Grande loved acting in the series, she did experience significant hair damage during that time. In recent years, Grande has spoken publicly about how much work it was to maintain the signature red hair that she had to have for her role in Victorious. 

How did Ariana Grande maintain her red hair on ‘Victorious’?

In Victorious, Grande played Cat Valentine, a sweet but ditsy girl who has a passion for the performing arts. Fans gravitated quickly to Grande’s character, and she ultimately appeared on the show for over four years. Part of Cat Valentine’s signature style was her bright red hair.

 BuzzFeed reports that creator Dan Schneider wanted female leads in the show to have different hair colors. Grande, a natural brunette, had to submit to regular hair treatments to get her hair the exact right shade of red. 

Grande had to bleach her dark brown hair and dye it red every other week while playing Cat Valentine. After four years of filming the series, she began to experience serious hair damage. 

What did Ariana Grande say about the hair damage she experienced from ‘Victorious’?

In a Facebook post she shared in 2014, just after she left the Nickelodeon series, Grande opened up about the damage dying her hair red did to her natural brown locks. “I had to bleach my hair and dye it red every other week for the first 4 years of playing Cat… as one would assume, that completely destroyed my hair.”

Grande added, “My real hair is back to brown and I wear extensions but I wear it in a pony tail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down.”

Grande’s experimentation led to her finding her next signature hair look — the sleek, high ponytail, which she still sometimes rocks to this day. In the years since leaving the role of Cat, the singer has admitted that she has no regrets, even stating that she went through a major “hair transition” on Victorious.

“It’s kind of like the red was Cat, and that was very much a character, and it was very much a portion of my life that I love and I am so grateful for,” she said on The Zach Sang Show. 

How does the singer take care of her hair these days?

Fortunately, Grande slowly reversed the damage to her hair by taking care of it in the years since. In a 2017 interview with Allure, Grande talked about how she treats her hair to keep it long and glossy. “Coconut oil goes with everything,” Grande said, admitting she likes to douse her locks in coconut oil when at home. She also utilizes lavender essential oil, which some have said can promote hair growth.

While fans know Grande best for her sleek, straight hair, Grande’s natural hair is quite curly. The singer has admitted that she prefers to keep her natural hair as a “more intimate” thing while utilizing the ponytail as a “costume piece” when she does public appearances. For Grande, her hair is as vital a part of her act as her costumes, set design, and, of course, the music itself.