The Ultimate Guide To Unnatural Hair Colouring
[ 17 January 2007 ]
My hair has been pink, purple, jade-green, red, black & white… & all within the last three years. I’m often asked how do I get my hair so (insert-colour-here) & what products I use, so I thought I would give you some pointers. (Also, yesterday I got my hair cut REALLY SHORT & I am still coping with the SHOCK of looking like a BOY.)
Things to remember:
If your hair is dark to begin with, the colour won’t show. If you’re trying to go darker, it probably will show, but not as vibrantly as if you had started with a lighter colour. Think of it like using a pink pen on black paper. The pink probably won’t show up. The same goes for your tresses.
If you start with yellow-toned hair — as bleached hair has a tendency to go — remember your colour wheel. If you’re trying to go bright red, & you put that over yellow, your hair will be orange. If you put blue on yellow, your hair will turn green. To get rid of the yellowness, get it toned.
If you are going grey or have white hair, know that any colour you put on your hair is going to be REALLY bright. I once read a complaint from a woman who used L’Oreal Feria’s “Starry Night” (which is the best blue-black ever, in my opinion), but because she had some gray hairs, all the gray bits went BRIGHT blue.
For those of us with naturally dark hair (like me), the best bet in terms of lightening is to get it done professionally. Yes, this can be expensive, but they know what they’re doing. When I was trying to get my hair white, I used (on average) two packets of bleach a week on my head trying to get the colour down. I continued this charade for about a month, & my hair was still yellow & nasty. I could have bought toner myself, but I didn’t want to risk it & my hair was already way too brittle for me to want to keep fiddling with it — & I spent easily as much trying to do it at home as it cost to have it done properly. So while this CAN be done at home, I suggest getting it done at a salon unless you feel really confident, or don’t care if it looks manky.
You should always try to go for a colour that complements your skin-tone. You can use my article Fashion Help For Recovering Goths as a guideline. In general, I would suggest that if you have a ruddy complexion (by this I mean you blush or go pink in the face easily) to stay away from pink & red colours. I would also say to stay away from neon yellow or green if you’re a bit on the pale side. It will just make you look sick, & I presume that’s not what you’re going for!
Blue is hard to maintain, probably the hardest of all the colours. Keep this in mind if you want to try it — it will need a lot of touch-ups. If you want to keep it up long-term, make sure the place you bought it from has enough in stock!
Brands
Special Effects: I personally like Special Effects, & based on what I’ve heard from most people who dye their hair on a regular basis, it seems like the best dye. It comes in amazing colours — my hair is “Atomic Pink” & I would love to try “Electric Blue” sometime — but beware! It STAINS like CRAZY. My pillowcases are pink. They have been washed, but they’re still stained. Don’t use white towels! After a while, the colour stops bleeding, but generally it takes a couple of weeks. Special Effects tends to last at least a month. A lot of the colours also glow under black-light. Bonus. Please note, I have never seen Special Effects for sale outside of the U.S.A. When I went to New York recently, I stock-piled with pink. Try Ebay.
Manic Panic: I’m okay with Manic Panic. They have a good range of colours & it lasts for a reasonable length of time. Some of this also glows under black-light. Looking at their site, it says their formula has improved (“lasts 30% longer!”), so maybe they’ve improved. Anyway, a good second choice.
Fudge: Probably a good brand to start with if you’re unsure as to whether you REALLY want purple hair. Otherwise, don’t bother buddy! The colours are average at best, & in my experience, it lasts about a week tops.
I’m not going to cover the bleaching stage, since I believe it should be done professionally & if you really want to do it, you can read the directions. I can’t give you any better advice than what is written on the box, unfortunately!
You will need:
Rubber gloves
Hair dye — you can use a couple of colours if you want to experiment or want a more interesting effect. I once used the remnants of Manic Panic’s “New Rose” with Special Effects’ “Cupcake Pink” & the result was awesome.
A tinting brush (looks kind of like a turkey baster), though this isn’t essential, & you can use a soft toothbrush instead if you like.
Vaseline
Comb
Old towels
Cling film or an old shower-cap
Vinegar (apple cider is my favourite). Edit: A reader tells me that vinegar stripped the colour right out of her blue hair, so perform this step at your own risk!
Step by step (ooh baby, gonna get to ya giii-iiii-iiirl)
Don’t tell me you didn’t like New Kids On The Block. I know the truth!
01. Okay blondie, wash your hair with shampoo, rinse it out, get out of the shower & towel-dry your hair. Don’t dry it completely, just get most of the moisture out.
