The Hair Dye Round-Up
As some of you may have seen on my Instagram, I have finally dyed my hair a colour other than blue. Since I'm presently waiting on an interview for a new job, I had to commit to a hair colour that was "natural", so I went black. More on my experience with that particular hair dye in another post, once I've thoroughly tested it.
After having blue hair for over two years, I've certainly learned a lot about what I do and don't like in a semi-permanent dye, so I've decided to go through each one I've tested over the years and let you know what I think of them. I haven't tried all the dyes in the world, but I have tried a fair few and I have a few favourites... and a few I wouldn't touch again with a ten foot barge pole.
I will note before I continue that I am not a professional; my experiences with dyeing my hair are from experimenting and learning new things from practicing on myself for the past couple of years. These are purely my opinions, and these dyes may be more or less effective on you depending on your hair length, texture, and thickness!
Manic Panic: Voodoo Blue
$25 CAD
I feel like Manic Panic is a tempting dye to start with for anyone who's considering unicorn-coloured hair. I've used it in a few different colours -- namely Vampire Red, and a purple which... truthfully, I don't remember which one it was. I like Manic Panic for being readily available, vegan, PPD-free, and easy to apply. I don't like it for the cost vs. how long it actually lasts. Purple lasted literally until I washed my hair, while the red dye lasted maybe a few washes more. Even on lightened hair, Manic Panic just does not last long enough for me - even if I wanted a fun, temporary colour.
Special Effects: Fishbowl
$16 CAD
I heard about Special Effects primarily through the infamous worldwide shortage of purple tones. It's fairly difficult to get nowadays, and some retailers on Amazon actually charge upwards of $100. Don't buy it from them. It's good, but I found it rather difficult to work with; the formula is very thick and I couldn't dilute it with conditioner too much or it was too pastel. Overall, if you can get your hands on it this dye is a much more cost effective alternative to Manic Panic.
Overtone: Teal
$30 CAD
I discovered Overtone from Arabella Sicardi's recommendation. For what you get in the package and for how long it lasts (generally a few weeks), $30 isn't a super steep price -- but depending on where you're ordering from, be prepared for some steep shipping and customs charges (which is largely why I stopped ordering from them). If you can afford it, it's probably the healthiest dye you'll ever find for your hair. Overtone's conditioners are so good, you can dye your hair with them and your hair will probably never need anything else as far as restorative treatments go.
Pravana Chromasilk Vivids: Blue
$20 CAD
I really wanted to love this hair dye. I'd heard good things about it, and I was enthralled by the promise of it lasting months. In a way, it did... but seemingly only on the surfaces of my bathroom. I could see this dye fading on my hair after 1-2 washes, and it became increasingly dull after that. To top it off, it was rather difficult to work with and didn't mix well when I diluted it with conditioner.
Ion Color Brilliance: Aqua
$6 USD
I've saved my favourite dye for last - this is what I was using right up until the moment I decided I wasn't going to have blue hair anymore. Not only is it significantly cheaper than the other dyes I've tried, it's much more easily available; I got this at Sally's, whereas the other options I generally had to order online. Not a great option when your roots grow in faster than weeds in your front lawn. The formula is really thick and difficult to work with, but the dye is so pigmented you can add conditioner without sacrificing too much colour payoff. That, and this dye lasts so long, it may as well market itself as a permanent hair colour. I rarely needed to touch up my colour in between dyeing my roots, which is more than I can say for the other dyes I've tried out.
Having blue hair was fun for a while. It forced me to take care of myself at times when I really didn't feel like it, and sometimes I needed that kick in the butt to look after myself. It was also reassuring to be out in public, because being stared at regularly no longer felt threatening for me, it just felt like an automatic response to a colour you don't normally see on someone's head. It earned me a lot of compliments and a lot of criticisms from choice individuals, but ultimately I loved having blue hair. Will I go back to blue in the future? Maybe... but for now, I have to admit that I'm enjoying black hair a lot, so we'll just have to see.
Until then,
DJ
