Dove Cameron is an American actress and singer best known for playing both title characters in the Disney Channel teen sitcom Liv and Maddie. She has also starred as Mal, daughter of Maleficent, in the Disney Channel film series Descendants.
Dove Cameron’s Natural Hair Color
Dove Cameron is naturally blonde. She was born with platinum blonde hair which has darkened slightly to a golden blonde over time. Her natural hair color can be seen in childhood photos and early in her career before she began extensively dyeing it.
Dove’s Hair in Descendants
In the Descendants films, Dove Cameron’s character Mal has vivid purple hair. This is obviously not Dove’s natural hair color. For the role, she dyed the bottom portion of her blonde hair purple using semi-permanent hair dye.
Here is a photo showing Dove Cameron with her Mal hair:
The purple hair was an important part of Mal’s edgy look and was a style choice by the film’s creators. For Dove, the purple locks helped her get into the mindset of her villain kid character.
Did Dove Cameron dye her whole head purple?
No, Dove Cameron did not dye her entire head purple for the role of Mal. Only the bottom portion of her long blonde hair was dyed purple. Her roots remained her natural blonde color.
Dying only the bottom part made it easier for Dove to transition back to blonde hair after filming wrapped. If she had dyed her whole head, the purple would have required extensive bleaching to remove.
Hair Dyeing Process
To get the Mal hair, Dove’s stylist first bleached the bottom section of her blonde hair to remove any color. This allowed the purple dye to show up vividly. Purple semi-permanent dye was then applied and allowed to set.
It took several rounds of dyeing over months of filming to keep Dove’s Mal hair looking bold and vibrant. Between dye jobs, purple shampoo and conditioning treatments were used to keep the color from fading too much.
Here is a summary of the hair dye process:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bleach bottom section of hair |
| 2 | Apply purple semi-permanent dye |
| 3 | Let dye set fully |
| 4 | Rinse out dye |
| 5 | Repeat dyeing as needed between filming |
| 6 | Use purple shampoo to maintain color |
Mal’s Hair Evolution
Over the three Descendants films, Mal’s hair became darker and more richly purple. For the first movie, Dove’s hair was dyed a lighter lavender shade. In the sequel films, her hair was re-dyed to be a deeper, more vibrant violet.
The evolution of Mal’s hair coincided with her character becoming more self-assured and embracing her role as the daughter of Maleficent. Her bolder hair reflected her more confident persona.
Dyeing Process Was Damaging
While Dove pulled off the purple hair beautifully, the repeated bleaching and dyeing did cause damage to her real hair. The Descendants filming required her to keep the purple look for months at a time with touch-ups.
All the chemical processing made Dove’s hair dry and prone to breaking. She has said that after filming she had to take a break and focus on nourishing treatments to nurse her hair back to health.
It took over a year of “intense TLC” for her hair to recover from being Mal. But for Dove, nailing the character’s iconic look was worth the temporary damage.
Dove’s Real Hair After Descendants
Once filming wrapped, Dove was able to return to her normal blonde hair. Though her hair was quite damaged from the dyeing, she has been able to grow it out healthy again by minimizing chemical treatments.
Here is a photo of Dove with her natural hair after finishing Descendants:
As you can see, she’s back to long, golden blonde locks. Letting her hair recover was definitely the right call after everything it went through for those memorable Mal looks.
Dove Learned to Do Her Own Hair
Interestingly, Dove Cameron learned a lot about doing her own hair from the Descendants dyeing experience. Working closely with stylists gave her hands-on education.
She can now do her own touch-ups, trims, and styling much more readily. Dove has said learning those skills has made her feel empowered and self-sufficient.
The Mal Hair Lives on
Even though Dove’s hair is back to blonde, Mal’s iconic purple hair lives on. Hundreds of Descendants fans have copied the distinctive look by dyeing the bottom portion of their hair violet.
Mal’s hair has become a recognizable part of the character’s identity. The striking purple locks help fans feel connected to Mal.
Here are some fans who replicated Mal’s hair:
Conclusion
So did Dove Cameron really dye her hair purple for Descendants? Yes, but only partially. To become Mal, she dyed the bottom section of her naturally blonde hair violet. This gave Mal her signature bold, edgy look.
The dyeing process was intensive and damaged Dove’s hair over time. But it was worth it to fully transform into the iconic character. The Mal hair has become a recognizable staple among Descendants fans.
While Dove’s hair is back to healthy blonde now, her character’s purple locks live on as a testament to her memorable performance in the popular Disney films.