02. Put down towels, put on an old t-shirt & read the directions on the bottle to find out the recommend length of time you should leave it in.
03. Rubber gloves please! Apply a thick streak of vaseline across your skin where it meets your hairline. This will stop your skin from going whatever weird colour your hair will soon be. You crazy kid! Put some around your ears too, since blue ears look silly.
04. If you’re using more than one colour, mix it up in a bowl that you never plan on eating from again. You can use the tinting brush for this or you can just use a couple of gloved fingers. Once you’ve stirred it well & are happy with the colour, you’re ready to go!
05. Apply the dye! Use the tinting brush, a toothbrush or your fingers. I use my fingers. Some people say you should colour from back to front, but in my experience this doesn’t make much of a difference. Being able to see the back of your head might be a good thing though — I usually get a chair & prop a full-length mirror on it so I can.
06. Make sure your hair is totally coloured. Comb it through & check that you’ve done the roots entirely. I usually like so much dye in my hair that I can easily twist it into weird shapes.
07. Cover your head with cling film (or a shower-cap). This locks in the heat coming out of your scalp, & helps set the colour better. You can leave this for as long as you want — I usually leave the colour in a little longer than the bottle says (if they say 30 minutes, I leave it 45), but I once knew a guy who would go to bed with cling-film covering his blue hair. Also around now you might like to pour some vinegar into a cup. Fill it up, you’re going to be rinsing your hair with this.
08. Wash it out! Get in the shower & rinse it until the water goes clear (or as clear as it’s going to get). Then shampoo. Tilt your head back & try not to let any of the water coming off your hair trickle down your face, since it can stain! Okay, now for the vinegar. This works best for me when I sit down. Keep your head back & pour the vinegar through, working it through with your fingers. I don’t really know how it works, apparently it raises the pH level of the hair colour, but whatever. The point is that it works — it will stop your hair from staining everything as much. Rinse well, then condition.
09. Get out of the shower, towel dry & admire for at least ten minutes before putting your clothes back on. Yay! Enjoy!
Maintenance
To keep the colour bright & vibrant, & to stop your hair from drying out, you need to use a really good conditioner. I am a huge fan of “Dumb Blonde” from Tigi’s Bedhead range. Here’s their blurb: “Not just for dumb blondes — it’s for racy redheads & buxom brunettes too. Dumb Blonde shampoo delivers mega-moisture, explodes with lather & adds supershine.” The conditioner (they call it a “reconstructor”) is full o’ protein, with soy, wheat, keratin & pro-vitamin B5. They usually sell small bottles (maybe 275ml, I’m not sure) of each for about $16 US, but every so often you will find a litre pump bottle of the conditioner & shampoo together for $30 US. If you come across this, snap it up! It’s a great saving & the products are wonderful.
Of course, you don’t have to use Dumb Blonde, it’s just something I have found which works for me.
If your hair is white, buy a purple shampoo of some kind to keep it toned. I used to use “Daddy-O” by Lush, but it’s been discontinued. Boo!
Send me pictures!
Extra For Experts:
Video of Halcyon Styn dying his hair pink.
Hyper-love & bunny kisses,
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Perfect timing! I’m due to dye my mother’s gray hairs purple tomorrow… eep. I wonder if I can mix it with a less intense colour like medium brown for a more subtle look (so I can be seen walking down the street with her).
:S
She wants purple hair? You must have a pretty cool mother. You might be able to get a brown tinted with red/purple tones, but make sure she knows that her grey hair will soak up the bright colours more intensely than normal!
where did you hear about the the vinegar thing? seems completely counter-productive as vinegar strips temporary color out!
i had my hair blue for a year or so – black pillowcases and towels for the win.
I read it online ages ago & tried it myself — it worked really well. I think it probably just pulls out all the excess colour that hasn’t been properly soaked up. They recommend it on the Manic Panic site too. Actually, if you google “vinegar hair bright color” there are a lot of links instructing you to do just that… so I’m not crazy!
I have some dark grey towels which I use when my hair is freshly dyed :>
i’ve used vinegar or lemon juice to take haircolor off bathroom surfaces, out of fabrics, off skin and to strip faded color out of hair.
it takes blue off completely and FAST, it doesn’t take red-based colors off as successfully (ie BRIGHT red will still leave pale orange stains) so maybe the PH thing works with red-based colors but i would strongly advise not trying it with blue at all.
what i did used to do religously was deep condition with a mask (i used a Kerastase one) the next time i washed my hair and left the stuff in for 45mins. This i would repeat a couple of weeks later or when the color started to fade and it’d bring the oxidised shade right back.
also i would always comb/brush before the pre-color shampoo to make sure i didn’t have any tangles when applying the color (i dunno if everyone does that anyway?).
