Does purple still reign when it comes to hair?

Nicole Richie this week debuted a fresh purple do. Picture: AP Source: AP

Designer and fashion plate Nicole Richie is yet another celeb rocking the colour purple.

And from all accounts, the hair trend sees no signs of abating.

With Richie joining contemporaries like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Jessie J and the perennially purpled Kelly Osbourne, it seems purple is the pop culture go-to colour.

"I think the reason we are seeing the longevity of lilac hair among celebrities like Nicole Richie is because it's a way of creating a point of difference, which in turn makes them newsworthy,'' says leading Australian hairdresser and celebrity stylist Renya Xydis, also a diehard purple fan.

"It's also gives a person a sense of fun with an attitude of 'I don't take myself too seriously'."

As for the woman who has made purple hair a part of her working look — and a hair colour she is contractually obliged to continue — Kelly Osbourne says people thought she was crazy when she first dyed her hair lavender in 2012.

Kelly Osbourne went purple in 2012 and never looked back. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

"All my friends kept asking me 'Why do you want to look like an old lady?' or 'You do realise you look like Dame Edna?' not to mention the barrage of hate I received via social media,'' Ms Osbourne has said.

"The abuse that rained on me due to simply dying my hair was absurd, not to mention repulsively mean.

"Everyone has the right to his or her own opinion and I am extremely understanding that my hair is not for everyone, however when I first saw myself in the mirror after going lavender I felt like me. I felt complete.''

Just last year, Kelly said the lucrative contract she has with the MTV TV show that critiques celebrity frocks, Fashion Police, includes a clause that she has to retain her lilac mane.

Never afraid to play with colour, Katy Perry's aced the purple look in the past. Source: Supplied

"I'm contracted to this hair colour. I can't change it for two years,'' she told E! News.

"I wanted to go green, but was told I wouldn't be able to work anymore.''

Just last year, Kelly did experiment with her hair, fading it to a lighter grey, a move that was met with criticism. But Osbourne is secure with her own style.

"To me, I'm 27, I've got three years left … because once you're 30, you look like a right idiot walking around with like rainbow, bright colour hair and all different things like that,'' she told The Huffington Post. "So I think, for me, I'm just having fun with it as much as I can until it's not appropriate anymore."

Meanwhile Valonz stylist-to-the-stars Renya Xydis says coloured hair usually relates to high profile industries, but admits to having turned some prominent & professional business women pastel too.

Xydis says it is also a very easy procedure to reverse as it's only a temporary stain on the hair.

However, achieving the right pastel hue takes time: the whiter the hair, the lighter the pastel.

Ash-leigh Croker, a senior colour technician at Valonz, told news.com.au that the less pigment a hair colour has, the easier it is to see the pastel and the lighter it will appear.

"Think of your hair as a white sheet of paper and if, say, your hair was black, we would need to strip the pigment out to get it to blonde or white to see results like Renya or Nicole Richie,'' says Ms Croker.

And while Kelly Osbourne dyed her hair to express her individuality, she said she's happy for others to take the plunge too.

"In the past few weeks, celebrities like Nicole Richie and Ireland Baldwin have taken the bold brave step and also become luscious lavender-haired ladies,'' says Ms Osbourne.

"Funnily, everywhere I go and if I do an interview people keep asking if I am pissed off about it. Ha, the answer to that is NO!''

We think maybe, just maybe, Lady Gaga's purple locks here are actually a wig. Source: Supplied

Hair guru Xydis says the cut of the hair plays a big part on making this trend work.

"Nicole Richie's modern bob and layers makes the colour look fresh & chic, as does Kelly Osbourne as she currently has a cool shaved undercut on the side of her head with pastel hair so it just creates another point of interest to her hair,'' Xydis told news.com.au

"Having dead straight long pastel hair looks gives at teenage Goth feel, but pastel colour with a beautifully styled cut is what makes the colour look modern.''

Do you love My Little Pony purple hair or not? Let us know at Twitter or Instagram on @melissahoyer or @newscomauhq