How a Metro Detroit barber helped inspire Amon-Ra St. Brown to dye hair blue for Lions playoff run
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - His name is Mourtaja Alkhalidi, but his clients at the UC Hair Factory in Dearborn Heights, like Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, call him "Barber Mour."
"He comes straight from practice, comes to the barbershop, gets a haircut, takes a couple pictures with the guys, and gets back to work," Alkhalidi said.
Before the Lions playoff run, Barber Mour says he hit St. Brown with a bright idea.
"We had this deal. I told him if we win, we got to dye your hair blue," Mour says.
After a 12-5 regular season, the Lions would go on to hold their first-ever home playoff game at Ford Field, in which Amon-Ra St. Brown kept up his side of the bargain.
"He texted me, it said, 'We're going blue.' I'm like, 'What do you mean?' He sends me a picture of someone with blue hair. I'm like, there is no way." Mour said.
Since St. Brown began sporting the blue hair, his bright cut has caught fire among Lions fans.
"All the local beauty suppliers are out of blue dye. That's got to tell you something," Mour said.
One of those salons helping fans model blue hair is Figo Salon in Birmingham, the same salon that touched up St. Brown's hair with Honolulu blue before he and his team beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 in the NFL Wild Card Round earlier this month.
Before spending his time on the Lions sideline during the team's win versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, Mour decided to join the St. Brown blue hair bandwagon.
"The coolest thing about dying your hair blue is no matter what, every single morning I wake up and I'm a Lion," Mour says.
With all eyes on this Sunday's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Mour says he and his blue hair will be at the game with the hope Detroit comes out with a win and heads to Super Bowl LVIII, and the entire Lions team will be walking out the tunnel in Honolulu blue from head to toe.
"Hopefully, they will have blue hair if they get to the Super Bowl. It would be elite. Imagine showing the lineup of everyone just running out with blue hair," Mour said.