Hmm, okay, I will edit the article & add in your advice. Funny that one product would produce such different results! Thanks for your insight!
Very good advices! thnx:)
Thanks Bambi~!
wow, where can you get “special effects”? i’ve had a hard time finding places that sell a good range of colours, so i’ve been doing fudge every weekend. not fun.
No no no, throw your Fudge away! I’ve only been able to buy Special Effects in the States. I suggest checking Ebay or go to goodgoth.com — they sell it pretty cheaply. http://www.goodgoth.com/specialeffects.htm
I’ve been dying my hair once a week with flamingo pink fudge too, but unfortunately without a credit card to access internet supplies i am at a loss as to what else i can use as i live in New Zealand where choice is scarce!!
Illicit sells Manic Panic. They have a store in Auckland & one in Wellington now too I think.
Hiya just letting you know that i found some pink dye called “directions” at calico jacks in wellington,they have a huge range of colours and apprently they are far better and last longer than fudge!
Smegan’s right – Directions is fabulous and the colours come out pretty much exactly as they are on the swatch board. You can also get Directions from Amadeus in Newtown (heh). I rate it WAY higher than Manic Panic.
Another tip I have from when I’ve had unnaturally coloured hair is to keep a little bit of the colour and put it into your conditioner. That way, when you’re conditioning, it puts some extra colour in and brightens it up.
Just wondering if anyone knows a really reliable way of getting fudge out of bleached hair. I got my hair bleached about 3 weeks ago and put pink fudge in it, and I want to put another colour in, but I can’t get all the pink out. Will the vinegar work? Or is there another way of getting it out? It’s a horrible colour atm and I really want to get it out! Has the pink stained my hair? I really need some help.
Firt time bleacher xxx
Amy — Pink comes out very easily if you bleach over the top of it… Other than that, I don’t know how to get it out. Wash it a lot!
Pink out…you can also try Prell shampoo with equal parts of 20 volume peroxide. This works great for me and I always do it before coloring.
Just read this now.
Funny to hear of everyone’s different results-I tried Manic Panic myself and it washed out in a couple of washes. Previously I had used my friends fudge and it lasted much, much longer. It faded a little and eventually washed out but comparably I found it stuck much better than the manic panic dye. Although it could be I just messed up. At some point (when I have settled into my new job) I will go round two with the manic panic and see if it doesn’t go better the second time.
Also, in New Zealand manic panic is available through a couple of sellers on trademe (just search manic panic)and through www.thornapple.co.nz -for anyone interested.
ugh i hate manic panic sooo bad, the cotton candy pink lasts like two days..
whats a good conditioner i can use that can be bought easily in the u.k?
i hoping to dye my hair atomic pink! can’t wait!!
just to let anyone whos interested know
Lush DEFINITELY still DO produce Daddy-o shampoo – i work there and use it everyday on my blonde (..and hopefully soon to be pink) tresses.
hope everyones having a good hair day :)
love and kisses
chloe — Which country do you work in? In Australia & NZ it was discontinued a couple of years ago.
heyyy… i had blonde blonde hair before, and we tried to put pink streaks in, but it bled into alllll my other hair when we washed it out, so basically my whole head is pink now. And the pink was pernament dye.. Will bleaching over it turn it back to normal? Or is this stuck in my hair for good.. i really need help
katie — I managed to bleach my pink hair back to white with very little trouble, but I WOULD suggest getting it done at a salon. Hope this helps!
here’s a late-coming question to this post:
what would you suggest for keeping one’s hair from getting greasy in-between washes? i dye my hair and wait several days between one wash and the next as not to bleed the color out too much. what’s your tactic for keeping your hair looking nice in the interim, oh wise gala of the multicolored locks? :)
tricia — A liberal dowsing of talcum powder! It absorbs some of the oil & will give you another couple of days worth of mileage :> I like the sweet-smelling stuff, so Lush’s Candy Fluff is my pick! (Alternatively, try a scarf on your head, wink wink!)
hey i just put streeks in my hair and then i went swimming and it ternd green! how do i get rid of the green?????????? i need help
hey i just colored my hair magenta like 2 1/2, 3 weeks ago and its still bleeding…any hints on how to make it stop…lets just say hurricane harbor was not as fun as it should have been
Chrissy — Rinse it in vinegar. I use apple cider but any old sort will do.
