It has been revealed that The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey’s locs and hair extensions cost at least $150,000.
According to a hairstylist who worked on Disney's latest live-action film, the production had a hefty budget when it came to getting the look just right after forking out a staggering six-figures on Bailey's hair transformation.
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Bailey was done up with a beautiful set of locs and extensions to perfectly match Princess Ariel's signature red colour from the beloved animated flick and it sure cost a pretty penny or two.
The hairstylist, Camille Friend, told Variety just how important it was for Bailey, who is the first-ever Black actor to portray a live-action Disney princess, to have 'natural hair' for the role.
The hairstylist recalled: "I went to meet with Halle's family.
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"Her mother is spiritual and they're a kind family. I started to understand who she was and why the natural hair element was important to keep."
After the consultation, Friend said that both Disney and the flick's director, Rob Marshall, had no issue with the decision.
Once approved, the hair guru got to work bringing her creative vision to light.
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She explained: "I look at the facial shape, skin tone and eye colour. And what colour her costume is going to be."
Determined not to cut off any of the star's natural hair or use a wig, Friend added: "I knew a wig just wasn’t going to work.
"Halle’s locs are down to her waist, over 24 inches. And putting her in a wig was going to look crazy."
She told the outlet about how she navigated the creative process: "If we take hair and wrap it around her locs, we don’t have to cut them and we don’t have to colour them.
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"We can change her colour without changing her internal hair structure. Her structure and her hair are her."
According to the barnet expert, the hair-wrapping took anywhere between 12 and 14 hours with Friend calling Bailey an absolute 'trooper' throughout the whole process.
Talking about the hair extensions, Friend explained: "It’s three shades of red," noting that the 30-inch long hair was custom-coloured and fused in with Keratin tips.
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And the price-tag?
Friend revealed: "I'm not guesstimating, but we probably spent at least $150,000 because we had to redo it and take it out
"You couldn't use it, and we'd have to start again. It was a process."
Well, it's clear all the hard work truly paid off given just how strikingly beautiful Bailey's hair looks in the movie.
Topics: TV And Film, Disney, Hair, Celebrity
Rhiannon Ingle