Oh my god..it sounds so complicated. I’m dying my hair black on tuesday [hopefully befre my mum gets home eeK!!], and in 2 weeks after that, I want to dye the ends bright pink. Like on my fringe and such. All of this gloves and vinegar business i didnt know. I thought u just chucked it on and ta dah its done lol.
stupid me. Im definatly gonna print this out!! Thanks Gala. One question: Do you have to buy special conditioner for it? Like a special dying one, or can you just use your average one?
xxJJ
Jay-Jay — Putting pink over black won’t work. I suggest bleaching the ends & doing those pink, then VERY carefully applying the black. You know how if you try & write something in pink on a piece of black paper, it doesn’t show up? Same deal with hair. You need to lighten it first!
& yes, you should buy special conditioner for coloured or treated hair, since your hair will be quite damaged & needs extra moisture & nutrients.
We can get Directions here in Dublin (I know cause I saw it in the shop!) and what I need to know is, if they sell it in 88ml tubs, which they do, how much do I need to dye my long, thickish dark-blondey-light-browny hair violet? (I know this article is from ages ago but it’s clearly the best place to ask!) I’m going to camp on Wednesday and I want to bring the dye with me and come home purple-topped.
Roo — If your hair is blonde/brown, it probably won’t go violet unless you bleach it first! Re: amount of dye, it’s difficult to say. I’d suggest buying a couple of bottles, to make sure you have enough. Also purple has a tendency to fade quickly, so if you have any extra left over, you’ll be able to use it to touch up the fading colour! Have fun!
Thankee!
If you want Special Effects hair dye go to: http://www.garmentdistrict.com/store/rock/special/index_special.htm
It’s cost 8.95$ each, and it ships internationally. They also sell Manic Panic but I recommend Special Effects.
Hey, great guide you have here- I’m thinking about dying my hair the “Blood Red” color from special effects. I have a very dark bordering-on-black brown color atm, soI’m going to bleach it first, but I have a question: since the colors fade in “3 to 6 weeks”, after that period will my hair be the same color as the bleach, or will the bleach fade as well? Sorry, this is the first time I’ve even thought about doing this.
When the colour fades, the colour your hair is when it’s bleached will remain. It might be slightly stained but essentially, it will be the colour it was when you first bleached it. Hope this helps!
At that vinegar part, can you use lemon juice instead?
I was wondering what shampoo would be best to thoroughly treat my hair, as about a month ago, i beached i three times (it was black) so i could put red undeneath it, the red looked great (it’s a bit pink now though) but when i first bleached it, i loads of my hair broke off and snapped.
So what would treat it best – it feels like barbie hair…? lol.
I miss having a job where I can dye my hair however I like. Although my hair is liking not being bleached as often. One of the joys of short hair – if you destroy it takes less time to recoup with conditioning masks.
I am going pure jet black this weekend. haven’t had it like that since I was young and goth. looking forward to sparkly clips and bright coloured extensions on weekends…
how do u do a coon tail?
I like the techniques (and I adore your entire website!), but I MUST encourage you to try Jerome Russell’s “Punky Colors”. I swear by Pink Flamingo and it’s gentle on my hair and stays VERY vibrant for 3+ months!
The 3 brands you mentioned disappointed me, except SFX’s Pink Cupcake. I was alright with that, because in one week, it started fading, but didn’t warp to any ugly colors…just got more pastel.
Find out if the dye’s acid based. Human hair is protein based(we all know that), but acid dyes work incredibly well on animal fiber.
Folks use kool-aid with extra vinegar to dye wool. So I’m thinking if it’s acid based that’s why it lasts longer if you add extra acid. Heat helps too. Heat + acid.
Hi all, just wondering if anyone can give me some advice about dyeing naturally dark regrowth? I assume you have to bleach the regrowth and then dye it blue to match the rest of your hair …? Sounds sort of difficult, so yes, any advice?
x
Hi i was wondering if i could get some advice. I am planning to die my bottom layer purple. My hair is long and a sorta blondy brown colour, you knowlike blonde getting darker basically. I was just wondering what people thought =]
Thanks x
hey Gala,
i have a problem. Everytime I dye my hair a lighter colour ( i aim to achieve a light brown/ ash brown) on my already dyed hair. But i always get orange-y tint to it. i naturally have dark brown hair, and I’ve bought hair dying products that are specifically for darker hair (which claims not to result in the orange tones). Is there a way of dying my hair (either professionally or at home) without achieving this unwanted result? When i dyed my hair at the salon, it kinda showed this result too… :)
Thanks!
xoxx
HOW WOULD I DYE REAL HAIR EXTENSIONS.
I WANT TO MAKE COON TAILS.
ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
THANK YOU
Hey
i live in the UK and i really want a cool looking purple for my hair, just cant get any of the products you suggested over here, what can i use????
Hugs xxx
I’ve had my hair bright purple and bright blue, and both times I’ve used Fudge products. The purple didn’t last long at all, but the blue was good for about a month and a half before it began to fade.
I guess it depends on your hair type and how often you’ve dyed it. Also, I got my blue done in a salon using fudge.
i have just dyed my hair Pimpin purple well i say my hair i have dyed most of my neck too :( and my dearest limi got hair dye on one EYEBROW :o sigh!!!
I’ve dyed my hair so many times to know that, manic panic is not a great as people crack it up to be, i’ve tryed 4 different colours in my hair and some of my friends hair and it washes out way to quickly. I used punky colours. the colours are not as great use they last alot longer then manic panic, and fade nicely, plus I’m able to buy it locally if that counts form anything.
I’d just like to throw in that the vinegar thing really does work. Every time I’ve colored my hair and used it, it stayed much longer than when i forget to bring the bottle into the bathroom and then its too late cuz its all the way downstairs and i’m wet and naked.
ANYWAYS, it works, and its a tip that i got from my hairdresser, so i trust her, and endorse vinegar.
hey
i’m looking forward to dying my hair all
neon blue, but i don’t know whether or not to use vinegar. some say it strips all the color OUT, but others say something differently. also does anyone have tips to make it last longer, and NOT turn a swampy green?
I’ve been dying my hair weird colors since I was 11 years old (over 10 years now) and I’ve had it every color possible and usually multi-colored. I swear by Manic Panic, even though most people say that it doesn’t hold good. Everyone’s hair is different, so if one brand doesn’t stay well, try another one, even if other people don’t recommend it.
Valeire- Before you go rinsing your whole head with vinegar, try it on a small section of your hair and see what it does. Everyone’s hair will react differently. If you don’t want it to fade to green, try looking for a violet-based blue. It will Also adding a teaspoon or so of the dye to your conditioner helps a lot. Stay out of the sun and pools as much as possible. Both fade the color really fast. Rinsing your hair out with cooler water helps keep the color in longer as well. Good luck!
Beauty supply stores sell hair dye remover pads, that work really well at getting stains off skin. Witch hazel or rubbing alcohol work too.
Sorry this is so long:( Love you gala!!!
If you can find it.. I would suggest the N’Rage brand.. they have a color called N’tense pink and it lasted a long time in my hair. On bleached hair it turns a nice hot pink. They also have an N’tense red, but it doesnt exactly turn red. It’s more of a dark pink color. Both colors lasted in my hair a decent amount of time. Probably in the neighborhood of 2-3 months without getting too terribly faded. N’rage also has a purple and blue but I havent tried them yet. At the beauty supply store near me, they discontinued them but if you can find them.. i’d say the pink and red shades are worth a try. I just don’t have any luck with Manic Panic colors. They fade on me within 2 weeks.
Just as a little note – I have bought special effects up here in Canada. I’m not sure if its widely available, but there is a store that offers it here in Edmonton, Alberta.
After reading this I just want to dye my hair all over again! Thanks for the good tips.
i was really bored, and started looking on hair style/colour websites to figure out what clouor im doing next at the moment im white blonde, hot pink, and black (ive been red orange yellow purple turquoise brown dark blonde blue green magenta, basically you name it, and my hair has been it..at least twice.) i was reading your recomendations on the colour brands, ive used all of those, as ive been dying my hair since i was 12. my hair is naturally medium blonde but for 4 years (im almost 17) i keep going back to platinum blonde, i found a great brand of hair dye that comes in pretty much any colour imagineiable its called ‘adore’ and comes in a white bottle, it lasts so long on bleached hair that i have to bleach it out. manic panic and S.E. dye dosnt last any longer than 2 weeks on my white hair. if you can find it give it a try. your site is very inspireing, and ive gone through many pillow cases my self. im going to recomend your site to my friend, and tell her to pass it on. thank you.
Hi, I’m back again. Can’t seem to get the blue out this time… I tried vinegar, and I’ve washed it and generally done all the things you shouldn’t do, and I still can’t get it out.
Any suggestions?
oh gala, i am in dire need of help.
so, suzani dyed my hair incredibly, there is no doubt about it, but, one wash in, and my color [red] already started to fade. im using soemthing from loreal that i got free at a salon once, and although its incredible, it just cant keep my color in. i used cold water to wash it [on the advice of a friend], but im still worried it wont be lasting as long as i’d hoped, and i really dont want to only be washing it one every two weeks.
help!
z
great article! i’ve been a fan of crazy hair colours for a couple of years now & i’ve semi-worked out how to master home bleaching :D
i recently dyed my fringe bright green, using special effects. i live in perth, & found it at a hair & clothing store called wildilocks. i initially mixed it with the manic panic green, which i found to be too highlighter yellow. but the special effects green is perfect! check it!
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8167/morrregreen021fk9.jpg
xx
Does anyone know any good bleaches? I’ve never bleached my hair before ‘cause I’ve always dyed it darker. So I have no idea what to use/do!
Also, how much hair will one bottle of Fudge (I think it’s called PaintBox?) dye?
Sorry, I really have no idea when it comes to dying my hair x[.
Everyone says fudge come out faster than all the other brands, ive been dying my hair unatural colors for about 11 years and ive found fudge to be the best, the reds are amazing and they stay in my hair for about a month, I tried manic panic once and in washed out in the first wash.
Tip: when washing your color out, rince your hair with white viniger, after a minute rince hair in water, this will keep your color in for AGES!
I have been working on making my hair platinum for the past few months, and all was going great. That’s when I decided to put some unnatural colours in it. I used Punky colour in tourquise, arctic blue, purple and pink in my bangs and around my face. I also used tourquoise in two strips in the back. It looked wicked.
I left it for a few days to let the colour sink in. When I washed it however, the blue bled REALLY bad. And now my plautinum hair is more light blue/green from the bleeding.
Any tips to make this go away, and to prevent it from ever happening again?
Kourt
Awh! At least yours hasn’t gone red… After dying it bleach blonde (well, yellow) i decided I looked completely silly so I read that you had to put a red dye on first as a filter, and then apply a brown on top. Let’s just say the brown didn’t take to my hair. At all. Now whenever I go out in the sun, all you can see is a carrot with legs :/ hehe
To stop hair dye from bleeding, I always like to cover the dyed-to-be streaks in tin foil while the colour’s setting in! Not only do you look uber cool with shiny stips poking out of your head, it stops the colour from bleeding!!
To strip the dye and start again, there’s a product called “Color Oops” that strips the dye (not bleach) you’ve applied! I’m not sure if you guys have this in Australia, we don’t have it in the UK but I’m sure there’s some on eBay!
Hope everything goes okay with your hair,
Ben xo
I’m a stylist, and the reason that vinegar works is because it brings the ph of your hair back down to normal. When you put color on your hair it opens up the cuticle and to lock the cuticle back down, along with keeping your color in longer, you must lower the ph back down.
If you have gray hairs that you want to avoid turning bright colors, usually you’ll want to make sure there is neutral in any color you use… and also make sure you are counteracting colors by using your color wheel. Remember green cancels out red, violet/purple cancels yellow, blue cancels orange and all vise-versa.
If you don’t want to use vinegar try using Acid Shock made by Beyond the Zone.
I just dyed my hair pink, and I used Color Fiend in Fushia Flash. It was awesome, and turned my hair a really cool colour that is very close to the pink Gala dyed her head, so add that to the list of great dyes!
My hair was dyed black a long time ago and wen I tried to dye it red with “Perfect 10” dye when it faded all the faded parts and my roots went a nice red! But I still havee the black in my hairr!!!!!!! Do you think Manic Panic would go over the black??
SFX hair dye is available in Australia, it’s what I have used in my hair for over a year.
Wildilocks stocks it here in Perth, Western Australia. (not sure of web address, dogpile or google it) It’s about $27 a bottle, but i have bought 2 bottles and still not run out and like i said, it’s been over the year (altho i only have the underneath part of my hair coloured). The colour just keeps on keeping on.
So after skulking around on the internet for information on extentions. I ended up here somehow, and being the big hair changer i am, i started to get the itch for something diffrent. I had black hair with a bright red bit under the fringe and now, it looks like this…
It’s by far the most flattering color i’ve had (bright red washed out face because of my pink cheeks) and it goes well with the green and red i wear a lot. I just thought you’d like to have a squiz.
As far as how i did it goes, i just brought the bleach in the powder and liquid form from a hairdresser warehouse place (around $15) and bleached it twice. The red/purple bits are where it wasnt quite white. I’m not sure exactly on the brand of the purple but i wsnt quite fussed because im looking forward to it fading to a violet.
Thanks, and i think you’re page is adorable.
Whoops. Here is a WORKING link.
i74.photobucket.com/albums/i25…
Hi,
I’ve used Loreal Feria #22 for like 7 years. It is Very Dark Brown, but Deep Purple when the sun hits it. The problem is it’s discontinued and isn’t available anywhere on the planet now! It is my signature color! Has anyone figured out how to achieve the same result with another product or combination?? I’d be eternally grateful!!
They’re bringing Daddy-O back to Australian LUSH stores!
Hi,
really great site for first time dyers!
Question: I have ginger hair and want to put a streak of colour (not permanently) in my hair. I bought the Stargazer semi-Permanent Hair Colour, shocking pink and ultra blue. I chopped a bit of my hair off (lol) and tested the colours and the pink went a deep pinky red (quite nice) but the blue went a bit manky looking (a weirdish browny green :/). I don’t want to bleach or lighten my hair cos I like my ginger tresses and dont want them paler when the colour comes out. How long do you think the stargazer hair dye will last? and where and how much of my hair should I dye to make it look nice without having too much dyed.
Thanks for the help! keep up the good work
Katie :)
I’ve coloured my hair electric blue twice and Ariel red twice. I’ve decided to go atomic pink this time.
1) Can you get these colours in a more permanent state? I mean, so that they last like ‘real’ dye and don’t wash out after a few weeks (semi-permanent)?
2) Will more (fancy) salons have these brands or colours in another brand in stock and will they do it for you professionally? If so, how much would it cost?
(I usually do it at home but make a total mess of it).
3) Have you ever experienced work/your employeer having a problem with Atomic Pink hair (or something like that)? Can they legally do anything about it?
Great article, thanks.
hey gala, i used Atomic Pink by Special Effects, and it worked wonderfully!! i loved my pink hair so much, then my papa told me to dye it back. poo
anyway heres a picture :D
img114.imageshack.us/img114/65…
heya, i was reading your site and found some great tips that i’ll be using in the future!
but i was wondering if anyone could help me? i had my hair dyed at the salon a few months ago and had about 3 colours (blondes and browns) put in as i was trying to even out the colour i had before, but i now want to dye my hair red and was wondering the best possible way to do this without it going orange etc
thanks :)
i’m inserting my own extra for experts haha
some good sites for seeing how the dyes turn out are
www.hairdyegallery.co.uk/
and
amphigory.com/special_effects_…
they both have tons of photos of each color, it can really help when browsing and deciding which color you want to dye your hair.
HELP!
So I had a horrible bleach job done to my hair,
So when i came home I gave myself an oil treatment and the next day i dyed it black with feria starry night hair dye…
The only problem is
in the light
my hair appears to bright blue!!!
how do I fix this?
and how do i help damaged hair?
I dye my hair alot, or i did anyways. And its very frizzy and I was hoping to go a nice blonde and then blue or pink.. But I have no clue how my hair will be afterwards.
I dont want it to fall out..
How do you keep your hair frizz-free/ repair damage ?
please help !
*kelsey- condition LIKE MAD! Go to a hairdresser to get your hair bleached, they’ll be able to look at the damage and have a pretty good idea as to whether your hair can handle a bleaching or not. Also, it is A LOT easier to maintain a few purple highlights than an entire head of crazy color
I died my hair bright, Ariel-esque red a few months ago. I got incredibly sick of it after awhile, and died it back brown (boring, yes. Yet, more suitable then red? hell yes!). Now my hair had this metallic orange tinge and I look like a monkey.
How do I fix it? I’m going maaaaad.
x
I also agree for pink – Jerome Russell’s Punky Colours is awesome.
I had something to ask, and now it’s gone – hooray!
I love dying my hair different colours. The first time I bleached it, I kind of liked the pale orangey colour it came out with but still went to put my bright red dye on which looked dead cool. After I got bored I dyed the top layer of my hair black.. now this was fine. Except for the fact I dyed the underneath neon pink. I used a cheap dye which lasted roughly a week until it turned into an awful bright orangey yellow colour on the bottom layer of my hair. Problem is, now I’ve dyed my hair dark brown to give it a rest for a while (it was getting quite dry!) even though it seems to have been fine and made my hair go soft again after a rest and a good cut.. The underneath is still dry no matter how much conditioner I use. The brown colour is lighter on the underneath due to the bleach (I think there was bleach in the neon pink too!). I can live with it but cant wait until it’s all grown out as I’m growing my hair really long. I’ve enjoyed reading your colouring guide though and everybodys experiences… good or bad! Good luck everybody reading this & deciding to go crazy :p
LOVE THIS ARTICLE TO DEATH! =(^.^)=
Hope “someone” is still reading – have a question about using Punky Color without bleaching first. I’m going quite grey. Silver, actually, esp around the temples. Looks awesome against the purple I have (top of head is purple/black, under is Plum by Punky). I’m “too young” to be grey, so have been colouring for a while – however, I’m digging the silver now. I’d love to be able to just use the Punky, but tried that once, and it didn’t take. Is there something I can do to my hair to make it accept the colour more readily without the bleaching? Bleaching turns it a yellow, which is fine for me when the purple is in, but would love to be able to let the silver be the accent. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hello, my name is Carlonda and i am african-american. i gave gray hair but i do hacve a little yellow in it. is it true that if i pour some peroxide in my shampoo bottle it will remove the yellow and bring my gray back to life. i’ve tried other products but nothing seems to help.
I just stumbled upon this page, & it’s VERY helpful, especially since a friend of mine bought pink & turquoise hair dye for MY hair haha. We’re doing it next week before my family Christmas get-together. I definitely bookmarked this page so her & I can read the tips, & what we should & shouldn’t do when putting the colors in.
Thanks bunches!
{Billy}
You seem to know quite a lot about hair dying, so I was wondering if you might be able to give me a bit of advice on a small problem I’ve been having. I’ve looked for quite a while and haven’t found anything exactly relevant on the net.
I have blond hair and I want to put light purple highlights in it. Similar to the color of purple highlighter pens. I happen to have some Jerome Russel violet dye, which is a nice purple but much darker than I want. Is there a way to lighten it to get the color I want? I’ve heard of people mixing conditioner with pink dyes to get lighter colors, but I have no idea how well this works, or how much I should use. Any tips?
great advise .
but i was wondering if you know anything about coon tails?
i’ve been wanting to get some for about a year, and i’ve just dyed my hair a darker brown then my natural colour.
all of the hairdressers say that if i bleach the section, then put the black stipes through it will be really tricky. but i’ve seen people with leopard prints in their hair so..
i was wondering if they’re just saying that because i live in a small town in australia and they have’nt ever done it before?
if you know anything at all, that would reeeally help.
ty n_n
Thanks! I am going to dye my hair rainbow colors probably if my college wont care. I’m going to college for cosmetology in july. I am going to have my friend dye my hair for me. I want to keep it up if possible for a few months! If you have any tips for me that’d be good?!
to get the dye off skin and other porous surfaces,such as sinks, tubs, my glasses(at the temples) i use the alcohol rub stuff that you use to sanitize your hands with.it lefts the color off fabulously. my glasses were really bad so i squirted some in a paper towel,wrapped small sections around the colored areas and waited about ten minutes, the color came off great! i use it anywhere i get etra dye from being a tad sloppy.
Ok so i want to dye my hair blue purple and green but i have really dark hair how do i dye my hair without messing it up?
ok my hair is black brown red and purple and i bleached my hair about a month ago i have bright violet streaks now…....i am planning on dying my whole head dark mahogany brown….i have had my hair dyed about 7 times…......will my hair turn green because i bleached it? will my hair actually turn a brown or will it turn a funky color?? PLEASE HELP
any advice would really be appreciated thxx
xxx first time bleacher xxx
Daddy-O is in the UK!
Awesome site!
I used Blueberry Hill dye by Fudge but I washed it once and it’s ALREADY fading. Are there any ways to keep the colour? Also, are there any more permanent colours? As in are there colours that last longer than a few weeks?
Thanks sooooo much!
Hello Gala! I have a big problem… I used to change my haircolour all the time, as you did. Last year, in september I dyed my hair BLACK using Casting Creme Gloss from L’oreal (before it was light blue). After this, I dyed my hair for abot 4 times in black because the colour was washing out until december. Since 6th of december I didn’t even touch my hair.
Now, because we’re on holiday I wanted to go back to blue,so, I bleached my hair as usually. The problem is that the roots of my hair gone blonde, but the rest of the hair is still black. What should I do? I think it just looks horrible like this!
Please answer me because I don’t know someody else who could help me! haykylollipop@gmail.com
P.s: sorry if my english is bad, I’m Romanian and sometimes i just terrify miself for the way I write in english.
Hayky